Vega de Valcarce, Spain

When we woke up, and saw the rain pelting down we wanted to go back to sleep. We didn’t and instead we got up, got packed in a reasonable amount of time. Soon we were at breakfast eying the weather as we sipped our coffee. It let up around 8:15 so we set out walking. Within a couple of hours we were in Villafranco de Bierzo cool but not wet. We stopped for our second coffee. Not so many pilgrims today, but lots of happy birds singing choruses through the woods. And masses of windflowers, such as forget-me-nots, poppies, calendula, and mustard. We saw cherries blooming, and farmers sowing seeds. In Villafranco I got lucky when we came across an Asian Market open on a Sunday! And would you believe she had rain ponchos for sale! Only 7 euros so I bought one in lime green to cover me and my small pack. Toward the end of our hike, the clouds burst again but I was ready with my sunny poncho. We walked the last 6 km in style, staying relatively dry. When we checked in, there was no trauma around how to dry out everything we owned, our big packs were waiting in our room, which had a lovely view of the rushing River. We did have a rather exciting time trying to find tomorrow night’s hotel room because all the hotels in O’Cebreiro were complete. Luckily, our hotel here jumped in and started phoning everyone she knew until we booked the last vacancy in O’Cebreiro. We also booked for Tuesday because it’s looking like we hit a crowded part of the Camino. We were able to call Alaina before dinner using FaceTime, because of Mother’s Day but couldn’t reach Kaily. Dinner was wonderful here, fresh trout and a lovely cabbage soup. We are settling into bed with the intent to sleep soundly before tackling that mountain tomorrow.

Cacabelos, Spain

We were happy we made it all the way to Cacabelas before the next storm broke. Our bodies are weary so we kept it to about 13 miles today. We walked steadily and quietly through magical woods, groves filled with birdsong, budding vineyards and newly worked fields. The windflowers were out full force. We also strode through the vast urban landscape of Ponferrada. We saw a lovely castle, but didn’t slow to see what was inside. We stopped for coffee and a chocolate croissant in Ponferrada, then later we stopped again in a village for a sandwich. We reached our destination by 3:30. Now we are snug in our hotel room after a hot bath, and handing over our muddy clothes to the laundry. We’ve planned and reserved for tomorrow’s hike when we reach the base of O’Cebreiro, a high pass which we will take two days to do. It seemed we were alone a lot today, and the cluster of hikers we ran into were fairly subdued. Perhaps we are all in a trance of daily walking.

Molinaseca, Spain

We awoke to rain but since the prediction was scattered showers, we set out as usual. Just made sure I had my down jacket, rain coat, and spare dry socks and shoes. Well, a scattered shower just parked itself in our neighborhood because it rained steady all day. We figured on a couple of tough climbs because we were going to visit Cruz de Ferro where everyone leaves a stone. I had brought my surrender stone from home. There was another hill to go up and over after that. Getting up to the Cruz de Ferro was easy. There was even a coffee shop with a roaring fire right below the Cruz. It was crowded with perigrinos however so it was hard to get a fireside seat. We did get a few moments at the hearth, then it was time to go. I left my rock, and my spirit lightened. We didn’t stay long with the rain pelting on us. Every once in a while, there was another rough shelter for us. Some with coffee set out, one with church music, but many were just rude roofs. By midday, I was soaked through both sweat and raindrops. No matter the wet, we kept going just faster to stay warm. It took a long time to find a good lunch. It was around one, we found an Alberque open with a hardworking woman making coffee and tortas. We each had a coffee but split the torta. So hard to leave the warmth and set out in the storm. We gave up following the Camino because of the mud and rocks. The Camino followed the road so we walked the road. That way we could move faster and it was safe enough because there were few cars. The flowers were gorgeous, poppies, lilac, heather and a few unknown species. It feels like an Elven kingdom out of the Hobbit. Even the pilgrims look otherworldly with their coverall ponchos and special rain gear. We were ever so happy to arrive here and find our hotel. We are drying out all of our gear and hoping for better weather tomorrow. We won’t go far, we made a reservation in Cascabela at the Santa Maria. That’s 15 miles from here. Luckily, the restaurant across the street was serving pilgrim meals so we had a sustaining dinner for ten euros each. Our hotel keeper, Matteu was there, and it seems I’ve got the air kiss status with him because I speak Spanish. It’s that old man phenomenon again!

Rabanal del Camino, Spain

We have left the Meseta, or high plain behind as we enter the foothills of the coastal mountains. Tradition has it that as you walk the Meseta you are plagued by your dark side of doubts and fears. Once you begin to climb, one’s thoughts become lofty. Certainly that seems to be where we are heading. As we left Astoga, We came upon a little shrine filled with pilgrims at prayer and lighting candles. I went in and lit my candle for Dave Nuebacher and prayed while Norm waited outside. We hiked own and our talk moved to deeper topics, of love and caring, of being aligned with what truly matters. The path wound up the mountain and in a most harmonious way we matched our pace and forged onward. The sky was grey overhead, but the rain didn’t arrive until we reached our destination. We walked 13 miles today, an easy day. For us. We had fruit and nuts for lunch by the trail side reaching Rabanal del Camino by two.

Astorga, Spain

It was a long day of rolling hills until we finally reached Astorga. In Hospital de Orbigo the two Camino choices finally converged and the one route became crowded with pilgrims. We went over a big hill, then at a fork near a farm we veered right but lost track of the Camino markers. We were following a family with two children but soon began to doubt the way. We stopped and turned back meeting up with several travelers. We wound up shouting to a fieldworker who confirmed we were on the right road. There were few markers because the road was newly graded and hadn’t been marked yet, nor was it on our maps. In the end, we just had to trust we were headed for Astorga. At the top of the second big hill, we began to spot a few Camino markers. Then we came upon a roadside stand where a man and his partner were giving away fresh fruit, and juice. Norm had a slice of watermelon but I just had apple juice. It was called Cantina de la Casa de Los Dioses. We wondered how one could create a life based on greeting passing pilgrims, but were grateful nevertheless. We were ever so happy to finally spot Astorga and slowly descend. We had to walk through most of the town, though it was charming. The sign posts clearly got us to our hotel where our packs were waiting. Of course, now that we are sending our bags ahead, we have a new arrival procedure. We must reserve our next hotel the night before so we can submit our pack shuttle order to Jacotrans. Here’s where I made a serendipitous tech discovery! We can make cheap calls in Spain from my very own Iphone using Skype. All we needed was a wifi signal. So I called our next hotel, Posada de Gasper, reserved that room, then called Jacotrans for the luggage transport. All of our work was done, but we were almost too spent to go out. After baths, and a bit of a nap, we rallied and wandered around Astorga. We had arrived too late for sightseeing, but did find a wonderful place for dinner where we had a pilgrim meal for ten euros which included a lemony fish soup with shellfish, freshly made fries with meat, and lemon tarts for dessert. Norm had a beer but I enjoyed tinto de Verano which has just appeared on menus since it’s May. We slept early, but not so soundly. I accepted my nocturnal restlessness and found myself doing my foot and calf exercises at three a.m.

Villadangos del Paramo, Spain

It was quite a weight off our backs to hike today! We put out our packs in the lobby before eight to be transferred to our next hotel with 7euros attached in an envelope. Then off to breakfast and the post office to pick up the smaller packs we had mailed. Soon we were breezing down the highway as free as birds. It was the day I picked up four old man admirers as we walked. Norm was amused when first one, then another old guy struck up conversations with us. Then, just because they were not busy, they wound up walking a ways on the Camino with us to show us the sights, and make sure we knew the route. An Old Man Magnet, Norm named me. I’m glad I still have the touch. At lunch we met up with a pair of Irish pilgrims and enjoyed a rousing discussion of world politics. The wound up here at our same hotel. We spotted some large green lizards but they were too quick to capture with photos. Also saw a nesting area for crows. We arrived at Hostel Liberty by 2:30, ahead of our estimated arrival time. A kindly bicyclist loaned us his phone and helped us reserve tomorrow’s inn. So we are on track for our next chapter.

León, Spain

We arrived here as planned on Sunday night. The hike followed the highway and through suburbs of Leon, so was less attractive. We passed Dave with a huge Texas sized pack huffing up the hill. I was concerned, but he thought he was doing okay so we went on. Following the arrows into town was a challenge because some were vandalized so hard to identify and some were hidden. We zigged and zagged our way to the center. When we spotted the majestic cathedral spires I wanted to cheer. We found an ancient hotel near the cathedral with rickety old floors and brick walls where we checked in for two nights. It’s Hotel Regis in the old walled part of town. The place was hopping with people all out enjoying the May Day holiday. We found out Monday was a holiday too, so the post office would be closed. Getting our onward plans worked out was a challenge for us because of both language and technology obstacles. Finally we had to ask for help at the front desk. We plan to courier our packs now via Jacotrans which means we need to plan ahead and reserve each night’s stay so we can direct the transport. However, tomorrow our next place isn’t listed on Booking, it’s a small town so we had to email directly then wait for a response. We couldn’t get the response. Phone is easier, but ours won’t work in Spain, nor will texting. Thus we had to ask the lady at the desk to phone for us. She arranged our next stay at Hotel Libertad in Villadango. It’s not the scenic route, but a sure bet for a comfortable night’s rest at the end. We had to wait until Tuesday to go on because we had to pick up our package at the post office. So we had to celebrate Labor Day with everyone else with a day of rest and relaxation. We visited the gothic cathedral our first night, especially enjoying a lively musical performance in. The plaza in front. There was a cadre of fathers there too, hearing confession and praying for various parishioners who were lined up. It was so moving it brought me to tears. We toured the cathedral filled with twilight splendor and organ music. We wound up missing out on the kind of dinner we wanted because they eat early on Sunday, and we seemed to be looking when mostly they were serving pastry, chocolate, and ice cream. In the end it was pasta and pizza in a basement cafeteria. Monday we window shopped and found out where they serve the best tapas. By the end of the day, we were ready to head out again, and were happy to have a good plan.

Mansilla de las Mulas, Spain

It was cold and windy but clear blue skies on the Meseta today. We had to walk a long way, about nine miles, before we found our second coffee. We were mostly following the highway and stopped every hour or two to rest our shoulders in whatever sheltered niche we could find. We arrived in Mancilla at around 2, this time attentive, and found a friendly hostel with a private room where we can sleep. They did our laundry for eight euros while we wandered this Medieval town with its twelfth century walls. We even went to a museum. We went out for dinner sitting with a Texan, Dave. Now we are back in our room where clean clothes were waiting, enjoying the privacy and warmth. Tomorrow we will hike into Leon!

Mansilla de las Mulas, Spain

We hiked 11 more miles to arrive in Frogtown, we didn’t pay attention as we hiked into town because we were enjoying an animated conversation with Tony, who is Spanish and German. So we missed the center of town. It was late and we didn’t want to waste time finding a hotel so we took the last bunks in the Alberque La Laguna which was of course, next to the frog pond. It was run by an Italian Hospitlero, and he was so disorganized that he assigned my bunk twice. Once to Maria, then to me. Next another pilgrim came in and he was assigning it again. At that point, we noticed trouble and I gathered up Maria and myself to solve this problem. After some animated discussion he realized the mistake and came up with a bed for everyone. Maria lucked out with a private room, and I still had my own top bunk. This place was none to clean, but had a sunny garden and a lovely sunset view. You had to provide your own bedding and toilet paper. We had a lovely dinner in town in the fading sunlight with Ursula. We also got to know a few other pilgrims out at the bar. It was a restless night as Norm and I were at opposite ends of the dorm each on top bunks. Everyone was considerate but it was a cacophony of snoring all night. Needless to say, we were up very early seeking breakfast and a dawn getaway. And so was everyone else.

Sahagún, Spain

We hiked from coffee bar to coffee bar today. I had four coffees which helped stave off the cold. It was cloudy and windy on the Meseta but no rain. I wrapped my clothes in plastic inside my pack because rain was likely, it just never came. Along the way we met Ursula, who was Dutch and hiking alone, also Tobias. Tobias is a long walker from Germany which means he started his Camino from his front door, hiking through Germany, Switzerland, and France before reaching Spain. He spends every vacation on this long walk to Santiago. Ursula decided to take a couple of months off because her company is in disarray and she’s questioning her direction. She’s a strong hiker and naturalist. We arrived here around 2:30, then found a rustic Adobe hotel. We ate a late lunch in the sun outside of a sweet shop. After a nap, and a walk around town, we had dinner at a restaurant on the plaza. At first it was warm, and all the families were out. The service was slow so by the time we had desert, we had to move inside and most of the families had gone home. Now here we are at our hotel, catching up on the news, email and journaling. We are just happy to be warm.