Sarria – Portomarin Breakfast starts at 7:00am at the Hotel Alfonso and is too good to miss. We are packed and ready by seven, we eat lightly for we know the day ahead is long and ‘flat’. Flat is a word that is very open to interpretation on the Camino. The majority of the Meseta…
Triacastela – Sarria ‘Tis the pilgrim’s lot to wake early which does not jibe well with the Spanish way of life. Breakfast at the Case Rural starts at eight am which is still before sunrise and Pam and I are champing at the bit and first to the table in the early morning. Soon we…
O Cebreiro – Triacastela I wake during the night tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. As I go to sit up my left knee lets out a crack like a rifle shot and I feel something on the medial side suck back into place. Ahhhhh the relief……….at last. The long walk uphill and the…
La Portela de Valcarce – O Cebreiro It is still dark when we leave the truck stop from hell and the street lights of La Portela de Valcarce cast an eerie orange glow as we walk through the street down the middle of the little village. Ahead of us a large dog is barking constantly…
Villafranca del Bierzo – La Portela de Valcarce Today we are faced with two choices, the high road with a very steep descent at the end or the low road following the winding river. My left knee is still very painful and we decide to avoid paths involving declines for today. Whew. We have one…
Ponferrada – Villafranca del Bierz We wake early and pack ready for the day. There is a 23km walk ahead of us today and we still don’t know how to get out of town. We seek guidance from the desk clerk as we leave the Hotel Temple and she indicates we cross the bridge near…
Riego de Ambros – Ponferrada In terms of distance alone (guide book indicates thirteen kilometers) today will be a shorter walk. Pam and I no longer trust any indicators of distance (guide books or roadsigns) particularly on the entry to larger towns such as Ponferrada. The only thing I am sure of is we have…
Rabanal del Camino – Riego de Ambro Today we pass the highest point on the Camino (the La Cruz de Ferro lies 1504m above sea level) Pam at the very start of our journey deliberately lied to me stating the highest point was between St John Pied de Port and Roncesvalles (1455m above sea level)…
Astorga – Rabanal del Camino I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of rain falling on the small window. The room in El Stanko is small and confined and our body heat has warmed it to the point that I feel uncomfortable. We are sleeping inside our silk sleeping bag liners…
Hospital del Orbigo – Astorga Cacti can be prickly and painful to the touch. Distilling their essence down to firewater, whilst certainly potentially dangerous to one’s overall state of mind if consumed in excess, apparently renders the prickles supple and painless. I wake with a clear head. Once again stranger things have happened at sea.…
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