Day 30 - Prayers on the Hilltop : Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca
This morning we woke before dawn and enjoyed a breakfast of instant coffee (made with hot tap water) and pastries which we purchased last night. Excited and ready to go, we packed our bags and headed to the edge of town, where we planned to meet up with our companions. By 6 am we were heading out together twilight towards one of the most iconic locations on the Camino de Santiago! The pathway left the bricked streets of Rabanal, and began climbing into heather covered hills through what I think was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful mornings I have ever experienced, on or off the Camino. The only sounds on this twilight trek were those of breathing and the clicking of hiking poles on the walkway.
With sunrise we arrived in the village of Foncebadon where we were met by a donkey happily grazing on the hillside. Here we also found a small cafe, enjoyed a cafe con leche with our friends, and took some time to explore the ruins of historical structures on the edges of the village.
With our second
breakfast complete, our group struck out past the ruins
of the church of San Salvador and the Hospital de San Juan as well as a
number of wooden crosses placed at the side of the path.
Throughout this section the Camino wove gently upwards, and it often narrowed such that we had to hike single file. Most pilgrims seemed quietly contemplative this morning as we made our approach to Cruz de Ferro. 
When we arrived at the summit, we discovered that quite a few pilgrims had camped beside the Ermite de Santiago, while others had managed to make the hike up to the top in time to see the sunrise. While it would undoubtedly have been magical to watch the sun rise from Cruz de Ferro, I wouldn't have missed this morning's hike for the world.
Cruz de Ferro itself consists of a large wooden pole topped with an iron cross. Surrounding its base is a mound of stones which has expanded each year. Legend suggests that when the Cathedral in Santiago was being built , pilgrims were asked to aid in its construction by bringing a stone. Since then pilgrims often carry a stone whose extra weight represents the burden they have been carrying and wish to leave behind on the Camino. In this spirit, pilgrims now place a stone or other object representing their burdens at the base of the pole before moving onto Santiago.
The site of Cruz de Ferro, while not busy, clearly hosted a constant stream of pilgrims. Despite this, the area was peaceful and most pilgrims were very respectful. We were fortunate to get a few moments to ourselves at the base of the cross to place our stones, and say our prayer. For me, this was the prayer recited in "The Way":
Throughout this section the Camino wove gently upwards, and it often narrowed such that we had to hike single file. Most pilgrims seemed quietly contemplative this morning as we made our approach to Cruz de Ferro.
When we arrived at the summit, we discovered that quite a few pilgrims had camped beside the Ermite de Santiago, while others had managed to make the hike up to the top in time to see the sunrise. While it would undoubtedly have been magical to watch the sun rise from Cruz de Ferro, I wouldn't have missed this morning's hike for the world.
Cruz de Ferro itself consists of a large wooden pole topped with an iron cross. Surrounding its base is a mound of stones which has expanded each year. Legend suggests that when the Cathedral in Santiago was being built , pilgrims were asked to aid in its construction by bringing a stone. Since then pilgrims often carry a stone whose extra weight represents the burden they have been carrying and wish to leave behind on the Camino. In this spirit, pilgrims now place a stone or other object representing their burdens at the base of the pole before moving onto Santiago.
The site of Cruz de Ferro, while not busy, clearly hosted a constant stream of pilgrims. Despite this, the area was peaceful and most pilgrims were very respectful. We were fortunate to get a few moments to ourselves at the base of the cross to place our stones, and say our prayer. For me, this was the prayer recited in "The Way":
"Lord may this stone, a symbol of
my efforts on the pilgrimage,
that I lay at the feet of the cross of the
saviour,
weigh the balance in favour of my good deeds,
when the deeds
of all my life are judged. Let it be so.
Amen."
Moments like those at Cruz de Ferro stay with you for some time, and so I have to admit that many of the details of today after this point are a blur. From what I recall, much of the hike away from Cruz de Ferro was a hard steep shale and slate pathway which was tricky to navigate.
As a group we continued on to the highest peak of the Camino - Alto Altar Mayor.
On the edge of the village of Manjarin we found a Knight's Templar camp were we could get our passports stamped.
Trekking onward, the Camino followed along both roadways and paths - often at steep downward angles.
In the beautiful village of Acebo we enjoyed a large orange juice and relaxed for 1/2 an hour without our boots on. Acebo itself is a stunning town which is clearly in the midst of being transformed into a high end tourist location.
Perhaps the high
point of the afternoon was the huge flock of sheep and goats which cross
the path and ran around us for several moments before we continued onward.
The trail was tough today, with many steep climbs and steep, uncertain descents. Because of this some pilgrims opted to walk along the narrow, winding road below us, but the speed fo the cars down there made that a dangerous looking option. While the final stretch into Molinaseca was beautiful, it was one of the most difficult stretches today.
The trail was tough today, with many steep climbs and steep, uncertain descents. Because of this some pilgrims opted to walk along the narrow, winding road below us, but the speed fo the cars down there made that a dangerous looking option. While the final stretch into Molinaseca was beautiful, it was one of the most difficult stretches today.
When we finally arrived in Molinaseca we were treated to a flat sidewalk, which took us past a church set against the
hillside, and over the historical bridge known as the Bridge of
the Pilgrims.
Despite the beauty of the town, with very sore legs we
were now ready to finish our day's hike, so we headed towards one of
the first listed albergues in the guidebook, the Hostal El Horno, Casa
Rural. This establishment is very clean, comfortable and welcoming. We
were soon checked into a third floor room, which was a beautiful
massive space including a private kitchenette and private washroom! Once settled in and after resting for a few minutes we commenced with cleaning our packs and enjoying a warm shower. We
were also fortunate to have a laundry service provided by the hostess
of the albergue (could there really be anything more wonderful?). She was a truly wonderful lady.
By mid afternoon,
we were refreshed and so set out for lunch at a nearby establishment, el
Bar Pepe, located beside the main bridge and between two lock walls. There we enjoyed a cold beer as well as cheese
sandwiches. After enjoying our riverside meal we wandered Molinaseca
which is a quiet, clean town with narrow streets which cars seem improbably to navigate. It is clear that
while Molinaseca is a beautiful town, it is also one which has recently
been very developed for pilgrims, including an albergue named Martin
Sheen's "They Way", and another named "El Ramon", which as it turns out
was not the one mentioned in the movie. As I
write this I have mixed feelings about the highly westernized
development of these small villages in the Spanish countryside. I can
appreciate their desire to develop the region, revitalize their towns,
and build an economy - but I also wonder what effect it will have on
their culture. I suppose time will tell. We were also fortunate to be able to visit the Iglesia de San Nicolas, a wonderful structure with a beautiful alter.
During our tour of
the city we resupplied our hiking treats in a local variety
shop where we purchased dried fruit, granola bars, and post
cards. While grateful for the opportunity to
restock, we were stunned while shopping in the Tienda when we were charged nearly twice as much as a local purchasing more dried food than us. This makes the third or fourth time that we have witnessed pilgrims getting charged much more for the exact same products than local residents. Ah
well - as one of our friends reminded us, "be grateful for what you
receive, accept what the world provides, and try not to have so many
expectations. Learn to accept rather than expect."
As evening set in, we ran into our American and Canadian colleagues whose albergue overlooked the Church. After
enjoying a few glasses on wine on their balcony we were invited to stay
for dinner, which turned out to be a wonderful Brazilian dish made "to
change what pilgrims were having every night." As such, instead of the
pilgrim menu, we enjoyed flavoured rice, beans, eggs, water, wine, and
pudding! The host spent the evening talking with
us and giving us advice for the coming trail, showed us his credential,
suggested that we slow down and enjoy the moments as they come, and
wished us luck.
After our incredible meal, at the Hostel Casa San Nicolas, we took our evening walk through town getting some night photographs.
Admittedly we have returned to our room very late but we have had a wonderful day, we have been well fed, and are happy and relaxed. I think that today was one of the best days on the Camino so far. Excitingly....depressingly (?).... we are now just over 200 km from Santiago. _________________________________________________________________________________
Practical information:
Distance: 25.6 km
Max Temperature: 23°C
Accommodations: Hostal El Horno, Casa Rural
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