This morning we were awake and out of our room by 5 am, hoping to beat the heat. Unfortunately there was no breakfast offered, and we had failed to plan ahead to have rations ready. As
such, we hiked out of Cacabelos in the early morning darkness guided by
our headlamps, with the hope of finding an open bar along the way.
We began by passing through vineyards, and as the early morning light began to illuminate the landscape, we discovered that entire hillsides had been transformed by the agriculture over the centuries. Throughout the morning
we also noticed that the Camino markers had changed and now included
bright yellow and blue tiles, often placed on concrete pillars, on the
edges of buildings and at intersections.
It was still dark
as we entered Villafranca del Bierzo, a historical pilgrim hospital,
with its imposing Castillo de Villafranca del Bierzo.
Across the street from the castle we finally found a corner bar which was opening and allowed us to have a wonderful breakfast of cafe con leche and chocolate croissant! Villafranca
is a very beautiful town, which tempted us to wait for the castle and
churches to open for the day to explore them. This village has for centuries been an important site of pilgrim rest and refuge. In
fact, centuries ago, pilgrims who were unable to physically continue onward to Santiago were given special blessings and a holy pardon in this
town, allowing them to conclude their pilgrimage here. Before leaving the old quarter and crossing over the Rio
Burbia we came across a stone or concrete statue of a pilgrim directing
hikers along the way.
As the sun rose at the edge
of Villafranca we found a wonderful piece of urban artwork. We took a moment to appreciate it, and realized that it is not only the historical architecture and artwork on the Camino that is interesting, but also the modern interpretations and representations. Even the pilgrim graffiti and artwork can be beautiful and meaningful. To
see how those before you envisioned the pilgrim route or how they
expressed their feelings can be quite insightful. We continued on,
realizing that we had passed too quickly through yet another town
that it would have been wonderful to have had more time to explore.
Once we left
town we hiked out to the old highway to locate the trail, which was alongside the
road that we would follow for much of the day. The
steep hillsides on both sides of the road represented a striking change in the landscape, from rolling agricultural hills to a mountainous landscape covered in lush
vegetation, denser forests, and flowers. The trail climbed and continued westward beside the highway which was mercifully divided from the Camino by a concrete barrier.
We were surprised
and delighted when after crossing through the quiet town of Trabadelo, we met a
long lost friend, whom we had not seen since Astorga. Having come back together we were grateful
to have the opportunity to make our apologies. It seemed like this chance meeting at a crossroads couldn't possibly be mere coincidence. Once again I have come to believe in trail magic along the Camino.
By noontime we all
stopped for an early lunch at what resembled a roadside cafe for truck
drivers, where we enjoyed sandwiches and orange juice. Here
we discovered that both of us were running out of room in our pilgrim
passports and needed to purchase a second for our remaining days on the
Camino. We were also informed that while you only need to get one stamp
per day along much of the route, in the final 100 km you are required
to get two stamps per day.
As a group we
continued towards Vega de Valcarce, a town which had a number of
delicious bakeries which we couldn't help stopping in to visit. After trekking along rural
roadways and over Roman bridges we eventually reached the village of
Herrarias. Our hiking companions decided to continue on to O'Cebreiro to celebrate the pilgrim's mass on the top of the mountain, but having already walked 30 km, we were both too exhausted by that point and decided to stay behind.
During our hike
today, one of the things which caught our attention was a stream of
signs advertising horses for rent to summit the incline to O'Cebreiro. We were momentarily tempted by idea of riding up the mountain, because it seemed like it would be a unique and historical experience, as well as potentially being quite fun. However, in the end we decided against it, as the horses didn't depart until mid morning, and we wanted to make an early start.
With few options
for tonight's lodgings we checked into the beautiful Casa Lixa,
which is an incredible Swiss style albergue with a lady who must have
been a former model running the establishment. Its entrance brings pilgrims into a room which serves as a common room, and a dining area with a massive stone fireplace. The rooms are beautifully decorated, very clean, very classy, and have huge class showers! Once
in our room on the second floor we showered, changed out of our dusty
hiking clothes, did our laundry, and hung up our cloths for tomorrow.
Now refreshed we
explored the town, which sits in a beautiful valley but which has little
else in terms of amenities or places to visit. We ended up sharing a bottle of wine at the edge of town in Ruitelan
with our friends, a couple from New Mexico. We hadn't seen them in quite some time, and it was great to catch up and share our experiences along the Camino so far.
Our afternoon passed quietly, and we enjoyed an early evening walk before having a wonderful dinner at the albergue. After this, with a curfew in place and both of us being tired, we settled in
for the night to write our journals and update the blog, prior to
tomorrow's climb.
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Practical information:
Distance: 30.2 km
Max Temperature: 30°C
Accommodations:Casa Lixa
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