Stage 28 - Vega de Valcarce to Fonfria

Where We Are Tonight:  Fonfria                      Miles Hiked Today:  14.4 (23.2 km)

Miles Hiked Overall:  395.4 (636.4 km)            Miles to Santiago:  89.5 (144.1 km)

Steps Taken Today: 45,517                             Blister Count:  hmmmmm....

Spanish Word of the Day:  queso  (cheese)

What We Learned Today:  Eat all the queso con miel  (cheese with honey) that you can...it's FABULOUS! 

As we came through a small village today,  this was the traffic jam we saw.

We are back into mountains big time now. This is the view from atop one ridge.  It is so beautiful!   It feels like you can see forever. 

The climb up to the famed O'Cebreiro town was tough!   It was very steep and rocky and unrelenting.   And it was very hot and humid...in fact, I was quite wet when I got to the top.  There we came across this sign saying we are finally in Galacia,  our last province we will go through on the Camino.   That is quite an.accomplishment!   Everyone was shouting in joy that we made it this far!

Once in the town, we had a celebratory lunch to commemorate the fact that we had made it to the "top."  (We thought that this town was the top of the mountain and all the books also state this,  but they lied.  We still had a LOT more uphill to climb but we didn't know it at the time.)  We celebrated with a huge lunch of home-made chorizo (sausage), empanadas (pastry with a meat and vegetable concoction), vino tinto (red wine) from the region,  pan (bread), and the best queso con miel....which is now my very favorite food ever!  

Queso con miel is so good that we had it for dinner, too, when we got to Fonfria.   We saw the cows that made the cheese walk back to the barn from the fields as we were eating!   Their barn is directly across the street from our albergue.   Many people around here sell fresh honey..so that was local and fresh as well.

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, "I'M POSSIBLE".”

―Audrey Hepburn

Stage 27 - Cacabelos to Vega de Valcarce

Where We Are Tonight: Vega de Valcarce                Miles Hiked Today: 16.3 (26.3 km)

Miles Hiked Overall: 381.0 (613.2 km)                     Miles to Santiago:  104.0 (167.3 km)

Steps Taken Today:  44,688        

Blister Count: The growth under my blisters on my right foot continues to grow and hurt and Pam has new ones every day!

Spanish Word of the Day: cerezas (cherries)

What We Learned Today:  If you can take a break while looking at a very old castle, take it!  (See photo below.)

As I reflect on today, all I remember is that we walked on a lot of pavement today, just beside the road.  Luckily,  a few years ago they built a huge new highway bypassing the villages in this area.  That's great for us because now the road where the peregrinos walk only has to deal with local traffic but of course these small villages are dying due to the lack of business.  The Camino is the main source of income for many of these villages.

We are back in grape country!  The wine here is fabulous.   It is also cherry season and people are selling them on the side of the road.  Among all of the beautiful flowers we constantly see,  all of a sudden people have roses in their yards, of every size, style and color imaginable.   We are thinking of all you people back in Portland celebrating the Rose Festival!

We went through the cute city of Villafranca.  There we decided to take a break.  We picked, like we did the day before, a place where we could look at a castle while we rested.  How cool is that?   These towns and villages are so old, it's hard for us to fathom how long they've been around.   While in town, we watched a triathlon.   The hills they had to bike over were so difficult and then they had to run on old cobblestone!  (We didn't see them swimming.)  Wow...my triathlons kinda pale in comparison. 

Speaking of snacks,  we found Bugles here!   Anyone remember them?  Oh, so good!   So here is a picture of my snack break...which includes, of course, reading my Camino book!

“No one knows to what heights you can soar. Even you will not know until you spread your wings.”

―Anonymous

Stage 26 - Molinaseca to Cacabelos

Where We Are Tonight:  Cacabelos                Miles Hiked Today:  14.6 (23.5 km)

Miles Hiked Overall: 364.7 (586.9 km)            Miles to Santiago:  120.3 (167.3 km)

Steps Taken Today:  40,124                           Blister Count: I don't know...

Spanish Word of the Day: pulpo (octopus)

What We Learned Today: If it's an herb, it grows wild here.  So far we've found oregano, thyme, rosemary, lavender, fennel, and lemon balm.

Today we walked through the cool town of Ponferrada.  There we saw an awesome Knights Templar castle from the 12th century.

Walking today was very humid and hot and buggy.   We all looked like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown with all of the dust and bugs flying around us!

Coming in to a small village, we heard the bells of the church ringing.  We didn't think too much of it until it went in for quite a few minutes.   We finally walked by the church and got to see three grown men at the top of the bell tower, outside,  physically making the bells swing around and around to get them to ring.  After watching that for awhile, we continued down the street and saw for the second time a parade for a saint.

Cacabelos and all of this area is well-known for its specialty: octopus.   I'm not quite sure why this is their specialty since they are no where near the coast.  But, oh well, when in Rome....So, we tried some.  The meat inside is actually quite good, kinda like scallops.   We are not too keen on the outside skin.

My book of the Camino has 4 pages of maps and we are now on page 4!!

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” 

―James Michener.

Stage 25 - Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca

Where We Are Tonight:  Molinaseca               Miles Hiked Today:  15.5 (25.0 km)

Miles Hiked Overall: 350.1 (563.4 km)            Miles to Santiago: 134.9 (217.1 km)

Steps Taken Today: 50,321           Blister Count: Pam has even new ones today!

Spanish Word of the Day:  pies que duelen (feet that hurt)

What We Learned Today: After about 23K, our feet revolt.

Today we went to one of the highlights of the Camino....el Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross.)   This simple iron cross stands on a wooden pole and it has become one of the abiding symbols of the pilgrim way of St. James.  It is the tradition now that peregrinos put their own rock atop this huge pile - a rock many times brought from home.  The rocks can symbolize past hurts, problems, wrong doings,  etc. and by placing them on this pile, you can physically let go of these pains.  Sometimes the following prayer is said:

Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage that I lay at the foot of the cross, weigh the balance in favour of my good deeds some day when the deeds of my life are judged.  Let it be so.

Peregrinos as a whole are really obsessed with rocks.   Granted, there are MILLIONS of them to choose from on the roads, paths and fields, but peregrinos are really taken with rocks in general.   They make piles of them on every Camino sign, they make them into rock people, and do just about anything else you can imagine with rocks.   Who knows why...nothing else to do while hiking? Each rock represents something to people as they place them on structures?  They feel artistic?   Who knows...but it does make for some interesting things to look for wherever you go.

We are starting to get back into the mountains.  It's nice to see some mountains in the distance as we walk and not just flat foreverness.  Here we are at the highest point that we will reach on the Camino  (1,515 m, 4970 feet).

This was a really long day...and tough.  As we went over the mountain, we ended up walking most of the day in a (usually,  mostly) dry river bed.   It was very rocky and difficult to walk in and maneuver through.   The rocks were slippery and loose.

We were so tired at the end of the day that this was the second time we just showered and went to bed...no dinner!

“When you're tired, exhausted and broken. When you feel you're getting nowhere and you've got nothing left to give......... look out at that view that surrounds you. Take it all in, and know that you've earned that! It’s yours! And wherever you go in life you will take that view with you and it will keep your moving.”

―Anonymous

Stage 24 - Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

Where We Are Tonight:  Rabanal del Camino            Miles Hiked Today: 12.9 (20.7 km)

Miles Hiked Overall: 334.5 (538.4 km)                      Miles to Santiago: 150.4 (242.1 km)

Steps Taken Today: 39,134                                      Blister Count: getting better?

Spanish Word of the Day: amigo/amiga (friend)

What We Learned Today:  People really do reconnect on the Camino! 

Today was a pretty mellow day of walking.  We are definitely getting back into hills.  The landscape is now kinda harsh - pine trees and shrubs.

We ran into a friend we walked with quite a bit from the first 2 days of the Camino but then somehow lost contact.   It was so awesome to see her again!  It's amazing how we will connect with people for a few days, lose contact with them, and then sometimes see them again.  The bond between peregrinos is something special, that's for sure.

We have finally met some more Americans.   Some states represented are NM, NY, GA, and FL.  I know there are others but I just can't remember.

The biggest news of the day is that today we reached our 1,000,000th step while on the Camino!!!  Can you even believe that?!  Now you know why our feet hurt so much!  In case your keeping score we ended the day at 1,017,189.  That's a lot of steps.  We only have about 450,000 left to get to Santiago.

 The Camino is always full of surprises.   The surprise today was that there was a guy who was letting people hold his falcon!  That was way cool!  Her name was Julie.

"There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast."

―Paul Scott Mowrer

Day 25 - A day of rest in Astorga

Where We Are Tonight:   Astorga (again)                   Miles Hiked Today: Just around town

Miles Hiked Overall: 321.7 (517.7 km)                      Miles to Santiago:  163.3 (262.8 km)

Steps Taken Today: 9,284                                        Blister Count: see yesterday

Spanish Word of the Day: museo  (museum)

What We Learned Today:  When there's a nice courtyard to sit in, take advantage.

Day 25 we took a day of rest (our second planned rest day) to recuperate at least a little bit after completing the first 2/3 of the Camino.  It was a much needed day to (mostly) rest our weary feet and bodies.

Editor note:  In case it is confusing, the rest of the posts are numbered 1-N based on days hiked, not counting rest days.  So, you will see posts for stage 1-13, followed by day 14 (the first rest day), followed by stages 14-23, followed by this post, which is the 25th day since they started.  The next post will be stage 24, the 24th day of hiking.

Today we got to play tourist and it was awesome!  We started the day with chocolate and churros (Astorga is famous for its chocolate) and cafe con leche and then toured the palacio built by Gaudi and the cathedral.  There was also a museum of the Camino in the palacio.

We spent a lot of time simply walking around this beautiful city...which we later thought was not so great since we were supposed to be resting after all!  We had a beautiful lunch and tasted some of the traditional cookies of the region .  Then K took a nap while P lounged in the wonderful back courtyard. 

We especially enjoyed sitting in one of the main plazas people watching.  Our restaurant for dinner was also off of one of these plazas and we spent maybe 2 hours slowly eating our food and watching everyone from small children playing with each other to old people out for an evening stroll.   We also watched the main clock tower (and the metal people dressed in traditional clothing of the area) strike the hour.  So fun to watch!

And to top it all off, my phone (it has an app that records steps) had the gall to tell me at the end of the day to "do more work today!"

"Rest. Sleep. Let your mind have the dream she desires and let your body have the peace she deserves."

―Unknown

Stage 23 - San Martín del Camino to Astorga

Where We Are Tonight:   Astorga                   Miles Hiked Today: 14.2 (22.8 km)

Miles Hiked Overall: 321.7 (517.7 km)            Miles to Santiago:  163.3 (262.8 km)

Steps Taken Today: 48,728                            Blister Count: same as yesterday

Spanish Word of the Day: sombra (shade)

What We Learned Today:  If it's good enough for Napoleon,  it's good enough for us.

It is rumored that Napoleon took this same route we're walking today during one of his many escapades to wreak havoc on the Spaniards.   He also perhaps stayed in the same hotel were staying in while in Astorga.  So we're channeling or inner Napoleon today!

Today was an interesting mixture of waking by the highway (which is loud and not as nice) and walking more in nature.

We walked for a time with a tour group from Australia.   Apart from the lively and fun conversation,  the best part was after awhile they said we should be in our way because they thought we were being held back by them.  They said, "You young girls look so fit!"  We got a good laugh out of that!   And we'll try to keep that in mind when we struggle with the next hill. 

We also met a guy who runs a place called La Casa de los Dioses.  He's an interesting guy who basically just lives out in the middle of nowhere and survives off the land.  He has places to sit and relax and also food and drink that he offers to peregrinos as they walk by.  All of the food he gets by donation and if you want you can donate something,  too.  You can eat or drink  whatever you want and donate money if you want.  He believes in freedom and love for everyone.   An interesting guy.

After awhile, we came to this cross that overlooks the city of Astorga.  What a beautiful sight!  We are so looking forward to being in Astorga because it is our next free day!!

"Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not yet the end"

―from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel