Sarria

"How good it was to be alive. The pain in my feet had eased considerably, and this allowed me to concentrate on the beauty of the surrounding countryside", David Gibson from Ultreia! Forward!

Today was a lovely day walking through woods and farmland. It is very lush and green now, reminding us of BC. There are ferns, mosses, foxglove everywhere. We even got rained on a bit. There was more climbing and descending today than we expected but the trails are improving. Less rocks!  Sometimes we walked through tunnels of green and felt like Hobbits. Other times we were led through barnyards where we dodged cow pies. Always, the yellow arrows lead us along. Sometimes you wonder if you are on the right road and just at that moment a yellow arrow is painted on a rock, tree, fence post or road. Now that we are in Galicia we are treated to kilometer markers every half kilometer. These seem to fly by. We are now something like 112 K from Santiago.

Sarria is the starting point for many pilgrims because you can earn a Compostela by walking just the last 100 K. to Santiago. So we expect to be joined in the coming days by many such short term pilgrims, even bus loads. Not everyone has six weeks to walk a pilgrimage.

On a more practical level, this has got to be the smallest room we have been in yet. On the positive side, there are two big windows that can be opened! And it is quiet!

There is an albergue somewhere near by.

The camino is now going through a barnyard where we are trying to keep our shoes somewhat clean.

The markers we see everyhalf kilometer now. It tells the distance to Santiago. Notice the shell and the yellow arrow.

We were walking through a lot of these tunnel like trails.

Diane and I hamming it up on a small bridge.

Lovely old Hobbit woods.

Lupines, my favourite wild flowers.

Triacastela

We woke up to wind a dark clouds but we were blessed today with no rain while we walked. The Camino followed the tops of mountains for most of the day. And we were buffeted by strong gusts. But, of course, eventually we had to come down. However, the descent was much easier than several days ago. Down below we could already see Triacastela, nestled in the hills. There once were three castles here but no trace of them is left! 

As soon as we had checked into our rooms there was a heavy downpour. We can't believe how lucky we are to have missed that. The rain was coming down sideways. Soon we will have a cosy peragrino dinner with Arlene and Joyce who are in town, as well. Hoping for some of that Galician soup!

The white broom/ gorse we see above the tree line.

Coming upon a small village with a typical bell tower.

The camino nearing a paved road where cows have just crossed!

Starting our descent at last.

Negotiating a very rocky trail today. Getting better at it!

Scenery we were looking at most of the day.

Diane and I are thinking this might be an orchid.

O'Cebreiro

"Each of us, wordlessly drawn to the scene, stopped one by one at a little distance from each other, to gawk. We stood in silence for some minutes, taking in the brilliant colours of the fields, earth, sky....", Sophronia Camp from Ultreia! Forward!

Today is right up there in being one of the most beautiful of the whole Camino. We were a bit apprehensive at the start because of a 700 meter climb. But it turned out to be very doable. The route took us first along a road through a narrow, wooded valley. Then it veered off and became a stony and sometimes muddy path. Up, up and up it went for several kilometers through mostly wooded terrain. We were on the trail with several other pilgrims, including a school class from Poland. 

After some time we reached the tree line and the views opened up all around us. We seemed to be in a wilderness at the top of mountains. Yet, somehow, we were heading for a village and our destination for the day. And, did I say how beautiful the weather was today!

At last we reached the fairytale village of O'Cebreiro, nestled on top of a mountain. It has Celtic roots as evidenced by its round buildings with thatched roofs. It boasts a 9th century church associated with the Camino. This village is the gateway to Galicia and from now on our weather will be influenced by the Atlantic. 

We have been blown away by the beauty of the town as well as the surroundings. The rustic hotel we are in is made of stone and wooden beams and there are wooden camino shells stuck on the headboards of the beds.

For dinner we will have to decide if we dare to try pulpo, a regional specialty of octupus. 

..........Well, we had dinner and it deatured the famous Galacian soup, which is kind of a thick, creamed vegetable soup. We paired it with a delicious local white wine. The food seems to be getting better as we are now in the province of Galicia.

Today's scenery.

Ancient Celtic dwelling.

The delicious white wine.

Camino shells on our beds.

Ambamestas

"We tracked upward and then downwards, speaking little. Yhere was no need to talk. It was a time of contentment, a time of reflection", Nicholas Luard in Ultreia! Forward!

Today was a short day of only 17 K but, of course, we had to climb over a mountain. Immediately upon leaving Villafranca we were on a very steep path that took us to the very top of the mountain. Slow and steady is the only way to do this. Once on top we had incredible views and relatively level paths that cut into the mountain side. Really a great hike! But eventually down we had to go again. But the descent was shorter and the footing much better than three days ago. After a coffee stop with old friends and new we arrived in Ambamestas to a very new and cosy inn. We are happy! Jeff ordered an amazing bottle of red wine and we celebrated the day. Now we have to wait until 8 PM for dinner!

Above Villafranca this morning.

A fabulous rainbow. We were spared the rain!

On a path cut into the side of a mountain.

Feeling on top of the world!

Arlene and I.

Our coffee break with old friends and new. The guy in red is Sietze from Friesland. The guy on the far left hails from Ottawa.

Rest day in Villafranca

Today we took our time getting up and ate breakfast at 9 AM. Then we wandered through the town, looking for an ATM machine as well as a Farmacia for Compeed products (blister pads). There was a market in town so we enjoyed browsing through that. For lunch we ordered some of the delicious local red wine but decided not to eat there. We wanted pizza so after our wine we moved to the next establishment and had lovely pizza (at last). Then, back to our room for a nap. And so it goes on a rest day! We met up with Joyce and Arlene and helped them to eat the cherries they bought at the market.

Villafranca Del Bierzo

After 23.4 K we have reached the lovely town of Villafranca. It is a wine town nestled against mountains we have to cross the day after tomorrow. For now, we are here and also tomorrow for a rest day. We are all pooped from the last few days. 

Today was very different from yesterday in that today we walked through a lot of towns and even along a highway. We are staying in a very nice small hotel that used to be the toll house for crossing the river.

When we entered the town we met up with Arlene and Joyce who had just arrived themselves. We plan to meet up for dinner later at the main square in town and probably compare notes on the last few days.

According to Brierly, the author of the guide book on the camino, we have 185.3 K to go to reach Santiago. Four weeks ago today we were crossing the Pyrenees. Hard to believe. 

Delicious soup we had yesterday for lunch. They brought a big bowl for us to help ourselves from.

One of the stony paths we negotiated to get down the mountain.

Today, in wine country again, approaching Villafranca.

One of many signs guiding the pilgrims on their way!

A photo of the photographer. 

Ponferrada

Today was the most beautiful and most difficult day of all. We woke up in Foncebadon, the abandoned village, to clear blue sky. At this altitude the broom and heather are mostly white. It's as if they take their cue from the snow that surely must lie there most of the year. We left the inn at 7:15 AM and were at the Cruz Fer in about 20 minutes. Here, millions of pilgrims have left a stone from home, representing sorrows and short comings. Jeff and I, also, had brought stones from home from the river in Tynehead Park and laid them at the foot of the cross. An emotional moment. 

We had 28 K to go, so off we went along lovely trails with incredible scenery of snow covered mountains and big hills and valleys covered with white, red and pink blooms. So far so good. But what is up must come down. And down we went for 1,000 meters along steep, stony trails. A nightmare for me. The poles helped a lot! The descent really slowed us down and we were on our feet for 9 hours today. This included a coffee break as well as a bowl of lentil soup by a Roman bridge. It felt like I went beyond my capabilities. But here I am in the lovely town of Ponferrada feeling good again after a lovely dinner of salad (hold the oil and vinegar) and broken egg (hold everything else like fries, etc.). Lemon icecream for dessert. And Rioja wine. 

Tomorrow we will have been at this for 4 weeks already. Our days will be shorter now although we still have one mountain to climb. We will see Arlene and Joyce tomorrow in Villafranca Del Bierzo. 

Laying my stone at the foot of the iron cruise, highest point on the Camino.

Stunning scenery on our mountain walk this morning.

A lot of the descent was on rocky paths.

Some sheep shearing in one of the villages we passed.

Early one morning last week. The risen sun on our backs and ever westward!