Camino Musings

So we started at the top of the world – and now we have to come down! Well, that’s not entirely accurate as we had some pretty vicious uphill climbs to the highest point in the region of Galicia before we really started the decline.

Since we skipped the reportedly pitiful breakfast at the casa rural, we got an early start – on the Camino by 7:30. Of course we needed a café con leche to get the motor running so we stopped at the first opportunity, in Linares at a bar that was just opening for business. And they had wifi, so I could post some pictures on Facebook.

Next was an upward climb to Alto de San Roque, an iconic statue of a pilgrim struggling against the wind. Photo op time! Then a brief downhill hike and then the ridiculously difficult and steep and long uphill slog to Alto de Poio, at 1337 meters the highest point in Galicia. We needed to stop many times to rehydrate and reoxygenate! Of course, right at the top, there was a strategically placed bar where we consumed bocadillos of queso and of chorizo with 2 large beers, despite it being only 10:30 am! After chatting with two older women from New Zealand who had to stop their Camino in Leon due to injury, we continued downward. We walked through tiny hamlets, some of which consisted of only a house or two and stone barns, constantly dodging cow poop along the way. We stopped again in Fonfria for OJ and water and to scrape cow poop off my boots.

Then the descent became perilous, as the grade was very steep and the trail was basically pea gravel, which is very slippery. We made good use of our trekkkng poles and they probably save our knees from irreparable injury.

Full sun and stunning views, except for a limestone quarry in the distance, accompanied us. We saw a few pilgrims but we were mostly alone.

We stopped for a fourth refreshment stop a few km from our goal, Triacastela.  Then we passed through fields where the Galician Rubio cows were grazing and saw an 800 year old chestnut tree. We finally reached Triacastela at 4:30 pm, hot and dehydrated, despite all the beer and water consumed. The town basically consists of one long (hot) street with a few bars, pensions, and the Complexo Xacobi, a combination pensione, albergue, laundromat, and restaurant, where we stayed the night. We had some tapas after we showered, and then bought some bandages at the farmacia. We weren’t hungry but did get a salad and a tortilla español for a light supper.

Lessons of the day: perseverance and trying to stay in the moment. Really try to look around at the world around us without all the distractions of our society.

In anticipation of our challenging climb, we were at breakfast promptly at 7:10 a.m. (For some strange reason it didn’t start at 7:00). They had a tarta de Santiago – an almond cake topped with powdered sugar with the design of St James cross on top. We left the hotel at 8 a.m. and we were the only ones out walking. Of course it was Sunday. The weather was brisk and the sky was brilliantly blue. We walked through Vega de Valcarce, on the street paralleling the Valcarce River. Petunias filled window boxes and flower pots. Family gardens contained tomato, potato, pole bean, onion, and squash plants, all thriving. The only activity was that of an artisanal bakers van delivering fresh baked goods to the neighboring town. 

The Camino veers off the main road over a Roman bridge into a deserted hippie refuge of Las Herrerias. There was a storefront for Project Brigid (I’ll have to look it up when we return home). The Camino passed through a stand of oak trees as we started our climb to O Cebreiro. The trail veered off to the left and quickly entered the forest. The path was rocky, with areas of uneven bedrock, and very steep with switchbacks. It was reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest with lush greenery, moss and lichens. We encountered many more pilgrims as we struggled up the mountain. Maybe our “Pre-Camino” training should have included some mountain climbing- or at least maybe lots of steps!

We were relieved to emerge from the woods into La Faba, with its Café Del Arbol – we sat outside and feasted on a bocadillo with queso and jamon, olives and the ever present cerveza. As we left town we had our first cow encounter as a herd was being led down the main street, a little too close for comfort.

The Camino then continues upward along green fields. The views were truly amazing! We were at the top of the world – all of God’s glory! We passed into the region of Galicia and the village of O Cebreiro appeared. It was reconstructed to resemble its former self from a past millennium and is quite touristy. We saw our first souvenir shops and the village was overrun with daytrippers. The church of Santa Maria de Real is the oldest one on the Camino, originally built in the 9th century and rebuilt 300 years later. There is definitely a Celtic feel here- thatched roof and  Celtic designs are everywhere. Our casa rural was quite spartan, but at least clean. There aren’t many choices for accommodations in this tiny village. We feasted on local specialties – pulpo (octopus) and local soft cheese with honey and Albariño wine. We attended 7:00 pm mass (mixture of locals and Pilgrims attended) and decided to skip dinner as we were still quite full from our tapas. As evening approached, the village cleared of the day trippers and it was quite serene. 

The determination of the human spirit was exemplified that day. This was probably our most physically strenuous achievement (outside of childbirth and passing a kidney stone 😉). 

Now that I have really good wifi, I’ll retrospectively catch up on the posts.

We left from our cute little hotel in Villafranca at 8:45 a.m. and crossed over a small bridge onto the Camino. While walking along the roadside, we walked along and chatted with a young woman from Akron (with family in Pittsburgh). She had just finished a masters degree in social work and was walking about half of the Camino before she started her job in NYC. She continued ahead when we reached Trabadelo, a lumbering area, where an older man pushing a cart jokingly offered us a lift to Santiago. We then encountered Patrick, from Memphis and wearing Notre Dame cap, who started the Camino in St. Jean on June 3. Although he was in considerable discomfort (bad feet and low blood sugar) he was determined to get to Santiago on July 9. He got a taxi to O Cebreiro and I suspect we won’t encounter him again

After a snack of fresh OJ and a bocadillo (basically a baguette usually with cheese and/or ham, ubiquitous in Spain), we waited for a huge group of high schoolers laden with backpacks to leave and we continued on and did not encounter another pilgrim for hours. The Camino continues along a fairly busy 2-lane highway, following the course of the Valcarce River. Basically you are walking along the shoulder of the road. Since we did not encounter a single pilgrim, we thought we missed a turn, as there was a confusing point where there was a fork in the road with two sets of yellow arrows ( one of the ways the Camino is marked). But we finally saw a road marker near a café- good time for a rest! We then saw the 3 generation family from Florida. They were planning on reaching O Cebreiro that evening (at least 8 or 9 miles further, and all uphill). I don’t think we’ll see them again. 

We soon reached Ambasmestas, a tiny town along a branch of the Valcarce River. No problem finding our hotel, the only one in town and right on the main and only street! We were lucky to have a terrace, and since it was a light day (only 10 miles and fairly level), it was a great opportunity to do some laundry in the sink and hang it out on the terrace to dry. We also chatted with Michelle and Martin from County Mayo, Ireland. We got their take on Trump (pretty much the same as ours). 

We strolled through town- took about two minutes- and then bought some sodas at the “supermarket”, the inventory of which would barely fill a pantry. We sat with Brian and Matthew, a father and son in our “group”. It was lovely getting to know them. Dinner was at the hotel (only restaurant in town) and then to bed, in anticipation of our climb into Galicia and the village of O Cebreiro.

I haven’t been able to update due to poor availability of WiFi here in the Galician mountains. I will try again tomorrow.

We started out from Ponferrada at around 8:30 a.m. on a chilly, windy and overcast day. Wearing fleece, scarves, and pullover with raingear stashed in our backpacks, we hoped that the forecast for on and off precipitation would be more “off” than “on”. We had a travel coordinator who led us a couple of miles out of town, pointing out to us the trail markers- yellow arrows painted on walls and sidewalks, scallop shell insignia embedded into the sidewalk, Camino signposts, concrete milestones. The markings should appear after about every five minutes of walking, but there are long stretches of trail without markings and they can be quite subtle as one enters a village or town. After a while one becomes quite adept at spotting them. If distracted or lost in thought, however, you could end up missing a turn. One piece of advice he gave: if the local dogs are barking at you as you pass by, you’re probably going the wrong way as Camino dogs become indifferent to all the strangers (pilgrims) walking by. David left us in Columbrianos ( near a small church) after passing through the outskirts of Ponferrada with its sports park and the ruins/remnants of a housing complex that had been the home of workers in the mines surrounding the town decades ago.

As we passed through the towns of Fuentes Nuevas and Camponaraya, we walked the sidewalks, stopping for a café con leche and a pilgrim’s stamp (sello) from the pagan temple (i.e. Café) and the requisite “potty break”. We did not encounter many other pilgrims but we did speak with a young girl and her grandmother from Florida who had started the Camino from St. Jean on June 3 and the girl’s mom who just joined them in Rabinal two days before. Three generations walking the Camino! We left the sidewalks behind and crossed over the highway to join what was to become the majority of the remaining trail – miles and miles of undulating pathways through lush vineyards. We reached Cacabelos (about 2/3 of the day’s trek) around lunchtime. We ate at La Monclos de San Lazaro – a complex with restaurant, gift shop and hotel. Warm bowls of soup, cold beers and a salad of roasted red peppers were a welcome solution to rumbling stomachs. Another sello and a potty break and we were off! The last portion was the toughest. Postprandial fatigue (no siesta for us) combined with LOTS of hills through vineyards ( lots of fruit trees along the road, too – pear, apple, persimmon, fig) made it a tough haul. But the landscape was breathtaking – truly God’s country! A brisk headwind challenged us, but we plodded along, passed by a number of (younger) pilgrims, bidding is a “buen Camino”. And I forgot to mention the storks- we saw stork nests along the way, with real live storks! They live in Spain in the summer and migrate to Africa for the winter. The nests are huge and are perched on tops of poles and even an occasional roof.

We walked along with Betsy and Charlie from South Carolina. We truly enjoyed walking with them – down to earth, funny, in our demographic and they walk as slow as us!

We finally arrived in Villafranca Del Bierzo, with incipient blisters on our feet (well not the guys!) and hoping we wouldn’t have to climb one more hill before we entered town. Our hotel, Posada Las Donas Del Portzago, was at the far end of town.  Cobblestone streets didn’t help our hurting (and blistered) feet. After about 8 hours on the Camino (including food and bathroom breaks) we were ready for dinner and well deserved rest. Crazy us strolled around town (about two more miles on the Fitbit) before dinner. We had the menu del dia at Restaurante Mendez, a short walk over the bridge near our hotel. We polished off a bottle of vino tinto along with trout, ternera (veal cutlets) pasta bolognese and vegetable soup. We even had room for the included dessert. And the price was 22 euros for both of us, including the bottle of wine! Now off to bed. Adios. Hasta mañana!

By the way, weather forecasting in Spain is comparable to the USA. Despite predictions of rain for the entire day, we had nary a drop!

We are in Ponferrada, the day before we start walking the Camino. It was a cold, miserable day with on and off rain. The temperature was in the 50s, much colder than last week when the temperatures were reportedly close to 100 degrees here. After breakfast, we decided to take a taxi to Cruz de Ferro, some 35 kilometers before Ponferrada on the Camino. This is the highest point on the Camino, marked by a tall wooden pole topped by a metal cross. This is the place where pilgrims leave an object, usually a rock but sometimes a note or a personal item, that represents the burdens and struggles in their lives. It was quite an emotional experience, especially seeing the symbols of people’s pain and suffering. The location is breathtaking, high in the mountainous area of northwestern Spain. There was no one there when we arrived, which made it more special.

The drive there and back was hair raising, hairpin turns on a narrow road hugging the edge of a steep embankment – reminiscent of the Amalfi Coast Drive. The road went through several tiny villages composed of several small homes and possibly a café- at points the small Spanish taxi barely fit through the narrow roadway. The views were stunning. It was at times misty and quite windy. We paralleled the Camino at many points, and we could see them trudging along the dirt and stone trail, pushing against the cold wind. Many pilgrims choose to walk along the side of the road instead – easier on the legs but quite treacherous in view of the narrow winding road with limited sight lines. 

Upon our return to Ponferrada, we strolled around the historic center and toured the Templar’s castle (11th to 12th century). There were preparations for an evening festivity on the castle grounds as this week there is a festival for the induction of new Knights. We also visited the Basilica de la Virgen de Encina, which was also in the historic center. The silver altar was stunning and a peaceful calm enveloped the place.

The modern part of the city across the Sil River had a large business district, pretty much closed for siesta. We stopped in a small supermarket to pick up some water and dried fruits and nuts for tomorrow’s walk, as we are starting our Camino.

We received our credencial and scallop shell, so we are officially pilgrims. We had dinner with a group of people with whom we are sharing accommodations. Dinner was at a lovely restaurant, with local specialties – a cured beef, salad with wild mushrooms, fried red peppers with olive oil and a local soft cheese, a dried cod, eggplant and zucchini layered first course, and an incredible beef steak that was seated and you could cook to desired doneness on a hot stone. A tiramisu type dessert and lots of local vino tinto made this dinner extra special, and probably the best – or at least the fanciest – meal we will be having over the next ten days. We start tomorrow morning around 8 a.m. Our goal is Villafranca Del Bierzo, about 14 miles away.

Last night we went on a tapas tour with Context Travel, a company we’ve used in Paris, Rome, Florence, Athens, NYC, and Boston for unique, focused tours led by docents who are truly experts in their field. Helena works for Iberico, a company that experts cured meats like jamon iberico, a cured ham from special pigs who eat a diet composed almost entirely of acorns. It is similar to prosciutto but the fat melts in your mouth. It is also much more expensive, upwards of 100+ euros per kilo. Our group of six was quite eclectic and included an Australian couple, both entrepreneurs, on an extended European trip that includes(get this!) biking a portion of the Camino Portugues, and a couple from Texas, the husband a flight surgeon for NASA and the wife who has an extensive business and public relations background who know “flips” houses a la Chip and Joanna Gaines! After sampling varied cured meats, pickled veggies, octopus, smoked tuna, tortilla espanola, croquettes and tripe accompanied by (many) glasses of wine and beer, we bypassed a dessert of helado (ice cream) for glasses of vermouth from a bar that’s been around for a couple hundred of years. They served vermouth from a tap, not a bottle. Great conversation added to a late evening as we stumbled back to the hotel well after midnight.

Today (Wednesday) we had a private tour with an Irishman, Rory O’Brian, that concentrated on Madrid’s role in the Spanish Civil War, from the Republican’s (anti-Fascist/Franco standpoint. We visited sites that played a crucial role in this very tumultuous time for Spain. Of course we ended the session in a bar discussing current American and European politics over a beer.

Then we were off to Ponferrada on the train from Madrid’s Chamartin station. Convenient, energy efficient, clean and punctual – Amtrak can’t hold a candle to the European train systems! We arrived close to 10 pm, checked in, had dinner (in Spain, dinner traditionally starts around 10 pm) – local specialties ( i. e. meat and roasted peppers and fried potatoes and Trujilla – a fried bread in chocolate sauce with orange sorbet. After dinner, we walked out onto the main plaza to find a ceremony of the Knights of Templar – in the early years of the Camino, in the Middle Ages, they financially supported the peregrinos and there is a Templar castle in Ponferrada- taking place, with much pomp and ceremony. 

A good night’s rest, some down time tomorrow and then we’re off on Friday to begin our Camino.

So last evening we took a three hour stroll of the historic districts of Madrid. We enjoyed an overview of this bustling and quite lovely city. We logged over nine miles of walking, a nice warm-up for the Camino. Of course we had to treat ourselves to one fancy dinner during this trip. We went to Viridiana – a small restaurant near the Prado that has quite an eclectic menu. We were treated to couple of amuses-Bouche by the chef – an interesting gazpacho and a ceviche – and we had our first octopus of this trip (we are fans of cephalopods as food).

It ended up being a late night as we ate dinner as true Madilenos- dinner at 10 p.m.

Tuesday, today, we had a private tour of the Prado and the Royal Palace, led by an art historian. Art and history were intertwined as we appreciated the masterpieces of Velasquez and Goya as well as a couple Italian masters, Titian and Tintoretto.  After three hours, we only experienced a minuscule portion of this museum’s art collection. A break for cerveza and pimientos de Padron and then off to the Royal Palace, reminiscent of Versailles, with its ornate furnishings, throne room, and gardens. We also learned of the scandals around Spain’s current royal family. We stopped for a refreshing horchata on the way back to the hotel. Tonight, a tapas tour is on the menu before we head off to Ponferrada tomorrow, the starting point for our Camino.

Pictured below are: horchata, pimientos, Royal Palace and octopus.

Air travel in this era of increased security can be such a pain – but so worth it when one reaches the destination. Flights to Charlotte and Madrid were on time, our checked bags arrived, and we made it through passport control smoothly, albeit slowly. It was a true test of patience as it seems that at least a dozen planes arrived this early morning, with hundreds, nay thousands, disembarking at the same time, overwhelming the passport control facilities and personnel. It took well over 90 minutes to get the passport stamped. Then it was off to collect baggage and take a taxi into Madrid.

Our hotel, booked by Fresco Tours, is a lovely old edifice, nicely updated, with the typical European room dimensions (i.e. cramped) and the location is fantastico – across from the Prado and Retiro Park.

After a short snooze ( not much sleep on the plane, even with the “extra” leg room, and the subarctic temperature setting didn’t help!), we searched out a place for tapas – hey, we’re in Spain! A small place called “Lateral” recommended by the hotel desk clerk was just a short stroll away in the Plaza Santa Ana. We strolled around a bit and we’re taking a little cocktail break before our private Madrid tour this evening.

Some food “porn” from our first day – more to come, I’m sure.

One thing, though – I haven’t seen a single cat today. Last year’s trip to Greece was a cat lovers fantasy!