Getting closer!

We are getting closer to Santiago - just over a week to go - but each day is a little more difficult to get out of bed and get psyched up for another walk. Maybe it’s because our hotel in Villafranca del Bierzo was not great. Not super clean, the old wood floors were slanted and undulating, and the guy running the place seemed like we were putting him out. This morning we had a very subpar breakfast of instant coffee, bottled orange juice, plain yogurt with nothing but raw oats to mix in, and toast that had a faint garlic taste to it which didn’t really mix well with the strawberry jam I slathered on it. Hmmm. The day did not start off well. Then we went outside ready to hit the trail and saw that it was raining, despite consulting several weather apps that showed thunderstorms starting at around 11am. Grrr. Well at least it justified us bringing our rain gear all this way!

In order to take the most direct route to Herrerias (our night’s destination) and to avoid additional hills, we had to walk along the highway again. In the rain. The good news is that the shoulder was paved, and there was a 3 foot high cement barrier between our path and the traffic, so it felt fairly safe. And it being a Saturday, there wasn’t too much traffic. Thank goodness I downloaded some new music last night, so I trekked along rocking out to Stray Cats. (Don’t judge… I was channeling my college self. Hopefully my weird dancing with the trekking poles didn’t distract the drivers passing by.)

After 5km, we came upon the first town where we were really hoping for an open café to get a proper caffeine injection. But the one place that was on the map was apparently closed. The whole town seemed deserted. Sigh. So we went on another 4km, and at least the rain let up a bit. We made it to Trabadelo for cafe con leche, a snack of croissant and another unidentifiable “meat” pastry that I’m not going to think too much about. We were there with all of the other pilgrims on the route this morning, packed into this little cafe all trying to dry out a bit. It was a weird sort of pilgrim party. (Okay, maybe not a party - more of a shared commiseration.)

After the coffee stop and with the sun trying to break though the clouds, we continued on our way in better spirits along this old lesser-used two-lane highway. Apparently they built the superhighway a few years ago, and we could see it high above us criss-crossing the Valcarce valley where we were walking far below. It was an amazingly peaceful and verdant valley, with the Valcarce river flowing strong off to our left. There were tiny hamlets all along this road, about every 1.5-3km.

We took another little rest break in the cute town of Ambasmestas, where we popped into a little café just in time to watch King Charles’ coronation. It was so weird to watch. The pomp and pageantry was a bit over-the-top. From this village and for the next 5km, we saw a herds of goats, cows and sheep grazing on either side of the river and the road. Their bells and smells signaled their presence well before we could see them. The air was filled with the sounds of the river gurgling, birds chirping, roosters crowing, cow bells ringing. And everything was so lush and green, with purple, yellow and white wildflowers growing along the side of the road. Such a beautiful bit of nature. And such a strange juxtaposition to the opulence and carefully orchestrated ceremony of the coronation.

We arrived in Herrerias, and checked into our hotel, Paraiso del Bierzo- truly a paradise. It is set along the river, with cows and sheep grazing on the other side. It is clean and so tastefully appointed. And they truly cater to pilgrims, with dinner at 5pm! Apparently it is a former butter factory. (Somehow I’m hoping that means some really good croissants tomorrow morning.)

We are optimistic that the breakfast tomorrow will prepare us for the monster climb that awaits us: 600 meters over 8.2km. This is the toughest stretch of the whole Camino, but that is all we are doing tomorrow. We’ve got this! (That may be the second glass of wine talking.)