Walking The Way

10/9- 10/10 Had some rain both days so left a little later than normal waiting out the rain. I walked from Acebo to Ponferrada on Sunday, and then to Villafranca del Beirzo on Monday.

Once again the landscape is changing as I head toward mountain ranges and a new wine region, Bierzo.

The trail Sunday from Acebo was treacherous with uneven rock. You had to really focus on the ground or you could have easily injured yourself. Once again this was a true hike and not a walk. I’ve had a few people tell me the Camino looks easy and it most certainly is not when you have these sorts of paths or elevations to climb.

On the way to Ponferrada, I went through the town of Molinaseca. Molinaseca is one of the most popular and beautiful villages on the Camino de Santiago located in the wine region of Bierzo. Like so many towns that grew up around the Roman roads and medieval roads, Molinaseca arose around the Maruelo river, with its bridge known as the “Bridge of the Pilgrims”. The importance of the bridge was enormous, since sometimes for dozens of kilometers there were no other paths which allowed the pilgrims, travelers and traders to continue on their way. The bridge of Molinaseca is of Roman origin, but its current structure dates above all from the medieval Romanesque period.

Coming into the magnificent city of Ponferrada you couldn’t help but notice the beautiful Templar’s Castle in the middle of town. The city was under the protection of the Knights Templar by order of King Fernando II in 1178. At the beginning of the 12th century, the Templar knights took possession of the fortress and reinforced and extended it to use it as a palace and for protection of the pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela.

Heading out of Ponferrada this morning, it was raining and so we all waited for the rain to stop so we could hit the trail to Villafranca. Todays journey was beautiful, passing through the Beirzo wine region with many vineyards and wineries surrounded by mountain ranges.

We did get hit with some rain and had to put on our poncho’s to stay dry today. For the most part I stayed dry, but had the occasional rain on the route. The countryside today was beautiful and made for a nice change from the sharp rocks of the prior days hike.

Coming into the town of Villafranca del Beirzo, I’ve now walked over 415 miles! Getting close to the finish line with every day.

My thoughts: I’ve now walked 415 miles on my journey to date. Crazy to think I have just a little left to go to get to Santiago and then from there to Finesterre. It won’t be long before this whole journey comes to an end. I’m forever changed by this experience and find myself again extremely appreciative of this opportunity and very humbled.