PONFERRADA - VILLAFRANCA DEL BIERZO

Of the legs we have done so far, this was the toughest, not so much because of the terrain, bust mostly because the temperature was 34C, and the distance to cover, 27 km. Once we left the city of Ponferrada, we had quite a few kms to walk along the road, luckily not very busy, this day. We walked along some lovely cultivated fields and small wooded areas until we got to Camponaraya, where we took a coffee brake and tried to get some money from the ATM. I tried 3 different ones, and none worked. As I was to find out the next day, my bank had changed the system for passwords. On this day we drank a lot of water from the many fountains we found along the way. In the town of Cacabelos we went into the small church of San Roque which impressed us for being very old, but very well taken care of. We also went into the church of Our Lady of the Agustines and were surprised by the many frescoes from the XVIII C in very good condition. I must mention that at every stop you make in EL Camino, be it a church, cafe, restaurant or hotel, the pilgrims get a stamp on their credentials. Somehow it is very exciting to see your credential so full of different types of stamps. They are dated, so at the end of the Camino, when you get to Santiago and go to the Pilgrims' Office, they calculate the distance walked and issue you a COMPOSTELA, an official Pilgrim's Certificate which can be obtained by all those who walked at least the last 100 kms of the Camino. Along the way we saw 4 stork nests in different places. We later stopped in a shaded park next to the municipal hostel and waited until they would open a restaurant that had been recommended called El Gato. The food was fantastic, as was the service, so after a great meal we felt pretty energized to keep on walking, this time uphill, along the road for a couple of kms and finally a path into the vineyards. The view of the valley below was breath taking. After a long ascent, we started a descent in a snake like path leading to a canyon. We arrived in a tiny village called Valtuille de Arriba and saw an open cafe. We could not wait to have something ice cold to drink. The owner was a funny old man who, once we ordered our drinks told us the story of his life. While there, a couple of Poles came in and sat with us. He was enormous and was carrying his wife's backpack as well as his own, because his very petite wife was "under the weather." They were so sweet! They told us they were celebrating their 30th anniversary and had been walking from Burgos. We said goodbye, and soon after, they passed us along the way not to see them again. They were surely seasoned walkers. From there to Villafranca it was all downhill, and it seemed to us that we were never going to arrive. The city is in a canyon carved by the Rio Burbia. Once we got to the center of town and saw people in the square sitting around drinking beer, we decided to do the same. I called the hotel Mendez, where we had our reservations and told them to hold our room. We would not make it until after 7:30. I do not think we have ever enjoyed a beer more than this one. We were so hot and thirsty! Obviously, our hotel was at the very end of the town, so it took us another 20 minutes to get there. When they told us our room was on the 3rd floor (4th) for us Americans, and there was no elevator, Libia could not believe it. She said she would not be taking her backpack up the stairs. She was exhausted. As usual, we showered and did our laundry. Libia fell asleep, so I went downstairs to make a reservation for the next day in O' Cebreiro. There was a History professor, friend of the owners, who told me that the next leg was the toughest, all uphill an 31 kms. If we were to do this, it would have to be done in two stages and we would not make Santiago on the 23, for which we had made reservations way in advance. So, I decided to stay in Villafranca the next day, do the sites, have lunch and take a bus to Piedrafita. There we would get off and walk to O' Cebreiro. The professor told me, that was the most spectacular part of the walk, O'Cebreiro being the gate to
Gorgeous, green Galicia. When I told Libia about it, she was delighted, so we had a light supper of cheese and fruit and went to sleep.





San Roque with stork nests



Beautiful Bierzo vineyards



Before the village of Valtuille



At the top of Villafranca



Our hotel



Beautiful garden by the river

EL ACEBO-- PONFERRADA

The distance covered today was relatively short--17 km., and a very beautiful path. Our first stop was Molinaseca, very much in the style of El Acebo with its stone and slate roof houses, but much larger. There, we stopped for coffee and walked around this lovely town. Most of the walk was downhill in rugged terrain. We descended what looked like a dried brook for quite a distance through a gorgeous forest. This area, called El Bierzo, is very green and lush. At the bottom of the "brook" we came to a small meseta with the most incredible and gigantic chestnut trees. From the distance, their silhouettes, ghosts from children's story books. Although it was a very hot day, we made good time. At around 1:30 PM we were entering the city of Ponferrada, which we had thought unreachable when we saw it from the top of the mountain the day before. The entrance to the city is through vast and incredibly green vineyards, then a residential area, near which is an underground Roman source. As we were approaching the city center we stopped to admire a vegetable garden full of fruit trees. The owner offered some of his yellow plums, insisted we'd take a bag full of them which turned out to be delicious. Our hotel was located next to the city's most imposing feature, the XIII C.Templar Castle built on the hill overlooking the river. The castle is very well preserved. After showering we went to look for a restaurant. Across from the castle we found an Italian place which was pretty good, especially the wine from El Bierzo. We then visited the Church of Nuestra Senora de la Encina, XVI C. The wooden statue of The Virgin Mary was supposed to have been found by a Templar pilgrim on the way to Santiago. The Ayuntamiento--City Hall-- is quite an impressive Baroque building from the XVII C. To go into the main square in town, you have to go under the arch of a XVI C. clock tower, which encloses the very charming square. Unfortunately, all the beautiful old houses behind the square were covered with graffiti. Such a shame! In the early evening Libia and I went down to the river where we could see the castle up above. What a sight! We enjoyed a moment of relaxation watching the people going by and the ducks placidly swimming in the river. Around 9:00 PM we returned to the main square and sat outside to enjoy a very cold beer and some delicious tapas before retiring for the evening.



Giant chestnut trees


Rugged downhill terrain


Arriving in Molinaseca


Libia and other pilgrims on bridge--Molinaseca



View from Molinaseca bridge


Molinaseca


Statue of Santiago de Compostela--Molinaseca


Arriving in Ponferrada


Ponferrada. Castle left, N.S. de la Encina Center back. Italian restaurant, right


Ponferrada. Templar Castle


Templar castle viewed from river


Ponferrada--Clock tower


Ponferrada-- City hall


Libia makes a friend! Main square

RABANAL DEL CAMINO - EL ACEBO

This leg of The Camino, although of only 18 Kms., appeared to be longer due to the fact that it was quite a climb up to La Cruz de Ferro (The iron Cross) at 1,510 mt. We had left Rabanal past 9:30 am under clear skies and a very hot sun. Our first stop was in Foncebadon, a semi-abandoned little town, with a newly rebuilt Refugio where lots of people stop for a breather before the last climb. There, we had something to eat and drink and continued up to the highest point. The Cruz de Ferro has been for hundreds of years the point in The Camino where people leave a rock, a personal belonging or a message they have carried from the start of their journey. The cross itself is small, made of iron, but it is set upon a very tall wooden pole, so that in the winter months, it can still stick out from beneath the snow and can be seen by all passers by. All around the cross, a large mound of stones and debris has been created over the years. It is very interesting to see some of the personal items people leave such as photographs, shoes, scarves, and even food. At this point in the Camino, the landscape begins to change, and the mountains turn green with pine trees and ferns. At Manjarin we started a descent, a rather steep one where the path seemed to be a dried up brook, rocky and unstable. Luckily we had our walking poles which proved to be most useful in this situation. At the edge of a high ridge we could see in the distance, in the valley below, the city of Ponferrada and a nearby nuclear plant. From there the descent was very long to El Acebo which we new had to be nearby, but could not see until the last tight turn in the path. It is the most beautiful town, totally medieval, with narrow cobblestone streets, stone buildings, slate roofs and wooden balconies coverded with colurful flowers. To our surprise, our B&B, La Rosa del Agua, was the first building as we arrived. What a beautiful place! It belongs to a young couple from Mallorca who bought it and remodeled it with all the comforts. Cintia showed us to our room, a beautiful and comfortable space with a big window overlooking the yard and the mountains behind, and a great bathroom with a spa type shower. As usual, we washed our clothes hung them to dry, and while Libia got ready, I went to take pictures of this beautiful little village. It had one little store where everything could be bought, a small church and only one restaurant, El Meson Del Acebo, where later we had a fabulous dinner. I had a trout soup, a specialty of the region, a veal steak, perfectly done, and lemon mousse for dessert. Wine and coffee were also included. We returned to our B&B, made reservations for the next day in Ponferrada, and retired for the night.



Filling up our water bottles


High plains


Beautiful country flowers


Palloza--Celtic dwelling


Popular stop at Foncebadon


La Cruz de Ferro at 1, 510 mt.


A beautiful path


Down below, Ponferrada


Downhill to El Acebo




Finally, El Acebo


La Rosa del Agua, our B&B


Lovely house. El Acebo


Little church, El Acebo


Old house at El Acebo

ASTORGA-RABANAL DEL CAMINO

After a good rest and a light breakfast at our hotel, we set off on our first day walk soon before the sunrise. From our very first turn, we noticed how well marked the CAMINO is. There are yellow arrows and scallop shells--the scallop being the symbol of St. James everywhere to indicate the way to Compostela. A few hundred meters from our hotel we were already walking in the countryside headed for our first stop, The Ermita of Ecce Homo, a XIIIC, newly refurbished little church, where we stopped to sign the Pilgrims' Book. The landscape we experienced that morning was very much like that of The Central Coast of California with oak knolls and golden wheat fields all around. Around 10:00 am, the sun was already hot, so we kept ourselves hydrated. Along the way, we encountered our first pilgrim, Pascualino from Parma, Italy. He was a very nice young man who had been walking for six weeks all alone. His pace was rather quick, so we never saw him again. Soon after, we met Oihana--Sylvia in Euskera, or Basque language--who was a Special Ed teacher in San Sebastian, and who had started her walk in Burgos. She was on her own as well, since her partner, another young girl had just returned home due to severe tendinitis. This, we found out, was a common ailment among the pilgrims. Needless to say, blisters being another problem. Luckily, neither one of us ever had any problems throughout our walk. Oihana told us to take it slowly our first three days, especially on the descents, where most people go too fast and hurt their knees and shins severely. After about 14 Kms. we stopped at El Ganso, a small village where we found a very cool small cafe and had a fabulous salad. We had it with some cheese and ham we had bought the night before. On the way out of town, we sat on some stone benches we found outside the church to take a rest, and before I knew it, Libia had fallen asleep. As I leaned back to take a rest, I saw a large stork in her nest on top of the bell tower. The only other place I had seen storks in my life was in Portugal, during a trip we took in 1979. While Libia slept, I walked around and took some pictures. The rest of the walk to Rabanal was luckily through a shaded wooded area, a narrow path with chicken wire fences on both sides. It was great to see how the pilgrims, through the years have left crosses made with sticks intertwined in the wire. Around 3:30 pm we could make out in the distance the bell tower of the church in Rabanal del Camino and knew we had completed our first etapa or leg of our walk. Our Hosteria de Gaspar was on the Calle Real at the end of the town. The owner, a very nice man, showed us to our fabulous room. Libia, as she did everyday we completed an etapa, took a nap and I took a shower and washed my clothes. This we did everyday, since we only carried two changes of clothes in our backpacks. Luckily, our clothes were made of light and fast drying materials, so before retiring for the night, things were usually dry and put away for an early start the next morning. After a must needed rest, we went out to explore the little town and visited a very nice Refugio, a type of Youth Hostel, to see if we would like to experience them during our walk. We saw people standing in line for the shower, others complaining about how some leave the showers and bathrooms dirty, etc., so we knew that we would not enjoy this kind of experience. We then decided to make a reservation ahead of time in a small hotel or B&B the nigh before, and that way we would have peace of mind. In the Albergues and Refugios they take you on a first-come first-serve basis. No wonder so many people get hurt trying to get a bed for the night. The town of Rabanal del Camino is lovely, built in stone with two very pretty churches and a few small hotels. We had dinner at La Hosteria del Refugio, a very succulent meal with wine and dessert, took a walk and retired for the night feeling great for havin arrived safe and sound to our first destination.



Libia fully outfitted


Sylvia arriving at Rabanal del Camino


Vegetable garden around Rabanal


Libia napping at El Ganso


Stork's nest at bell tower. El Ganso


Crosses left by pilgrims





Our hotel in Rabanal del Camino

MY WALK TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

Madrid- Leon- Astorga

In the summer of 1998 I studied at the University of Santiago de Compostela and fell in love with the city, its architecture, traditions, gastronomy and people. I remember observing the pilgrims arrive at the Square of the Obradoiro in front of the Cathedral. They were all so filled with elation after reaching the end of the Camino, that I wished I could experience that same feeling some day. Ten years later, my wish came true.

On July 4 I took the TGV from Bordeaux to Madrid which took about 10 hours, counting the train exchange and waiting time at Irun. It was an incredibly interesting ride, since the changes in landscape are so noticeable from region to region. I got to Madrid at around 9:30 pm and took the Metro to my friend Elena's house. In 1995, I spent a summer in Madrid studying and lived with her. She was at a reception with her sister, so Ines, another friend of ours was waiting for me at the corner cafe. We sat outside along with hundreds of people who do this every evening in Madrid, and had a cold beer with "patatas bravas" or spicy potatoes, the perfect accompainment to a tall glass of draught beer on a very hot evening. Elena soon arrived, we went home, talked until past midnight and soon fell asleep. During my time in Madrid, we went to see the Portrait of The Rainaissance in the new wing at The Prado, a most comprehensive and beautiful exhibit. We saw Mucha's Art Nouveau collection at the new Caixa Forum Museum, where we also had a great lunch. One evening we went to a Flamenco Ballet performance based on Bizet's Carmen, and upon our return from Santiago, to a Russian Ballet preformance of Swan Lake. It was hot in Madrid, but very dry, therefore not unpleasant.

Libia, my sister in law and super companion in this adventure, arrived on July 7 and stayed at Elena's as well. The three of us had a grand time shopping, eating and seeing all we could see of Madrid before our departure. On July 10 we took an early train to Leon, where we arrived around 10:00 am. From the train station, we walked to our hotel, Alfonso V, centraly located at the entrance of the old section of town. Leon, is a beautiful city not only because of its architecture, but also because of its great historical monuments. We visited The Casa Botines by Gaudi, the great Catalonian architect. This one is done in a neogothic style, much like the Archobishop's Palace in Astorga. It houses a museum, and its current exhibit is all art from Leon's Heritage. We also visited the Casa de los Guzmanes, a XVI C. mansion which today is a local goverment building. It is built from a yellowish stone from the area, has an inner coutyard and arches supported by Ionic style columns and lovely reliefs which still have some of their original color. The Cathedral, dating from the XIII C. in a sober French Gothic style is one of the main stops in the Camino de Compostela. It has a gorgeous tympanum and incredible stainglass windows and choir. The main square has great cafes and restaurants, as most towns and cities do in Spain. Down in the lower part of the city, by the river, there are the remains of the walls from the original city. There is a majestic old hospital, San Marcos, which is today a Parador Nacional, and elegant hotel. In the Casco Viejo or ancient part of the city, we visited the beautiful Romanesque church of San Isidoro, where El Cid was said to have been married.

Originally we had made reservations for 2 nights in Leon, but decided to cancel the second in view that we had seen most sights in town and we could use one more day to gain terrain on our walk. In the evening, we walked to La Humeda, where all the bars and cafes are in town, bought some cecina de vaca, a type of cured ham made from beef and some aged local cheese, olives and a good bottle of Bierzo wine. On the way back to the hotel, Libia bought a set of walking poles, a must in this Camino. The next day, we got up early, walked to the train station and bought our tickets on the first train to Astorga. We got there after a 2hr and 15 min ride. Our hotel, The Gaudi, was just across from Gaudi's Palacio Arzobispal in Astorga's old section. Troughout our walk, we made reservations for the next night's lodging. It gave us peace of mind and took away all anxiety.

Astorga, a smaller city than Leon, is the sister city of Moissac, the French town to where I walked along the canal to practice with full gear. It is about the same size as Moissac and very beautiful as well. There we visited Gaudi's Archbishop's Palace, the Cathedral, a mixture of Renaissance and Barroque styles in its exterior and Renaissance in its interior, is built from both white and pink stone. The Museum, adjacent to the cathedral has a great collection of religious and folk art of the Bierzo region. Libia and I had an incredible lunch of Cocido Maragato, a local specialty of El Bierzo consisting of courses of pork meats and saussages, garbanzo beans and cabbage and a noodle soup, all broght to us separately, accompanied by a superb wine and bread and a lovely dessert of natillas, very much like a creme brullee. This meal was an experience in itself. We were in the restaurant for about 3 hours. After such feast we walked the rest of the afternoon to walk off the calories and see the entire town. The City Hall, or Ayuntamiento, built in a Barroque style is in a square surrounded by restaurants and cafes. We walked to the western side of the town where we could see in the distance some very high mountains with distinctly traced paths. "They lead to Santiago de Compostela", we were told by some men who went by. Libia could not believe it. Could we possibly climb those mountains? They had to be mistaken. Well, the next day, the truth of their words was to be confirmed.


Our pilgrim silhouettes


Catedral de Leon


San Isidoro, Interior. Astorga


San Isidiro's Romanesque exterior


San Marcos


Gaudi's Palacio Arzobispal, Astorga


Catedral Astorga


Baroque exterior, Astorga City Hall

A TRIP TO THE PERIGORD NOIR - DORDOGNE

While our boat is in Malause, between Toulouse and Bordeaux we have been doing some sightseeing in the tarn Garonne, Gascony area as well as farther north east to The Perigord Noir--Dordogne. Of all of the places we have seen in France, this area has by far,r the most number of beautiful medieval villages and hamlets that we have ever seen. The countryside is green, luscious and hilly with deep-cut valleys enclosed within the cliffs the rivers have eroded Walnut trees are abundant as are corn fields. This is the area with the largest number of prehistoric painted caves such as Lascaux. In the three days that we were there, I alone took 900 photos. The entire trip was a feast for the eyes. It was sunny, clear and beautiful the entire time we were there. We left Malause early in the morning and soon around lunch time we were looking for a Chambre d'Hotes (B&B) that would be conveniently located for our excursions. In the Upper Dordogne, we found a most charming place called Le Moulin, an actual grain mill powered by a spring. It is more than 200 years old, and the owner herself has converted it into a Bed and Breakfast. From our room on the second floor we had the most amazing view of the Renaissance Chateau de Milandes, whose latest owner was the famous Josephine Baker. The proprietor told me she has inherited the property along with a couple of cousins and that she has been living there for about ten years. The place is at the entrance of a tiny village called St Vincent de Cosses and on the way to the beautiful nearby castles of Castelnau and Marqueyssac.

We visited cities, towns, villages and hamlets, each one gem of a place. Some of the characteristics of the architecture of the area are the yellowish color of the stone and the unique shape of the roofs and tiles called "lauzes". We visited the city of Sarlat, one whose old section had unbelievably beautiful houses. The towns of Beynac and La Roque Gageac, built on the cliffs with their ochre color houses that reflect on the Dordogne's dark, but crystal waters, are almost too perfect. The towns of Souillac, Beaulieu, Martel and Carennac are perfectly preserved Medieval villages, as is the gorgeous bastide town of Domme, whose cliff top view of the chateaux around it and the river valley takes your breath away. The area is well known for its foie gras and truffles which are found everywhere you go. In the town of La Roque Gageac we had one of those unforgettable meals on the terrace of the Restaurant La Belle Etoile, overlooking the river under an unbelievable blue sky. Our senses were definitely on overload during those three days. On the way back, in the morning we stopped at another incredibly beautiful cliff built village in the Department of the Lot, Rocamadour, unfortunately too touristy for our taste, but incredibly interesting. It has been a pilgrimage sight since the XI C and it has an small chapel built for a Black Madonna, who according to history has performed numerous miracles, thus the hoards of people that come to this town. After Rocamadour, we stopped at Loubressac, surprisingly untouched by tourism, totally inhabited and perfectly manicured. The owner of a local little restaurant turned out to be the former mayor, and when I asked him how the managed to keep businesses from ruining their town, he said: "It's very easy, we just say no". Well, it sure has worked for them. Our last stop was the village of St. Cirq Lapopie, built also on a cliff over the river Lot, unbelievably genuine and well preserved with beautiful houses and well kept gardens. Before getting back to the boat, we stopped at Cahors, big city on the Lot to check out the port in case we can navigate the river this year.

As I finish this entry, I shall start packing for my trip to Spain where I will be joining my sister in law, Libia in Madrid. I am taking the train from Bordeaux on July 4 and will meet Libia on the 7. We will be staying with Elena, my friend with whom I lived when I studied there the winter of 95. On July 9 we go to Leon, we'll spend two days there, and on the 12 we begin our walk from Astorga to Santiago de Compostela. We are very excited about our experience, and we hope we can walk all the way to Santiago. We are open to taking buses if we see we cannot do it. I guess we will soon find out. I look forward to sharing this experience with those of you who read this blog. Until the next entry I wish Libia and I a " BUEN CAMINO!"



Chateau de Bonaguil


Chambres d'Hotes Le Moulin


Beynac


Sarlat


La Roque Gageac


Climbing up La Roque Gageac


Josephine Baker's Chateau de Milandes


Chateau de Castelnau


View of The Dordogne from Domme


One of Domme's three gates


Domme


La Roque Gageac


Restaurant La Belle Etoile


Martel, somewhat whiter stone


Entering Carennac


Carennac


Romanesque decorated door Carennac Church


Carennac houses


Castelnau red stone


Half-timbered houses, Bretenoux


Beautiful abbey at Beaulieu sur Dordogne


Walking down only street in Benyac


La Roque Gageac viewed from top of Chateau de Marqueyssac


Beautiful gardens at Marqueyssac


Chateau de Marqueyssac


Approach to Rocamadour


Rocamadour


Loubressac


Village of Loubressac


Road on The Lot


St. Cirq Lapopie view from the top


St. Cirq Lapopie


Beautiful roofs and cobblestone, St. Cirq Lapopie


St. Cirq Lapopie