May 20, 2015 Day 25 Molinaseca --> Villafranca Del Bierzo - 30.6 K

May 20, 2015  Day 25 - Molinaseca --> Villafranca Del Bierzo - 30.6 K

Longest day yet - and, believe me, I feel it..

Started out very cool temps, although not as cool as yesterday. Within ten minutes, we came up on John and Suzanne, with whom we had had dinner last night. The four of us walked together for an hour or so, noticing in particular the beautiful roses in people's yards and along the road. We took a picture of Suzanne and Donna to demonstrate the size and colors, then parted ways as they stopped at a cafe. 

The first two hours were essentially hiking around Ponferrada, a rather large city with a population of 69,000. We had a steep climb to the top of a hill where there was an ancient castle that was quite impressive. Perched on one of the walls was a cute dog that posed perfectly for his picture.

From the top of the hill, we wound down and finally out of the city. The remainder of the day's walk was fairly bland. Walked through numerous little towns, then out in the country along sandy roads along vineyards. Donna indicated that she felt really really tired after yesterday's strenuous walk.

We finally reached the rather interesting town of Cacabelos around 1:30 pm. With almost 8 K remaining to go to our destination of Villafranca, rigor mortis of the feet began setting in in a big way. The road out of town was a very long fairly steep incline that was a real struggle for me. I began to experience that sense of unreality that sometimes occurs in these type of physically challenging situations - I was reminded of the day Randy and I rode bicycles into 35 mph Montana headwinds for hours and feeling like I was losing my mind. By the time we ascended the final long, long dirt road and then headed down into Villafranca, I was into major shuffle/limp mode. "What in the world was I thinking" I kept asking myself. My feet ached at the same time that they felt encased in cement. Hard to move them at all. Then came the cobblestones in Villafranca. Then, at last, our charming little hotel with the huge soaking tub. The funny side note to that is that Donna and I were standing in the little street looking at our map trying to figure out where the hotel was. These friendly old Spanish gentlemen came over to help, then started laughing at us - we were literally standing clueless in front of the doorway. 

We were scheduled for another 30 K tomorrow through some of the most challenging inclines and elevations yet. However, we have decided that three days running is way too much, especially given our rather pathetic finish today. So, we are going to shorten tomorrow's walk, and spread the difference over the next couple of days to get back on track. 

Had the typical Pilgrim's meal up on the city square - no small feat to hike up the hill to get there. In for the night, and some well-needed rest.

Buen Camino!

Kim

May 19, 2015 Day 24 - Rabanal --> Molinaseca - 25.6 K

May 19, 2015  Day 24 - Rabanal --> Molinaseca- 25.6 K

We left Rabanal at approximately 7:15 am in somewhat cloudy conditions and headed into the mountains. I think the temps had reached into the high 30's or low 40's overnight, and this was the coldest day to date on our Camino walk. It was also quite windy, which made it feel even colder. I bundled up in several layers of clothes and gloves. 

This was one of my favorite walks of the entire journey, although probably one of the hardest on me physically. I have started having some pain in my feet, particularly my left foot, aside from the end of the day foot pain. A lot of the climbing into, up and through the mountains was on narrow rocky paths, and this is particularly hard on the feet. However, the scenery throughout the day was beyond stunning - I cannot even describe it in any way that gives it justice.

In one word - Wildflowers. The mountains were totally blanketed in wildflowers. Primarily these purple-pink wildflowers. It was stunning. However, it did not stop there. There were also dense groups of white, yellow, purple, deep blue wildflowers all alongside the paths we walked throughout the day. Totally surrounded us. The pictures just don't do it justice. I kept thinking of a masterpiece of art and the Creator behind it. 

We trekked through several small towns perched on the side of the mountain on our way up to La Cruz de Ferro. These little towns are like something out of medieval times in their rough stone buildings and animals. A lot of times you feel as though you have been transported back in time. La Cruz de Ferro is essentially a relatively small cross mounted atop a tall pole which is perched on a large mound of stones. People will leave stones at the base of the cross, or attach notes or other mementos. As seen in the movie, and read about in books on the Camino, this is often a place of significant meaning to pilgrims on the way. I took my various rocks, scallop shells and momentous and left them with blessings on those for whom they represented. However, I have to say I was a little disappointed with La Cruz de Ferro. First, it was located right beside a road, not atop a hill that you had to hike as I had pictured. Second, there was a big tour bus parked there, and the whole atmosphere had somewhat of a "circus" quality (my sister's description), that somewhat detracted from any reverential feeling. More of a somewhat frenzied feeling. 

After La Cruz de Ferro, we walked for several hours through the mountains "oohing" and "aahing" at the scenery. In the distance, were windmills churning away. Eventually, we came over to the other side of the mountain and could see a large city spread in the valley. We started our steep descent on small paths. Along the way, we stopped for lunch in the village of Ascebo. This was a welcome respite. The sun had finally come out, but it was still cold enough to keep on the long sleeves. 

The steep descent after Ascebo continued for what seemed like forever, mostly along rocky, gulch-like paths. The wildflowers still lined the sides of the paths, and it was quite beautiful. But the sore feet really started kicking in, only exacerbated by the extreme rocky conditions. I was literally to the point that I was taking one step at a time, and just praying to get there. 

At about 3:00 pm, we sort of hobbled into Molinaseca, and found our hotel - a cute little family run home. There we had to climb three flights to our room at the top, which was quite lovely. However, no wi-if. Had to climb down the stairs to the first floor to use the Internet. After taking hot showers and getting cleaned up, Donna and I went down and found lodging for tomorrow at Villafranca. Another very long day of 30 K. Then,exhausted, we took a nap until about 6:30 pm, when we hobbled out to forage for dinner. We found Suzanne and John - we had dinner with them a couple nights ago at the albergue in Villar Mazarife. They asked us to join them for dinner and we had a wonderful time with them. They are a retired couple from Oregon, and have had an extremely interesting life. Have lived all over the world as part of John's job, and seem to live life to the fullest. We hope to catch up with them again in Santiago. 

One thing I am noticing more and more is that probably 80% of the walkers on the Camino now have a noticeable limp of some sort, whether from blisters or other. It is also a mainstay topic with anyone you meet. I myself tend to sort of "shuffle-limp." This walk is grueling physically - there is no other way to put it. However, the people you meet are well worth it. Realistically, I would advise anyone contemplating this walk to allow at least 40 days or more to factor in some rest days.

I realized yesterday that we are down to our last 10 days. Wow. 

Buen Camino!

Kim