To Villafranco del Bierzo

The morning began with rain. I stopped at Cafe Coffee for desayuno and spent an hour checking mail, reading the news, and waiting for the rain to let up. 

Slowly, the clouds parted and by the time I reached Villafranca, there were some nice sun breaks. I stopped again for a coffee and to decide which route to take. I wasn't interested in he Dragonte route, but that leaves two options. 

One turns up to the right almost immediately after crossing the bridge. This route is said to be 'spectacular' but it is also steep going both up and down, and takes an extra 1.5 to 2 hours. 

The second route goes alongside the highway and is fairly flat walking. 

The last photo is a view of Villafranca from the bar across the bridge.