To O Cebreiro

Yesterday I continued toward O Cebreiro. I slept at Laguna and continued on to O Cebreiro this morning. Quite a contrast in weather. Yesterday was mostly sunny with big fluffy clouds bridal is cold and foggy and wet, which is why I'm bundled up in 3 shirts, rain pants, skirt, raincoat and hat!  

Breakfast at I Cebreiro then on to Triacastela. 

To La Faba

A very hard climb!  They have horses you can rent now in Herrerias!  Wish I'd known that!  Lol. 

Still some serious political overtones to be seen. 

And a shocking sad note awaits the pilgrim at the La Faba Church!

Albergue Crispeta in Trabadelo

Here are a few photos. This is a lovely albergue!

There is a kitchen/sala combination, a place to wash and hang clothes, and a terrace. 

It's very clean. 

Recommended. This is a quiet little village. In happy I stopped here. I managed a bed near a window just in case the Italian man insists on perfuming himself. I've found it's more often the men that cause a reaction on the Camino. I guess they don't mind the extra weight of their after-shave. 

I'm not sure where I will go tomorrow. It really depends on the weather. 

To Trabadelo

The road route is what I decided on. After leaving Villafranca, this turned into a fairly quiet roadside walk with the river to my left blocking out any traffic noise. I think I only saw maybe 10 cars the entire way to  Trabadelo

I arrived at Trabadelo and decided on the private albergue Crispeta. They offer private rooms for 22 euros, rooms with 6 bunks for 6 euros and rooms with 5 twin beds for 8 euros. 

I chose the latter. So far I have 3 Italian roommates. 

I'm pleased to have lost a few more pounds. My tummy is almost flat now!  Maybe I will start doing crunches to try to get rid of this last bit of fat. 

Hooray!

I ordered a Pilgrim Menu for 10 euros. I haven't done that in a while. The salad was simple but quite good and fresh. The chicken?  Well, I'm not entirely sure what parts of the bird I was eating, but they were fried in garlic and that makes ANYTHING taste good!

The front of the bar was beautifully hand carved by a local octogenarian.  

Next post will be the Albergue photos. 

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. 

Albergue El Serbal y La Luna

This little albergue in Pieros is very sweet. The house is clean and very pretty. There are two dorms. One is bright with a skylight. The other dark with only one window. The beds are sturdy bunks with comfortable ladders (some ladders are hard on the pilgrim feet!). 

There are four hospitaleros, all young, all appearing to have various jobs, all pleasant. 

You pay 5 euros for a bed, 8 euros for a vegetarian dinner, and 2 euros for breakfast. 

If you don't want a full dinner or if you are a carnivore there is a nice little cafe up the road called Cafe Coffee. I just had the best bowl of gazpacho here!  Cold and tasty!

The bird is a fledgling that dropped out if a nest. They're feeding him beef. I hope he survived!  

The walk to Pieros

Sunny and warm, the walking was perfect today!  

I took some time to check out the tiny Capilla San Roque museum in Cacabellos. Some very nice statuary. 

By the way, wait until you get deep into the village to eat. There are many many bars and restaurants and the seem to get less expensive as you go. I saw a Pilgrim Menu for 6 euros!

Ponferrada

At Ponferrada, I stayed in the municipal albergue. This is a very nicely run albergue!  The rooms have only four beds. The kitchen is well equipped. There are many showers and toilets (some out on the other side of the chapel). And the staff is so pleasant!

This is a donativo albergue. 

I was able to share with three other women. They gave me a choice, which I appreciated very much. All in all a great experience!  

The walk this morning was nice and cool. Patty, this guy was in the square looking for you!