17 May 2008

We had a great night in our own private room at the Albergue. Bernie got up at 5 am to beat everyone to the sink and shave. We were ready to leave by 5:30 only to find out that the gate at the entrance of our compound gets locked at night and does not reopen before 6 the next morning. Having 30 minutes to kill, we went to the coffee machine for cafe con leche and hot chocolate. Promptly at 6, we hit the pavement and started to walk with Melanie or Jon´s headlight strapped to Bernie´s head. He looked like a miner. The road was following the highway but being Saturday, no one was on it. After a while, we got across and onto the Camino path which went through vineyards, up hills and back into valleys and finally, into Villafranca del Bierzo, the center of this wine district. The town was of course as high as possible but very picturesque and one of the most attractive on the Camino. The romanesque church of Santiago has a Puerta del Perdón. Pilgrims having made it this far but to sick to continue had only to pass the door of forgiveness to be granted the same benefits and indulgences as if the had completed the pilgrimmage. From here on, the Camino followed the highway separated by concrete barriers. It was a difficult walk because of the continuous slant of the road towards the curb and, after about 20 kms of walking, the skies open and it started to pour. We called it a day at that time and checked into a roadside hotel for the night. We got a chance to have leisurely baths in hot water and to do our daily wash. There was a restaurant in that place where we got the usual Spanish fare, overcooked vegetables but great fish. The surrounding villages have no nightlife so, being Saturday, the place filled up to the gunnels with young couples, their children and even the grand-parents. It seems like everyone was having a good time. We rushed out of the smoked filled room and went to ours. Tomorrow, we don´t plan much of a walk perhaps just 10kms to the base of El Cebreiro.