Camino de Madrid/Camino Francis, Day 22, Friday, June 1, 2018

Molinaseca to Villa de Cacabelos (14.91 miles / 24.00 kms)

Today I woke up to the sound of rain and I knew it might as the forecast was for at least rain in the afternoon. It is always a little hard getting out of a cozy bed, especially after a good night’s sleep, and having to put on rain gear. But then again, I’d rather walk in the rain than the heat.

I left a little after eight and surprisingly didn’t see many pilgrims on the Camino. My first happy thought was maybe nobody is walking because the rain, but rain really doesn’t deter people on the Camino. Rain is always expected and everyone is prepared for it, some with good gear and others with cheap ponchos and even plastic sheets. Anyone thinking they won’t encounter rain in May and June on the Camino isn’t being realistic.

The first few miles were uphill out of Molinaseca and at first it didn’t seem bad as it was mostly on concrete sidewalks. Then a few miles before Ponferrada it moved off the highway and onto a dirt road and then up a steep uphill. The surface looked like it had just been graded and it was fresh new soft red colored clay type material, the consistency of pudding with the rain! It was slippery and tough walking and thankfully it was only a few hundred yards. Had it been a downhill it would have been as bad as the muddy hill coming into Leon.

For some reason once I got into Ponferrada a lot of pilgrims popped up in front and behind me. I also ran into a lot of young students from three colleges that are on this section of the Camino. I know there are eighteen from William and Mary, and seventeen from the University of Minnesota. The third I am not sure about.

I actually walked with one of the teachers, Mat, and another teacher yesterday. The Camino trek is part of their semester abroad. What a great and fun way to get college credit. Today I ran into Mat and all his students at a bar where they where having lunch. He was like a little mother hen giving them muscle wraps, ointments, etc., fit all their aches and pains.

A few days earlier I had walked with a few of Mat’s students, and today I walked with three young girls from the University of Minnesota. All the young students were very nice to talk to and they all seem very respectful and excited to be walking the Camino.

Other than the rain and various people I walked with toddy it was an uneventful day, but then again, any day on the Camino is an eventful and good day.

I had made a reservation for a hostal in Villafrance del Bierzo, which would have been about twenty miles from Molinaseca. When I got to Villa de Cacabelos at about 3:00, I stopped in a bar for something to eat and ended up sitting and taking to a young man from Britain and one from Romanian. Well, before I knew it a half hour had passed.

I try not to stop to much because it’s always hard to get started magain, and as I started to walking through the village I saw a very nice hostal and out of curiosity went in and asked how much a room was? The young woman clerk said €30, but they were full. Too bad because the place look nice and cozy. Politely she offered to call another hotel that she said was nicer, and she also offered to call my other hotel to cancel my reservation. What the heck, I am not in a hurry, and with the other five miles to go it would be after five by the time I get there.

She called the hotel and made a reservation for me. I got the address and walked the two blocks to the Hotel Villa de Cacabelos, and behold, it was the same hotel that I stayed at the last time I was here. As I mentioned before, I don’t remember some of the place I walked through or stayed at until I saw them again.

It is a very nice hotel and the owner was just as nice as I remembered him before. There is a little market around the corner and I may go there and get dinner for tonight and stay in the room to relax.

Today was a good day and I still felt my rhythm when walking. My blister seems to be drying up and didn’t really bother me today. I am feeling a little like a stable horse as I know I am getting close to the end. I may only have seven or eight more days on the Camino before I get to Santiago. It will surely be bitter sweet as it will feel good to finish, but there will also be a bit of sadness that it has to end.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

As always, please excuse the typos, grammar, and spelling, etc., because I am writing this on my phone and don’t always review my blog. And, even if I don’t review it, it’s s good a good excuse for my mistakes!