Passing 500km of pilgrimage, ascending to the highest point on the Camino Frances and revelling in the company of our fellow peregrinos and peregrinas. Read below for detailed notes from our journal....

NOTES FROM KATH'S JOURNAL

Day 26.
Guess how many kilometres we've done? 500! Woah!

Bit of a chilly start to the day, so spare socks came in... handy (I wore them on my hands).

We passed through a farm where Howie made friends and got cow kisses.

Took a lengthy break at La Casa de Los Dioses ❤️ Cantina - a donativo roadside rest stop where we had peanut butter (a rare Camino ingredient) on crackers, bananas & a great chat with Luka - resident volunteer there.

Walking on to Cruceiro Santo Toribio high above Astorga, we encountered the fabulous minstrel whose music features as the theme song for this series.

We had another deluxe picnic - we've been buying delicious treats like mushrooms and truffle cheese. Saw another Gaudi building in Astorga. Walking some inclines and descents again, so expect some fine views soon.

Stayed just past Astorga in Murias De Rechivaldo, at Albergue Las Águedas, where we failed to get the attention of the resident dog, but had another fantastic communal meal with folks from all over the world.

Day 27.
Another chilly morning, but no socks on hands for me today. Our new friend from Hamburg took pity on me and gave me a lovely pair of gloves. What a 🌟!

Today, Howie made another new animal friend - Julia, who is a therapy hawk. She visits sick children in hospital with her human companions in medieval costumes.

New terrain brings new flora and fauna. In recent days, we've seen harvest mice and hunting cats aplenty amidst the wheat and corn fields. Storks nest precariously atop poles and bell towers. Yesterday we encountered a good many gorgeously green lizards.

Today was our welcome return to mountain country, with wild grass and wildflowers galore. It made for a slower walk, deserving of much admiration.

Stayed at Albergue Parroquial Domus Dei in the gorgeous, hilltop town of Foncebadón, where we had a drink from goblets at a fully-thematic medieval bar/restaurant. Had dinner at our Albergue with most excellent company: Astrid, Irish John & the fabulous Colmans [ Ссылка ] who got us quite drunk indeed on the local firewater!

Day 28.
So epic, it feels like three days in one.

Part one: the climbing to the highest point on the Camino - the famous Cruz de Ferro, where so many pilgrims leave their rocks, their burdens and their tributes. It's a moving space, but so very busy with pilgrims taking turns to photograph the scene that it didn't have such a strong impact on us as it might have done in a quiet and reflective moment. For me, the most potent emotional points of the Camino don't arrive on schedule at a predetermined place. After all, everyone walks their own walk.

It was a pretty mellow climb as we'd already done some of it the previous day. Carpets of colour, smashing views.

Part two: dramatic, daring descent! On rocky, shale covered tracks (and some roads); going down almost 1000 metres in about 12 kms. Focusing on our feet and poles was a kind of mindfulness practice, pausing to take in our surrounds. The town of Acebo was a delightful lunch break, buzzing with happy pilgrim reunions. It's strange how some places seem to be gathering points, while at other spots or on other days we seldom see anyone.

Part three: we reach the basin at the bottom, where Ponferrada and surrounding villages are sprawled and puddled. In Molinaseca we cool our feet in the river, eat cherries, and find the Buddha. Carved into a walnut tree trunk, this commemorates the relationship between the Camino Frances and another UNESCO listed pilgrimage in Japan: The Kumano Kodo Trail. Now, who'd like to see daily updates on that one? I think we'd be happy to oblige.

A bit cocky thanks to our mountaineering successes, we decide another 7km on the flat is nothing really. Regret not taking up the offer of water from a kindly resident on the outskirts of the city as we are shortly after hot and thirsty. We fall into a private room, and don't emerge until late morning the next day. @ Ponferrada

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Opening song by unknown, very cool busker near Cruceiro Santo Toribio on the descent into Astorga (to feature in a later episode). If you see him, pay him well (we did) and if you have a spare souvenir from your country, he'd love it. We were so sorry not to have a Kiwi one for him.









#camino #caminodesantiago #frances

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