Hard Day, Easy Day

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No Internet last night, none tonight. Maybe tomorrow??

Should I start with today or with yesterday? Guess I should keep things in chronological order, so I’ll start with yesterday, which began hard and ended easy; so easy, in fact, that we just kept going.

We left Sarria probably at about 9 a.m.-- cloudy and a bit of a mist in the air. I know that you are all probably tired of hearing about the mountains, but, once more, we were in those mountains -- climbing, climbing, climbing.-- about 40 kilometers to the top, most of it marked as a 7% grade. At about the half way point, a sign indicated that the pass ahead, “The Gateway to the Mountains,” was Open, suggesting that it is often closed. We soon discovered why it is often closed -- here it is June and a COLD wind was blowing. A bit of cold drizzle in the air. The red and white markers along the highway suggested the depths of snow that must at times cover the area. We ascended wearing jackets. Those of you who are cyclists know that ascending a mountain wearing a jacket is a harbinger of being REALLY cold on the way DOWN the mountain.

We reached O Cebreiro, an ancient village of about a dozen pallozas (strange thatched buildings whose floors are below ground level, dating back to the Bronze Age.) We had thought about staying up here, but figured it was way too cold. So we put on another layer of clothing and gloves and began descending. And descending. And descending. I believe those coming up the side we went down got the worst part of that deal, varying between 7-10% grade. We passed up a campground near Travadelo, heading for one in Villafranca del Bierzo; couldn’t find that one so headed on to Cacabelos where we got a nice-so-great room with a less-than-great shower. We were tired after nearly 100 kms; we were hungry -- we ate and slept!! Didn’t even take the time to blog.

Over the next few days we will be wandering between two areas. The one we are in now is called Bierzo and is well known for its fertile soil, which produces wine (traditionally drunk from a saucer), pears, apples, and from the road side stands we’ve seen, cherries. Tomorrow we will be entering an area of 15 villages, known since the Middle Ages as Maragatos, a distinct ethnic group whose heritage is that of muleteers.

Having climbed so much yesterday and gone so far, we took today easy, going only 20 kilometers to the small village of Molinaseca, passing up the larger city of Ponferrada. Good choice. This town is definitely one of the most pleasant we’ve stayed in. Just a village bisected by a river and catering to the needs of the peligrinos (that’s us). Each day we try to immerse ourselves a bit more in the culture of the Camino. Tonight we decided to stay in an auberge, kind of a hostel. We had hesitated to stay in one because we weren’t really sure of how to go about getting in, etc. Figured we wouldn’t know until we tried, so went for it. This town has two auberges. At the first one, the guy in charge was a bit coarse, so we tried the second. A beautiful building with geraniums and a friendly host. It didn’t open until 1 p.m. so we spent some time wandering the village then headed back to the auberge. Another good choice. Make that a great choice. 14 euros for the night. A bed in a dormitory-type room with sheets, a fantastic shower, and even a lavenderia (washing machine). For the first time in three weeks, I washed the clothes in a machine!!! And we got them washed in plenty of time to dry outside on the lines provided. That may not sound like much to those of you who do laundry every day, but it feels oh-so-good to be biking out of here with clean clothes tomorrow. The auberges are quite popular among the perigrinos. This one was full before 4 p.m. with at least 80 people. (I wonder how many snore??) Bill took a photo of everyone’s laundry drying out in the yard. This is a sub-culture that few realize exists.

Yesterday, Bill told me that he wasn’t sure how interesting this bike route would be when I proposed we do it. His doubts have now been alleviated. We are passing through cities and villages on major and minor roads, seeing Spain as it is, not as it is depicted in the media or movies or whatever. We are conversing with folks from all over the world, eating the traditional dishes of each area, and testing our physical and mental strength. We are seeing the edifices of the Middle Ages that are still being utilized as homes, cafes, and places of worship. Each day is amazing.

For any of you contemplating a lengthy hike or bike ride, we heartily recommend the Camino de Santiago. Our only “regret” is that we wished we had done it in the traditional way, from east to west, rather than backwards. Apparently, some great friendships are formed as people travel together. For those of you who have read The Canterbury Tales (by Geoffrey Chaucer, 1385 or so), this pilgrimage brings those tales to life.

As we look ahead, tomorrow could be interesting. We will be climbing to the second highest peak on the route -- only the Pyrennes are higher. It will probably be a bit more difficult than yesterday’s ride, but we know that on the other side of the mountain there are about three days of fairly flat riding and the city of Leon, well known for its beautiful cathedral.

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