Day 24 - Ponferrada
Distance walked today: 0 km (0 miles)
Total distance walked: 352.1 km (220.1 miles)
Total distance left: 207.2 km (129.5 miles)
Day 25 - Ponferrada
Distance walked today: 0 km (0 miles)
Total distance walked: 352.1 km (220.1 miles)
Total distance left: 207.2 km (129.5 miles)
Day 26 - Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo
Distance walked today: 24.1 km (15.1 miles)
Total distance walked: 376.2 km (235.1 miles)
Total distance left: 183.1 km (114.4 miles)
So here I sit late in my hotel room ready to leave tomorrow for Stockholm again. But I didn't want to leave Spain without some notes. We said goodbye to Adal today as we left him in Triacastela.
We spent Tuesday all day again with Adal and buying things he needed in town. And maybe just a few little things for us girls. Well, N ended up with 3 new pairs of shoes, two new dresses, and I don't know how many pairs of hand knitted wool socks for winter/fall which is practically year round anyway. I went for a quick haircut since I can't seem to find a decent hairstylist in Stockholm that cuts hair the way I like it. I found a beauty academy and besides being super cheap AND very good, they liked me enough that they sold me some of their professional hair stuff to me and for a good price.
He headed off from Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo yesterday Wednesday for the fist walking attempt after being grounded for almost 4 days He felt great! He was all smiles that he is walking again. Here they tell the walkers (called "peregrinos" or pilgrims in English, even if they are not walking for religious reasons) "Buen Camino!" which means "Good Walk" or "Good Way". And he was so happy when he heard the first Buen Camino of the day! I checked out of the Ponferrada hotel (Hotel El Castillo, a very good European three star hotel close to older historical part of town, at a very nice price!) and had my last coffee at the hotel cafe downstairs. We saw the cafe girl several times a day and always got our morning coffee there. I told her I was following my husband for a few days on the Way and we talked for a bit about our story. She gave us our coffee and juice for free with a smile and a good luck. These kinds of people just warm your heart!
His feet are better, extremely ugly but better. He may have to take it a little slower now but he's a lot closer to finishing. So we headed off from Ponferrada to meet him in Villafranca. I have to admit that there was something charming in Ponferrada that was lacking in Villafranca. Maybe it's because we stayed there so long (3 nights, 4 for Adal), or because it was the perfect blend of small enough town but big enough to find what you're looking for. Maybe it was that we paid such a reasonable price for a nice hotel room and got scalped in Villafranca. Or maybe it's that except for the business that the pilgrims bring, there's no other big influx of economy there. The Hotel Posada Plaza Mayor was like a three star European with four star pricing. The reception was very nice but I just found it overpriced.
So today's plan was to meet Adal at O Cebreiro, the uppermost point of the trail for the next few days. That way I could drive him to Triacastela and he would save himself the pain and suffering of the very steep decline. Well it didn't quite work out that way. Today thursday we set off from Villafranca to O Cebreiro, which isn't even on the GPS of the car I rented, and once there found that Adal had only made it 13 km away. There was a real possibility that even if he walked most of the day, he just was not going to be able to make it that far up. So we decided to go pick him up in La Faba. Another place not on the GPS, but when I force-entered the coordinates, twice it led me back to a donkey trail that was just not car passable. We decided to try for a larger town called Vega del Valcarce and try to meet him up there. Mind you, when I say bigger town it's because it had about 10 buildings. And a car passable road. From there we set the GPS to Triacastela, and lo and behold, it took me right in front of O Cebreiro. So I decided to stop so Adal could see the albergue.
Off to Triacastela we go, and the first hostel is full. He was able to rent a double room from farther down the road. And that's where I left him. It was a sad goodbye because we had such a good time together and we will all miss each other. It was a fun adventure together. But we need to let him go on his Way, to let him keep walking and find his way. We know he is well and he knows we are too, and we wait for him to complete this awesome journey.
There is so much more I want to talk about, about the pilgrims I've met and the Way's ways, but it will have to be tomorrow, because for now I bid Spain a see you later. I feel I may be back. And possibly as a pilgrim next time.
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