Day 36

This morning I have breakfast with Tony and Johann, friends from The Blue Mountains Camino group. They have just walked a Camino from Le Puy in France to St Jean 740km then bused to Ponferrada to start walking to Santiago on a different route from me the Invierno, The Winter Way. It was wonderful to catch up and spend even just an hour together this morning. When you are overseas so far from home these meetings are so heartwarming I feel recharged and ready to get on the Way again.

As I walk out of Ponferrada I bump into one of the Irish boys, we have been crossing paths since Alto Del Perdon, that was my Day 6. They feel like friends on the Way we just keep bumping into each other on the path, we always check in to see how each of us is doing.

A bit later as I weave my way out to the countryside my American friend joins me, we walk all the way to our accommodation sharing stories and movies and books. Oh and these cherries which we bought on the side of the road.

I have seen these roses along the Way often, I love the multiple colours, climbing roses are also big here and geraniums in pots, lots of colour even on a dull day.

Unexpectedly I have to take a hotel room as the Municipal Alburgue is closed, this is not a suffering it just costs more and I am so grateful for a bed. Down stairs in the bar/ restaurant I find the lovely New Zealand father and son from a few nights ago, over Cerveza Limon which is like a shandy, beer with lemonade we have a great catch up.

I go for a wander around the town and find a nice bar to enjoy a Spanish G&T which is served in an impossibly big glass and very yum!

Dinner where I am staying is Ensalada mixta for first course it’s full of salad vegetables and tuna second course is Paella De Marisco it’s closer to what I imagined Paella to be with small scampi, prawns, mussels and octopus.

The restaurant is full of French pilgrims strategising, Germans pilgrims chatting then just as I am about leave a group of Italian pilgrims arrive, it’s 8:30pm they have walked over 30km today including the tough downhills I did over the last two days, amazing, they look exhausted!

Distance walked 16.7km

Elevation 500m

I’ve lost count but I have about 200km to go!

Xx