Molinaseca

When we started out from Foncebadón it was cold enough to need pants and a jacket for the first time on the Camino. We continued our uphill climb to the top of the pass. A short walk across the top and then we started down. We continued going down steep hills on trails full of loose shale rock for the remaining 85% of the day. We walked until noon before we found food for breakfast.

Our destination was Molinaseca, a very pretty small town with a nice waterfront on a stream that flows through it.

We are getting within the planning window for finishing our walk at Santiago de Compostela. We think we will walk the last day on the 12th or 13th if all works out. We both got our flight reservations for returning home on the 18th. So a day or so in Compostela to get our certificates, then a few days to relax or see more of Spain. We have to get covid tests 3 days before our flights home. Dale is flying out of Barcelona and I’m leaving from Frankfort Germany. I’m thinking about taking a train through France to get there.

About covid: Everyone in Spain that we have seen takes it very seriously. EVERYONE wears a mask when around other people. Walking through small villages in the middle of nowhere and the people are wearing masks. In the cities, everyone on the street is wearing a mask. There have been nightclub problems in cities we have heard about in the news, but mask compliance on the streets is much better than the US and just about 100%. A lot fewer vaccine doses have been available here and everyone is waiting. Dale and I quit staying in dorm style albergues a while back and are getting our own private rooms now. The dorm alburgues are all limited to 50% capacity btw.

Tomorrow we walk to Cacabelos. We will pass through the city of Ponferrada, which has a well preserved medieval castle built by the Knights Templar. Cacabelos has the distinction of a church with an altarpiece statue of
baby Jesus playing cards with Saint Anthony of Padua. Fingers crossed it’s open.Read more