Day 36: Molinaseca to Ponferrada

We had such a short walk (8 km), that today was basically a rest day, which we didn’t mind at all after our big downhill hike yesterday. This gave us lots of time to explore the castle city of Ponferrada, do laundry, and do some travel planning. We rented a two bedroom apartment in Ponferrada, which felt like a luxury to have so much room. We ran in to a young German pilgrim, Noeme, who I first met almost two weeks ago in Sahagun. She’s been staying in dorm rooms in albergues, so we invited her to stay with us since we have such a big place. She’s a delightful young lady, 19 years old, on her gap year after high school. After she finishes the Camino, she’s planning to go to Kenya to do some volunteer work.
Ponferrada is our last city (67,000 people) before we get to Santiago. It is dominated by a huge castle that was built by the Knight’s Templar in the 1200’s to protect pilgrims going to Santiago. The castle sits right above the Sil River, and while the position offers beautiful views of the surrounding countryside, it’s clear to see that everything was about defense. Walking around the old castle walls offered us a glimpse of what life might have been like back in the Middle Ages.
We had a pretty relaxing day and made a nice dinner of mixed salad with meat, cheese, olives, and bread, which we enjoyed on our rooftop last night. We have a long walk tomorrow and plan to get started early, so it was nice to have a rest day.Okumaya devam et