Spain
Las Herrerías

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    • Day 9

      Cacabelos-Trabadello 11 miles

      October 21 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

      Seventeen miles were on the docket for today and I was dreading it, so when Laura asked me, “How do you feel about cabbing today?” I was thrilled.

      In terms of the Camino de Santiago and how the Pope feels about one’s effort, one MUST walk the last 100 km. We are at about 170 km now so no matter what, we need to stay upright and mobile for that last 100, and if that means taking it easy now and again up to that point, we do. We headed out the door to walk to the next big town, Villafranca, 6 miles away, where we planned to catch a taxi to our hotel for the night.

      The sun rises at 8:45 am so even though it was already 7 when we left, it was pitch black outside for the first three miles. When the sun finally started to crack, we could see gorgeous fields of seemingly endless vineyards, and clouds sinking below the mountain tops into the valley below. It was so beautiful and I was gobsmacked again by the fact that I get to go on this long walk in Spain.

      When we finally made it to Villafranca we were ready to eat our hiking poles because nothing had been open in Cacabelos or anywhere else in between. We found a restaurant, ordered two cafe con leches, and two pan tostado con tomate y aceite de oliva (toast with tomato and olive oil). Holy moly that shit is tasty.

      Laura found an open pharmacy with a pharmacist who clearly has helped a pilgrim or two manage increasingly problematic foot pain and came back laden with cream, KT tape, and a plan.

      I decided I had it in me to do another 9 km (about 5 1/2 miles). So she called a taxi and off I headed toward Trabadello. As I headed out of Villafranca, the cutest squirrel I’d ever seen in my life ran past me. He was reddish brown with a black tail and pointed ears. I hollered at him, “OMG look at how cute you are!” but he didn’t stop and say thank you so I assume he only speaks Spanish.

      The walk to Trabadello was along a roadway, not especially scenic or calming, a bit on the boring side, but I had my murder podcast keeping me entertained and I got to enjoy the adorable cement trucks they have here in Spain (see the photo). As I got closer to town, I decided to have lunch, rest my feet, and seriously consider going for the full 17 miles. But then my feet started screaming at me and when I arrived, not a single fricking place was open.

      So I sat my ass down and called the same taxi Laura used. He came to get me about 30 minutes later. And it was lovely.
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    • Day 9

      This is what happens when we drink

      October 21 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

      See that elevation from Las Herrerias to O Cebreiro? Well, don’t you worry about it because we’re taking horses up it tomorrow.

      It’s not cheating because this is how the (rich) pilgrims did it in the medieval times.

      And yes, there may have been wine involved in the decision-making. Sorry not sorry.
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    • Day 34

      River walk to Las Herrerias

      October 25 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

      Day 33. After a nice stay at Villafranca where we had excellent food which is unusual on the Camino. It’s usually light on green vegetables and protein unless you like pork which I do not we set off walking 20k on the low route unlike last year where we took the high route. It was a very pleasant walk with the sound of the river rushing by all day. The colour of the water was icy lake blue/green. Mesmerising. Today was magic stumbling upon another place for lunch, all yogic vibes and music and welcoming host with home cooked delicious simple food all in a danish style renovated old building. The river ran through at the back of his property. Very tempted to do an ice plunge all wim hof style but resisted. We felt so nurtured by the vibe and the owner that we lingered for an hour and a half leaving fully refreshed and energy uplifted. Just what we needed! 👼🧘🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️After today we have 7 days left to walk. 💕💙💕💙💕💙💕💪Read more

    • Day 37

      Day 33: Vega de Valcarce to O Cebreiro

      June 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

      Mileage: 8 miles, but…
      Altitude gain: 2,290 feet
      Altitude loss: 135 feet
      Weather: cool and cloudy: light rain for the last mile or so, and heavy rain in the evening
      Total mileage: 391 miles

      The first two miles of the day continued the gradual ascent along the river, with lovely misty views of the mountains. I stopped in the village of Las Herrerías for a pit stop and more coffee, when I came upon my Spanish friend Monica. She, of course, has collected a group of international friends, some of whom I met at coffee. She’s also developed blisters, so I think she was glad to walk slower with me. The next six miles were more or less straight up! We encountered a school group of 12-year olds walking (can you imagine being *that* teacher??) and made some other new friends. The views as we rose were spectacular, even with the rain clouds developing all around us.

      We arrived at the top of the mountain midafternoon and had a celebratory beer. I took a nap and had a little soak in my unexpected bathtub! Dinner was a better-than-usual pilgrims’ dinner.

      Only seven more days to go! I’m both sad that it’s almost over and also totally exhausted, so the thought of not punishing my feet and legs quite so much any more is appealing!

      1., 2., 3. Misty morning. Look for the castle on the mountain in 1.
      4. In Las Herrerías
      5. and 6. Very steep but pretty!
      7. Stopping to take in the views was quite rewarding and allowed me to rest.
      8. Traffic was heavy! There were also horses returning to Las Herrerías since some people ride to the top instead of walking.
      9. The view from the top
      10. I don’t know what these structures are called but there have been a number of them in this area.
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    • Day 31

      We started early to climb up through the Cantovrios Mountains before the heat of the day. As we came through the village of La Laguna de Castilla while photographing some penned cows, the owners opened the gate, and the cows rushed into the street and past us to get to their pasture Yikes, they are huge, and these horns are pointy and long! When we arrived at the town of O'Cebreiro, we were greeted by the sounds of a bagpiper. We are officially in the region of Galicia now. We met up with 3 members of our Camino family, people we started with in France 4 weeks ago. Here is a graph of our downhill tomorrow.Read more

    • Day 37–38

      Day 32 - VdA to Las Herrerias

      June 22 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Today was HUGE! Here I was thinking it would be a light 23km day, but nope!... it turned out to be about 29km!!

      So we all decided to take the alternate scenic route via Pradela out of Villafranca (as opposed to walking on bitumen along a highway - yeah nah!) ... the climb was ridiculously steep and long! However, the views on the way up and on top were spectacular!! What a feat... I can seriously do hard things!!

      There was a little albergue up top that made chestnut cake with the local produce ...so I obliged and had some....soooo good! 👌 ... pretty sure I burnt that off going downhill for the next 5km! 😬

      I had some nice chats today with a lovely couple from Italy, a couple from Chicago & a lady from Maine!
      Somehow, the topic of age came up, and the Italian couple would not believe me when I said I was 50! They were genuinely surprised... the lady said 'but you look like just a girl!!' 🤣...and her husband asked to see my passport!! 😂....made my day!! 🩷

      I met with the girls for dinner and Sangria! Accom tonight is at La Pandela. We came out of the restaurant and lo and behold there are 3 horses just going for a wander on the road.. no owner in sight!!

      Tomorrow, we climb to the top of O'Cebreiro ... it's an 8km climb rising to 1300m above sea level, but we're already at 700m so it's not too bad I guess.... compared to today's mountain, anything is possible!!
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    • Day 28

      Part 2 of Day 24

      July 17 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      These are the churches we stopped by along the way. I love all the different Pilgrim statues we see as we walk. They're all so different depending on the small Pueblo. Just like we're all different spiritual beings coming together and walking together. We only have 104 miles left.. We see the light flickering at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow we have a 7 mile steep incline and it's our last climb. There are so many emotions, but I will be smiling the entire time with much gratitude in my heart❤️ saying "Fun & Easy".Read more

    • Day 32

      The Camino Wakes Up

      July 24 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

      It was going to be another scorcher of a day. Marianne and I wanted to beat the heat and left the earliest I’ve been out yet -5:15 am. Jim went to the doctor because of a sore throat and wanted to confirm it wasn’t COVID or the flu (negative on both accounts). He taxied to our final stop. Steven and David wanted to sleep in and go at a different pace. They caught up with us at the final stop late in the day.

      Marianne and I walked in the dark for almost two hours. We got to the 6 mile/2 hour break mark for breakfast. We were at a cafe that had a few pilgrims. Ten minutes after we arrived, it was like the Camino woke up! At least a dozen people were in line after us and the little way-station of a village was bustling with people. There were several mini-reunions that both Marianne and I enjoyed.

      One reunion was with the couple John and Katheryne whom I met on the hill at dawn before I was to enter the Meseta. It has been 17 days since we had seen each other the last time. It’s so interesting how people you bump into can appear in such unexpected ways. Sometimes you meet someone once and never see them again. Other times you continue to see a person multiple times a day over several days and then they are gone. Then others pop in and out of your Camino with a few days between. When they happen the reunions are fun and there’s always a sense of joy in seeing someone whom you’ve established a personal history. An unexpected delight.

      Ironically, given the last time I saw John and Katheryn it was a sunrise, today in O Cebriero the pilgrims all watched the sun set from this beautiful first stop in the hills of the Galicia region. Many people have entered into my life between that sunrise and sunset. All on their own unique journey. And each person adding a bit of themselves into someone else’s life.
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    • Day 10

      Las Herrerias-Fonfria 12 miles

      October 22 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

      By horse: 5 miles
      By foot: 7 miles

      Our new best friend Victor was waiting for us this morning with our rides, Bonnie and Paola, to take us up the mountain to O Cebreiro. He walked/guided the horses the whole way, never stopping to gasp for air and continuing to carry on conversations with us. Victor is apparently Superman.

      The route was gorgeous. We walked through a lush green forest and emerged above the clouds to a bright blue sky. Victor told us it was our destiny to ride today because it has been rainy and cloudy for weeks on end.

      After we said adios to the three of them, we headed into charming O Cebreiro for lunch. The tortilla con patata we had today was the best one yet. The woman who prepared it for us told us how to make it and we are both prepared to give it a try when we get home, though it does sound like it will take some trial and error. Will be worth it if we can come remotely close to what we ate today.

      The walk into Fonfria was stunning. Green mountains for days and a lovely cool breeze. On our way, we met a truly international couple. He was German, she was Korean, and they live in Japan. Poor guy was telling us he got food poisoning a few days ago but still managed to walk 25 km after throwing up all night. Show off.

      There was one killer of a hill about three miles from Fonfria that was a bit of a monster but there was a lovely bar at the top where Laura and I rested and refortified.

      Our hotel is dreamy. We were able to do laundry, which was highly necessary. Dinner was a community meal with everyone else staying here.
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    • Day 34

      Villa Franca to Las Herrerios

      October 25 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      Magic, magic, magic all around today. Walking in the rain didn’t seem to deter the Camino Magic today at all. It is said walking the Camino can be broken down into 3 stages; 1 - Body, 2 - Mind, 3 - Soul/Spirit. The body is obvious, this is physically challenging. The mind is challenged because there are many occasions where you will question what you are doing walking across Spain. The Soul/Spirit is said to be uplifted in the final stages, and that was true for us today. We all feel, lighter and happier for the day we’ve had 🙏🏼💫🧡Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Las Herrerías, Las Herrerias, 24526

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