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- May 14, 2023, 3:08pm
- ☁️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 1,148 m
- SpainCastille and LeónMolinasecaEl Acebo de San Miguel42°29’53” N 6°27’22” W
A truly beautiful day - at Acebo
May 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
A really good day! Still cold, about 2° at 7am, but bright and great walking conditions. After breakfast Amr set off at about 8.15 and I waited in the hotel, taxi not due till 9.50, and it was a share taxi, with another couple who were to be driven to Ponferrada (where we will be going tomorrow)…these little hotels like to clear you out so that they can get the rooms ready for the next wave of walkers who will soon be arriving! So at about the appointed hour the taxi arrived, with an Irish/English elderly couple - very relaxed and friendly - and we chatted while the driver had a coffee and chatted with the hotel owner! Then we set off, and when he wanted to say something he would talk into his phone which came out with the English translation in a very proper voice…!
The walk today is one of my favourite days - when you go over the highest point of the camino (even higher altitude than the Pyrenees) and with difficulty walk down the other side with paths of loose stones, but gorgeous views of Ponferrada and the whole valley below. And you pass the Iron Cross, a special marker, where people leave stones and take photos etc…well, Luís, the taxi driver, said we’d stop there for photos, as the road, which I’d never noticed before when walking, goes right alongside…so that was a thrill as we didn’t miss that high point, and the even more amazing thing was that when I stalked Amr he was almost there too, so we waited a few minutes, and there he was!! What a moment! Dot and Sean, the other couple, we’re almost as excited as I was…and Luís thought Amr wanted a lift too!!..we put him straight on that!…so off we went again, seeing all the views that you would see walking, and I have to say I don’t feel too deprived at all from not walking.
We are now at this little village half way down the mountain side, and staying in a very sweet room and very content. This place has another newer, bigger and very posh property a few hundred metres down the road where we will have dinner, as here does not do evening meals. It will be a communal pilgrim meal, as besides being upmarket, it also has an upmarket albergue with dormitory rooms, and you book and pay for your dinner, select from the menu all in advance! Extremely organised…but it also has a pool, spa, masseuse etc! The people in both places were both so helpful and kind - I had arrived early, before booking in time of course, but they brought me some camomile tea and I had a relaxed wait, so they’re not just super-organised! I happened to chat to 2 different Aussie women in my 2 waiting places - one from Davidson, and one from Port Macquarie, and the taxi had little koala dingle-dangles that an Aussie had given him! He is going to take me from here to Ponferrada tomorrow morning.
So Amr arrived about 1.20. Quite tired after the difficult downhill bit, even though the total distance is about 18 kms. This is siesta time and he is horizontal and watching Netflix I think! We had a little lunch together, and will have dinner at 7 on the dot…have ordered salad, fish and a lemon dessert for us both!
Will put photos of the beautiful views, and one of me at the iron cross before I met Amr…we did a selfie there but it’s awful of both of us!!Read more
Traveler I'm so glad it is working out for you Rosie and you are not missing out.
Traveler All sounds great. I want to see the selfie!!!
Traveler Glad you are still having a wonderful Camino experience! Fabulous you met Amr at the iron cross!