"Somebody sail this ship,
Navigate this crowd,
for what I once saw as land,
I see as cloud"
-Tom McRae
The night was defined by a rainstorm that absolutely drenched this side of the mountain. Fortunately, it quit just about an hour before dawn. By the time I got on my way, the skies had cleared, and the sun was starting to peek through. A short walk brought me to the ridge of the mountain, where normally you'd get phenomenal views of Ponferrada and the rest of the El Bierzo valley. On this day though, it was covered in a thick fog, which, from above, looked like a sea of clouds. It was an incredible sight. By the time I got to Riego del Ambros, further down the slope, the fog had receded just enough to make the town look like a port city on the sea of cloud.
The walk into Molinaseca was a bit of a trek. Must have missed a trail marker somewhere, because I wound up walking down a long, winding, mountain road rather than the steep downhill walking path I was expecting. So, there I was, on the shoulder of a mountain road, in the fog, right beside a steep, steep drop to the Rio Bierzo. Nerve racking whenever a car passed. Almost got creamed by a bus at one point. Ok, it wasn't that close, but it felt like it. Molinaseca is a picturesque little village at the base of the mountain, not 8k from Ponferrada. Spent an hour and a half in a bar there, waiting for a couple of other pilgrims to arrive. There was Inge from Germany, who arrived shortly after me, despite her bad ankles and the fact that she took the steep footpath. I waited a bit longer for Debbie, but eventually had to get going. Had to make sure to get to Ponferrada at a decent hour so that I could get a hotel room and call my family for Thanksgiving that night. Missed her by quite a bit anyway, I hear.
Ponferrada is a neat little town. The templar castle is really something to behold. So much so that the camino route made a point of entering the city so that it was one of the first things you'd see. Unfortunately, this meant circling the town from the back to the front, adding a few km to the alleged 16km. Felt more like 21 to me. The roundabout way into town passed through a little city called Campos just outside of Ponferrada. Apparently, in medeival times, this was the city's Jewish quarter. When you think about it, that's a rather odd place for a christian pilgrimage to pass through. The only reason I can think of is spite. I have an image in my head of christian pilgrims passing through town mocking "nyah, nyah, we have a messiah and you don't!" and the jewish residents mocking back "nyah, nyah, you can only afford domestic oxcarts". Apparently things have not changed much in 900 years.
Other than the castle, Ponferrada is a fairly dull place. Getting a hotel room here was surprisingly easy. Didn't realize just how much I needed it too. I enjoy meeting new pilgrims, I enjoy their company and getting to know them, but, being an introvert by nature, I do need some alone time to recharge my batteries.
Tomorrow brings Villafranca del Bierzo where the Albergue Ave Fenix awaits. The hospitalero there, Jesús Jato is a bit of the legend on the camino, having devoted his life to helping pilgrims on their way. He's especially famous for his quiemada rituals; a mystical little song-and-dance involving incantations, alcohol and fire. Sounds like fun (or sunday dinners at Jimi Hendrix´s).
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