Molinaseca to Cacabelos, 14.55 miles
Happy Mother's Day to all you amazing women out there.
The trail was relatively flat today with just a few inclines. A much needed reprieve from yesterday's terror, and the weather report showed little chance of rain.
I'm backtracking a little—wanted to tell you about dinner last night. It's a Portuguese couple that owns the albergue, living right across the street from it. The husband spoke relatively good English, the wife spoke none. She did all the cooking and he all the talking. What a delicious meal we were served, with an explanation of all dishes provided by the husband. Home cooked, true Portuguese food. I can't pronounce or spell any of the names of the dishes, but I'd venture to say it was the best meal I've had this entire trip. The same goes for breakfast—hearty, delicious and plentiful. Ten pilgrims sat around the communal table and six different languages were spoken. It was a wonderful evening.
Today my destination was Cacabelos, but that meant I wasn't going to be able to explore Ponferrada much. Ponferrada is known for its Castillo de Los Templarios—the Knights Templar Castle—which I really wanted to see.
Walking into Ponferrada, it's impossible to miss the huge Knights Templar castle rising above the city. What I didn't realize until I got there is that this fortress was built to protect pilgrims walking the Camino over 800 years ago.
Back in 1178, King Ferdinand II gave Ponferrada to the Knights Templar, and they turned an older Roman fort into the massive castle you see today. The Templars helped guard pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago through this region of El Bierzo, especially near the bridge crossing the Sil River. Over the centuries the castle was expanded, fought over, partly destroyed, and rebuilt many times, but it still feels incredibly powerful standing inside those walls today.
What I loved most was thinking about all the pilgrims who passed through here long before me, walking the same road toward Santiago under the protection of these medieval knights. It's one of those Camino places where history suddenly feels very real. I spent over an hour exploring the castle and taking dozens of pictures. It was incredible and was well worth waiting the hour until it opened once I arrived in Ponferrada and the total of two hours it put me behind for the day.
No sooner had I left Ponferrada than the rain started. The forecast showed little possibility of rain today but the skies had a mind of their own. Ponchos on, keep walking. It was really just another light rain but for the next two hours.
I arrived in Cacabelos about 3:00. For the most part it had stopped raining. Cacabelos is a village of about 4,500 people. I wandered around a bit, sat in the town square, people watched, went to the farmacia to stock up on supplies—toothpaste, lotion, shampoo—and had something to eat. It's a quaint village but not necessarily my favorite.
I walked with a man from Utah for the first hour or so, but he had been to the castle in Ponferrada so he continued on while I remained. I met another man on my way out of Ponferrada, a local out walking his dog. I tend to say "hola" and smile to everyone I walk by, and in this case he responded and it turned into a good half-hour conversation. He was an older gentleman and I think he was just lonely, so I stayed and chatted with him. He's been to the U.S. on several occasions so that was the common denominator. Then a while later I was passing through a small village and three women started talking to me. Turns out they were Jehovah's Witnesses and started handing me their literature. I politely moved on.
Very different interactions today than the usual. Overall, another great day.
Buen Camino!
