Up & Down, Rain & Shine, Warm & Cold: Las Herrerias - Fonfria - Samos

As the title of this blog post suggests, we have had a whole lot of everything the past few days. Whether it has been the terrain or the weather or the type of scenery, it seems that we’ve seen it all. And while some of it has been difficult, it has guaranteed that each day is different and brings new insights for each of us to consider.

Walking out of Villafranca we were given a choice. We could take the regular, simpler route along the road or what is considered the more scene, yet more difficult, route through the mountains. We chose the scenery and were not disappointed.  However, it began with a very steep ascent and then concluded with an equally steep descent.  We ended up having rain off and on all day.

One of the very interesting things about the Camino are the people that you meet along the way.  On this day, I ended up hiking pretty much all day with a woman named Sarah from Pensacola. In the evening, I met up with some of her other friends: Mary from the northwest USA and Christian from Germany. It’s incredible how the shared experience really brings people together, and how quickly you can get to know a person and feel like you know them well.

Las Herrarias, our destination for the evening, is nestled in a valley, but there isn’t much going on in town.

I have to admit that our next day was just short of miserable. It rained most of the day. It was windy and so we were being pelted by the rain. And to top it all off it, it was quite cold. But even with all of that, the students did really well, we were still able to smile, and the cloudiness and fogginess added its own allure to the day.

Early in the morning, we came to the town of O Cebrero which is one of my favorites. We were greeted by a bagpiper.

The view from O Cebrero

We eventually made it to our destination of Fonfria: cold and wet, but with hearts full of gratitude for a warm bed and a shared pilgrims meal.

What a difference a day can make! Our next day was sunny and warm.  The ascent that we had made yesterday, then turned into a pretty steep descent at the start as we went into another valley and made our way to the town of Samos.  Here, there is a massive Benedictine monastery whose foundation began in the 6th century.  We ended our day with mass at the monastery and then dinner.  

We continue on our journey, never knowing exactly what each day will hold, but knowing that we just need to keep on the path in front of us headed towards Santiago.  For now, all we can say is….Buen Camino!

Hitting our groove: Molinaseca - Camponaraya - Villafranca del Bierzo

After all the rain and mud we had a few days ago, we received some great weather….temperatures in the 60s with some sun. What a difference this made! Of course, we are all sore and some new blisters have formed, but I feel like we’re starting to hit our stride and feeling comfortable on the Camino. 

Starting out from Molinaseca, we headed to Ponferrada, home of the Knights Templar Castle. Unfortunately, it was closed. But, we still got a nice group photo :)

We also attended Mass at the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Encina.  It was quite joyful with a gregarious priest, kids participating in the readings and a sung version of the Our Father set to the Simon & Garfunkle tune “The Sound of Silence.” I’m not joking!  They also offered a special blessing for all the pilgrims who were there.  It was very nice.

We ended in Camponaraya which was a pretty sleepy town since it was a Sunday. Not much going on other than a Pilgrim’s dinner at the albergue. The pilgrim dinner gives you a first course, second course, dessert, and beverage all for a fixed price. Usually, the food is pretty good, but the company is even better.

We headed out again in the next morning. The previous day was a lot of city walking on asphalt. But today we returned to the countryside and once again the views were stunning. We are now in a wine making region and ended the day in Villafranca del Bierzo. It’s a pretty town nestled in a valley. 

Tonight, the students decided to make our own pilgrims dinner. They went to a local grocery store and bought the makings for a pasta dinner.  It was a wonderful meal with great conversation. Each evening at dinner we invite the students to reflect on their day, thinking about what they have seen, experienced, thought and prayed about. It is really exciting to me how much the students are already getting out of the pilgrimage.

A bonus came in the middle of dinner. We had a lot of pasta, and so we invited other pilgrims to join us. One took us up on the offer. Neomi is from Argentina, and with a mix of broken Spanish and English it was just an incredible evening of sharing around the table. It reminded me of what could happen if we all just sat down and shared a meal together.

One final thought. We walked through the town of Cacabelos. In the parish Church, there is a statue of Saint James as a pilgrim. I was quite struck by the statue and the gaze that the saint had on his face. He was focused and determined, looking slightly upwards as towards heaven. It was a good reminder that all of us, whether headed towards Santiago or not, are on a pilgrimage to heaven. We are invited to be focused and determined as we make our journey here on earth towards God.  As we walk through life, we are invited to be like St. James the pilgrim - looking heavenward with each step we take.

Buen Camino!

Here we gooooo! Astorga-Rabanal-Molinaseca

We arrived by train to Astorga and walked the short kilometer or so to the city center, where we found our first official Camino sign. These yellow arrows will guide is the 260 kilometers to Santiago!

We were able to quickly visit the Astorga cathedral of Santa Maria - before being escorted out as it was closing. It is a beautiful and enormous church. 

The students had their first experience of albergue (hostel) accommodations.  They did pretty well!

The next morning we began walking! We had about 12 miles before us, going through little villages and immersing ourselves in the beauty of creation. 

One highlight was lunch in the “cowboy bar.”  It is an American southwest themed cafe in the little town of El Ganzo. It’s a must-stop place in my book. 

The wildflowers were in bloom, and their colors are magnificent!

We ended in the small town of Rabanal del Camino. Dinner wasn’t so good, but we joined the monks of the Benedictine community for Vespers (evening prayer) chanted on Latin. It was very nice, particularly in the 12th century church  

The next morning, we had about 15 miles ahead of us….and rain. It rained almost all day, and with the rain came MUD! Lots of mud!  We slipped a lot, especially on the steep downhills at the end of the day, but the scenery made up for it, even if it was foggy. (By the way, the pictures do none of this justice.)

One highlight of this section is the Cruz de Ferro (iron cross). Traditionally, each pilgrim carries a stone from home and then leaves it at the foot of the cross. It’s pretty incredible when you think of all the stones that have been left there over the hundreds of years.  Once again, this was a very moving experience for me, especially as I watched many pilgrims solemnly climb the little mound and add their stone at the cross. 

We ended our day in the town of Molinaseca. I’m sure that we will all sleep well tonight!

Buen Camino!