Molinaseca to Cacabelos

Total distance today = 14.6 miles

Ascent today = 263 feet

Cumulative distance = 368.1 miles

A short climb out of Molinaseca, and Ponferrada came into view - but it took a long time to get to the city gates. 

As always, there are some who don't make it. Look carefully at the inscription.  This pilgrim was 78 years old. I can't imagine doing this hike at that age. Especially if he was trying to follow the Brierly guide. That man's guide is sadistic. We started the trip using his guide, but 31 km days (20 miles) with full packs is really hard to do day after day for 33 days. Some of the guidebook's recommended distances are even longer and can include major climbs. We are very happy to have extended our hike and to have about six rest days to use in the larger cities to visit museums and historic sites like cathedrals and castles. 

The path took us in a wide circle around the outskirts of Ponferrada, keeping us in the suburbs. Much nicer than the industrial parks. The outer suburbs had home sites of several acres, usually with large gardens. The canal irrigation system is available to homeowners. When water is needed, they open a gate to flood their field. 

We entered the city at the base of the mountain seen in the distance. 

Finally we crossed over the old medieval bridge into old town Ponferrada. 

The old bridge is for foot traffic only. A new bridge, built right beside the old, carries vehicular traffic. 

The old town is dominated by the Castillo de Templarios, originally built in the 12th century.  It has undergone extensive renovations and now houses replicas of Templar and other religious texts. 

We left Ponferrada by the iron bridge. Ponferrada got its name from the iron ore that was mined here long ago. The iron and coal mines of this area have long since shut down. 

The streets here are so narrow, that it's sometimes hard to get a good angle for a photograph. The stone cross is not falling over. We passed several small hermitages with murals on the outer walls. 

A odd modern office building looks out of place here. 

Lunch was in the small village of Columbrianos. It was the only cafe in town, so there were a few other peregrinos making the stop as well. Good thing. We misjudged the size of the pizza and our appetites. The other pilgrims helped us finish it off. 

Many town churches like this one in Columbrianos put up poles for the storks to build their nest, but apparently some storks still like to sit on the church. 

We thought this stone cross was interesting. The crucifix is on one side and Santiago is on the other. 

A few more miles and came to this bodega in Camponaraya.  They offered wine and pinchos (tapas) to peregrinos for 1.50€. Perfect afternoon snack to get us through the last three miles. 

We are back in wine country, so spent the last of our 14 mile hike tramping by vineyards. The bunches of grapes are getting bigger. 

The cherries are ripe too. A couple was selling some by the path. They were delicious. It's feast or famine on the Camino. Remember our lunch stop two days ago when we only had nothing but chips and water to share with the kittens?

The ripe cherries were amazing, so gone within a mile.

We finally reached our hotel in Cacabelos. We've been hiking for over a month, but a 14+ mile day with hills can still leave us tired and sore. So, a nap, dinner, blog and bed in that order - except I fell asleep before the blog was done, so finished it after breakfast. 

Today is our shortest hike day on the entire Camino, only 6 km. This was a late insertion by the trip planners, apparently because our destination, Villafranca del Bierzo, has a lot to see. So, we're off!