Villafranca del Bierzo to Las Herrerias

Total distance today = 13.4 miles

Total ascent today = 995 feet

Cumulative distance = 386.4 miles

After a great breakfast, we headed out of Villafranca del Bierzo via a bridge over rio Valacarce. This peregrino stands guard for the city. 

Villafranca del Bierzo turned out to be quite a bit bigger than we thought. All sorts of houses hidden in crooks and crevices of the mountain.  And there's more over the bridge. 

Looking back from the other side of the bridge, the Monasterio de San Fransisco is on the left, and the Iglesia del Santiago on the right. 

It was uphill all day, but gradual, as we approach tomorrow's climb over O'Cebreiro. 

Another peek back at Villafranca del Bierzo. Even though we were walking beside the N-IV all day, the valley provided some nice scenery. 

And some reminders of the modern world. The A-6, a major Autovia, passed overhead quite often as it paralleled the Camino.

We joked about whether it was cheating if we use a horse to get over tomorrow's mountain to 

O Cebreiro. Horses and bicycles are legitimate alternative modes of transportation for the Camino de Santiago. Of course we will continue on foot, but must be careful where we step tomorrow. 

At last we arrived at our night's accommodations. Pretty sweet. 

We decided to start carb loading with a cerveza on the patio. And then a short nap ... That turned into a long nap. We needed it.  I am becoming a world class napper. :)

We woke up just in time for dinner and more carb loading. For the second night in a row, there was excellent food perpetration and presentation. We're going to bed happy peregrinos, dreaming of the mountain to conquer tomorrow.