Camino Frances – Page 5

Camino de Santiago – Day 4 – Foncebadón to Ponferrada!

Hola, peregrinos and peregrinas! Day 4 is completo! We are in Ponferrada.

We left the wonderful El Trasgu de Foncebadón at 7:02am. It was a longer day, and we knew we were going to stop for a spell at Cruz de Ferro.

Michael, placing his rock at the foot of the cross at Cruz de Ferro.

We got there as the sun was rising. It was beautiful.

This Camino, I am dedicating to the person who first introduced me to the Camino de Santiago. Sue Kenney, also known as Barefoot Sue. She is a force to be reckoned with. Sue has walked 29 Caminos! And for quite a few of those Caminos she led groups of peregrinos/peregrinas. She gifted me with the Camino de Santiago back in 2009 or 2010. It was so long ago, I don’t remember the exact year.

My first Camino was with Sue leading the way… from Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela. It was in May, 2014. There were 8 of us…all wonderful people. Sadly, we lost one of our tribe the following year. CLICK THIS LINK TO READ MORE ABOUT CONNIE.

This Camino, because I sincerely cannot thank her enough, is dedicated to Sue… who I have been calling Captain, my Captain since our walk together. I hope it doesn’t drive her crazy. It is one of my favourite poems… So I see it as a way of honouring her.

Anyway, some pics, right?! The Camino provided so much beauty today it was hard to take it all in. Vast open spaces, mountains to the left of us almost all the way! It’s funny how the mountain views are there all along, but you’re walking on such treacherous ground you’re forced to look down. Funny–cruel, not funny–haha.

The first picture, I had to point my camera down. We were above the clouds. Yes, I know we are crazy privileged to be here. I thanked the universe all the way, even through my pain. This day was hard… extremely hard. But it was made a bit harder realizing how extremely lucky I am to be here. It’s breathtaking and I’m so privileged, it’s crazy!

We made it to Ponferrada around 3pm, give or take. But first, there was El Acebo and Molinaseca.

La Rosa del Agua was the cafe we stopped in at El Acebo. I’d go back for the limón cake alone! YUM!

In Molinaseca, we stopped at Taberna Señor Pepe. But only for a delicious Aquarius!

After Molinaseca, it was the last great haul to Ponferrada. It’s a lot!!! The hardest part of the day is usually the last km or two. From Foncebadón to Ponferrada, it’s the last 5km. Trust me on this one.

But we’re here. And we’re ready to head for Villafranca del Bierzo tomorrow. Last time we walked through that town, there was a festival and we got to watch a mariachi band… so much fun! Fingers crossed something fun happens tomorrow too!

Oh! Pics of Ponferrada. Did you know there’s a Templars Castle here?! Los Templarios Castle. It’s magic.

That’s enough for today. We’re about to crash! Onward to Villafranca del Bierzo tomorrow!!! It’s going by so fast.

Oh, our stop for supper tonight. Just across the street from the castle. Godivah. We had hamburgers, cerveza, cheese fries, and guacamole nachos. So good! We did not take food pics. We sat on the patio, but here’s some interior pics. It’s a wild and crazy place… and they play THE best music! You should check it out.

That’s it until tomorrow! Buen Camino!!!

Click here to jump to DAY 5 – Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo!

If you’ve found this post helpful and would like to support this page, you can do so by buying me a coffee! KevinCraig-BuyMeACoffee

While you’re here, I wrote a novel set on the Camino Frances route. You can check it out at Amazon here: THE CAMINO CLUB

Camino de Santiago – Day 3 – Astorga to Foncebadón

Today, we set out at 7:18am. Albergue Só Por Hoje was pure magic! From the Brazilian food to the details of the rooms and public places to the hospitalera.

All good things come to an end. We still have many good things ahead of us. Starting with today’s walk. It’s always beautiful on the Camino, but today was different… today we began our ascent. Soon we will be in the mountains. In fact, we already are as I write this. We ended our day in Foncebadón.

We began in darkness, but just at the cusp of daybreak. We didn’t need our headlamps at all. It brightened up before we were even out of Astorga.

For the second time, we reached the Cowboy Bar when it was closed. No such luck having a cerveza in the Cowboy. C’est la vie! Maybe one day…

The vistas today were absolutely stunning. We are in the great wide open now! Mountains and fields as far as the eye can see.

This was a bit of a tough day. I know O Cebriero is coming, and how hard it is, but this stretch is pretty difficult too. The climbs are tough in themselves, but it was also blazing sun… which made it all the more difficult. The worst part? From Rabanal del Camino and Foncebadón there is nothing but FLIES. HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF FLIES. It’s a thing of nightmares! They will not leave you alone. If you forget everything else, BRING BUG SPRAY for this leg! You’ll thank me for this tip!

Our Camino steps for the day.

Yesterday, after three previous Caminos, I found a new favourite albergue. Guess what?! The same thing happened today. El Trasgu de Foncebadón is exceptional! 10/10 would recommend!

This place has gorgeous rooms, and a grocery and restaurant downstairs. Our Pilgrim Meal was to die for… I loved everything about it. We found a jewel in this tiny little town.

The decor in the restaurant was so unique. Loved it!

The Pilgrim Meal was €16 at the time of this writing (Sept 14/25). There were nice options for all three courses. For the first course Michael picked a cold soup and I picked tagliatelle arrabbiata. The tagliatelle was so incredible and it was definitely enough for a meal. I couldn’t get over the fact it was only my starter!

The second course… we chose the same thing. There’s something so comforting about breakfast for dinner. We had the two fried eggs with bacon and home fries. It was perfection!

Dessert option? There was quite a selection. We both went with the Foncebadón cheesecake. It hit the spot!

Each Pilgrim Meal came with drink options as well. I had the vino tinto (red wine) and Michael had the cerveza.

We went off book and we each ordered a Coke Zero with our supper. We also added a limoncello shot with our cheesecake. Do it! They go so well together! Full disclosure, neither of these were part of the pilgrim options. We went off book. The limoncello was €2 per shot and the Coke Zero, in cute little bottles, were €2.80 each. Our full bill, with add-ons, was €41.60.

There is also a grocery downstairs! Barring any wild and crazy needs, you should find what you need!

We are in our room about to go to sleep for the night. Reader, it is currently 5:46pm. We. Are. Done!

Tomorrow, we walk first to Cruz de Ferro. It will be a heavy visit. I have intentions and burdens to lay at the foot of the cross.

After Cruz de Ferro, we will continue on to Ponferrada. Castillo de los Templarios is there. The Templars Castle. I’ve seen it twice and I’m still excited to see it again! It’s incredible!

That’s all for now. Sleep beckons!

Ponferrada tomorrow!

Buen Camino!

Click here to jump to DAY 4 – Foncebadon to Ponferrada!

If you’ve found this post helpful and would like to support this page, you can do so by buying me a coffee! KevinCraig-BuyMeACoffee

While you’re here, I wrote a novel set on the Camino Frances route. You can check it out at Amazon here: THE CAMINO CLUB

Camino de Santiago – Day 2 – San Martin del Camino to Astorga

Today we left San Martin del Camino before sunrise. We only had to use our headlamp for a few minutes after we left town. After that, it quickly lightened up and we were on our way.

The day went by so fast! We left at 7:13am. By 10:13, we had 13.65km under our belts. That’s just over 4.5km an hour. I can live with that. Not a hare, but not a tortoise.

Before we get that far, though… it’s TIP TIME!

Do not leave Hospital de Órbigo without stopping for a cafe con leche and some sustenance!! There is nothing after that (as of this writing) for quite some time. We thought we would wait a few more minutes and find something up ahead. We did NOT. I believe we were more than 15km in before we reached something. It was not a typical Camino stop.

This Repsol gas station was an absolute oasis in the desert for us! If you don’t stop in Hospital de Órbigo, you will have this option. You have to cross a busy highway, but it will be well worth your Frogger adventure!

Inside, at the back corner, there is a tiny cafeteria. The cafe con leche was great, as were the sandwiches and donuts. The Camino provides!

Now… let’s go back to Hospital de Órbigo for a second. Because I need to mention the incredible bridge there.

This stone bridge was built in the 13th century. It’s about 200 meters long, with twenty arches.

Don Suero de Quiñones, IT IS SAID, fell in love with a maiden in the 15th century. She did not feel the same way(this begs the question… are all men creeps?). He donned an iron collar as a kind of display of his unrequited love. (Cue Bryan Ferry’s SLAVE TO LOVE here, if you must.)

Then, as I suppose he wasn’t getting the reaction from his fair maiden that he expected, he decided to have jousting competitions on the bridge. This was in the early to mid 1400s. He gave himself the goal of winning 300 lances. He didn’t get these lances. Not even with the help of friends. There was something about him being a nuisance holding up traffic on the bridge and what not. So they stopped the nonsense and sent him on his way to Santiago de Compostela. Ah, another pilgrimage story.

Michael crossing the bridge in Hospital de Orbigo.

This story was the creative spark Cervantes used to write his epic Don Quixote. Look for the knights choker in Santiago de Compostela. You may find it in the museum.

If you believe this story of- actually what is it? The first stalker story? Definitely not a love story–a love crazed knight, I have a doozy to tell you about a hanged boy who lived and two cooked chickens that got up and danced. Also a Camino de Santiago story. 😉

The famous thirsty pilgrim fountain just before Astorga.

Here’s the last insult before arriving in Astorga. A necessary one, but an insult all the same. This stair contraption takes pilgrims up over the train tracks. It is a long slog filled with elevations and declines. So. Much. Fun.

We arrived at our albergue, the gorgeous Albergue Só Por Hoje, at 1:07pm. Seven minutes after check in! Yes! I highly recommend this albergue. It is now one of my favourite! We had the Pilgrim Meal here and it was delicious! The room was beautiful and the owner, Patricia, walked the Camino. This was immediately apparent when I entered the Camino. Everything about the albergue was pure perfection. So much thought put into it… the attention to detail was flawless. And… she wrote a book about her own journey.

Tomorrow we head to Foncebadón! I love this little oasis. Tiny and ancient and beautiful. It’s a nice place to rest prior to our journey to Cruz de Ferro.

Today we visited the Gaudi Palace. Last time we went through Astorga we did not go inside. Big mistake. It’s stunning. Second chances are pure perfection.

This was a great birthday!