Today we left Molinaseca and headed towards Villafranca del Bierzo.
Slightly chilly this morning as we left Molinaseca but nowhere near as cold as it has been the last few mornings – one of the effects of being at a much lower altitude. In 2020 Molinaseca was added to the list of “most beautiful villages in Spain” and it’s development over the years is linked to the Pilgrim’s Bridge (picture in yesterdays post), a Romanesque construction that rises over the Meruelo River. In the Middle Ages, Molinaseca became part of the kingdom of León depending directly on the royal authority of Alfonso VI and is now one of the municipalities where the Leonese language is preserved.
Some beautiful views as we walked out of Molinaseca and towards the city of Ponferrada (we had already visited yesterday to watch Ponferrada play out a 1-1 draw with Albacete). As we crossed the Boeza river we could see the Castillo de San Blas in amongst the trees. The castle is part of the heritage managed by the Fustegueras Foundation or Valdés inheritance, a whim of Miguel Fustegueras’ great-uncle carried out in the second half of the 19th century and which is neither a castle nor a dovecote. It is, as Daniel Valdés wrote: “a capricious and beautiful recreational factory construction, imitating an ancient fortress”.
From nice views of Ponferrada as we walked down the hill into the city, we crossed the river Sil via the Puente del Centenario and emerged back into the countryside’s small roads and paths.
We walked through the village of Columbrianos, of course there was a church there in a familiar style. We then caught up with our favorite bunch of Koreans – we have passed them by every day of the Camino so far and their smiles and infectious enthusiasm every day certainly brightens our day. Most mornings it’s a bunch of high fives and lots of noise as we meet. Some of the mountains in the distance look very suitable for ridge walks and / or scrambling, but that’s for another time.
As we passed through Fuentesnuevas, a lady “manning the door” suggested to us that we come visit to get our stamp and have a look in the church. She was well wrapped up against the “cold” while we were in our shorts and t-shirts. For such a small village the interior of the church wasn’t a disappointment and the ceiling fresco of the last supper was something to behold.
There were more vineyards now as we walked towards Cacabelos and we noted that rather than villages being small and compact, they were now quite narrow but lengthy and Cecabelos was no exception. Having missed out on an ice-cream yesterday we were quite keen for one today and, as the saying goes, “the Camino provided”.
The sun was clear in the sky and felt pretty hot as we walked the final few kilometres into Villafranca del Bierzo. Mike had flown to Santiago de Compostela yesterday and then caught a bus to Villafranca this morning to join us for the next three days. We arrived at our charming hotel which is directly opposite the Castillo-Palacio de los Marqueses de Villafranca – the castle is still lived in and is only open at certain times on a Sunday, unfortunately we missed the times.
Tomorrow we have our last “double-dip” day as we head to O’Cebreiro and possibly the 2nd hardest day of the whole trip.