Travels to the Edge

With every uphill step, closer to Galicia and O’Cebreiro, the isolated Celtic village, the high point between here and Santiago. The climb is worth it. Goodbye Las Herrerias! The morning was cool and clear with some roadside inclines,  and shaded paths. Then things got rocky - sticks out, ‘head down Mike!’ ‘Look behind you!’   Every now and then, it was good to take a photo op from passers-by. After a couple of hours, higher and higher . . .  Then Galicia! With music filtering through the forest, definitely sweeter than the aroma of local farm life.  O’Cebreiro was around the corner. I stopped into a church - I’d passed along the way,  years ago. and lit a candle - for family and friends. I gave the tacky souvenir shops a miss. Ordered coffee and Tarta Santiago. . .  and enjoyed the view. O’Cebreiro is a place to pause - so I have - overnight. More than worth the climb.

Vineyards open to the sun and shaded stream side pathways are images from the path from Ponferrada to Las Herrerias via Villafranca del Bierzo.  Rich green vegetation springs from magically fertile red brown soils.  This country side has been providing sustenance for millennia, like the Rio Sil flowing through Ponferrada. The morning riverside walk out of Ponferrada was calm and cool and comfortable. Breakfast at a cafe on the edge of town  With a courtyard and plenty of room  The type of bar that has a relaxed atmosphere and the right lifestyle. Hmmm maybe in the next life. In a region famous for its wines! I stopped at a regional wine cellar for a tasting . . . Or two or . . .  After checking out the back It was out among the vines in the midday sun. By mid afternoon Villafranca del Bierzo came into view Set in a valley- an historic gateway close to the border between Castile y Leon and Galicia. Like other towns on the Camino Frances, there is a noticeable div...