I woke up this morning and thought, we are high on a ridge, I’ll get up and watch the sunrise. Wrong on two accounts. It was already 7am and we were in total white out. Everything was shrouded in mist. We put on our ponchos thinking it could be a wet day but after a few hundred metres realised they were still perfectly dry. It was a dry mist so the ponchos came off again.

At O Cebreiro we came across the remnants of an ancient architectural style that goes back to Celtic times. Low, oval, stone houses, with ridge-hugging thatch roofs. These houses are called pallozas. They had two rooms, one for animals and one for humans. They do not have chimneys. Smoke just escapes through the straw roof.

This was an easy day. Only nineteen kilometres. The first twelve undulating along the ridge on a good, soft, dirt path. The misty conditions blocked any view but kept us wonderfully cool. The quiet made it quite ethereal and there didn’t seem to be any perception of time or space. There was no pressure today and we felt very contented just ambling along.

We had our usual coffee and santiago cake with our long time friends Helen, Carolyn and John, and our new friends Jackie, Peter, Alison, and Vee. After the efforts of the last few days everyone was very relaxed. We walked on and off independently but met up again for lunch of cheese omelette at Cafe Biduedo. Here Barbara finally bought two scallop shells to hang on our packs. We should have done this at the start in St Jean Pied de Port but didn’t and have been meaning to do so ever since. Well now it’s done.

The last seven kilometres were downhill on a good farm road. We passed through many farms, close to farm houses, barns, milking sheds, with lots of tractors, cattle, dogs, chickens and all the accompanying smells. Concentration was needed to tip toe through the mess on the road. Every farm had at least one large Alsatian dog. Usually lying in the middle of the road and keeping a casual eye on the passing pilgrims.

Compared to the other day this downhill was easy and very pretty in lush vegetation and under a canopy of trees. Before we knew it we were at our destination of Triacastela thinking how could this be – we still feel so fresh. Triacastela means three castles but none survive. The parish church has a picture of each of the castles carved into its tower.

There are limestone quarries nearby and the stone was used in the construction of the cathedral in Santiago. Medieval pilgrims would carry as much stone as they could to the kilns nearer the cathedral. Thankfully for us the cathedral was completed centuries ago.

For much of the Camino we have seen suicidal slugs slithering across the path from one field to another. At first we thought they were droppings from a small animal, until we noticed the feelers. The slugs are up to 100mm long and are jet black. Here they are a pest. They have a death wish as to cross the Camino is very dangerous. Hundreds of boots ready to crush them and hundreds of walking poles ready to skewer them. For bored pilgrims they are fair game and a challenging entertainment.

Ipod theme tune for today: The MASH theme tune.

A brave man once requested me
To answer questions that are key
Is it to be or not to be
And I replied ‘Oh why ask me? ‘
‘Cause suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it as I please
And you can do the same thing if you please.

Today was uphill. 29km uphill. Every single step uphill. A long strenuous day, particularly at the end.

The first 22km was up a beautiful valley which we shared with a fast flowing river, the old road (now very quiet) and the new motorway which soared overhead on a tall viaduct and often disappeared into tunnels. The river and two roads crisscrossed each other all day. Our path was at the edge of the old road, separated from it by a concrete crash barrier. The valley was steep sided and heavily wooded with pine and chestnut trees. This made it well shaded and ideal for walking.

There were villages with shops, bars and cafes sprinkled all along the valley and it was quite idyllic. Again we met a young man selling cherries and we bought a bag to eat as we went. We stopped mid morning for cake and coffee and at the 22km mark for lunch at Las Herrerias. A hamlet that lazily stretches along the river and whose name derives from an iron foundry. From here you can get a ride for the last 7km on a horse, no previous experience necessary, the horses go by remote control.

These 7km rise 600 metres, probably the steepest section of the whole camino. Not too bad at first on a sealed road and still among the chestnuts. Then it turned into a rough track and went straight up. It was a bit wet and the deposits from the horses made it a bit slimy and slippery. Fresh deposits from the horses attracted a zillion flies. We made good progress here as we are used to bush tracks in NZ.

About half way up we broke out of the trees and into open farmland and we started to wilt. Another 30 degree day and the sweat was pouring off us. Every item of clothing we were wearing was soaking wet. Fortunately we came to two fuente with fresh, sweet cold water. We guzzled this down, splashed it over ourselves and refilled water bottles. We both felt strong, with no sore legs but the heat was killing us.

About 1km from the top we passed a freshly painted concrete marker that records the fact that we have moved from the region of Castilla Y Leon to Galicia. This is the fourth and last autonomous region of Spain we will visit.

The tiny hamlet of our destination, O Cebreiro, population 50, straddles the ridge and is one of the significant places on the Camino. First it has a hospice that may go back to the 9th century and even today most people stop here so it has plenty of accommodation, cafes, bars and souvenir shops. The other significance is that Don Elias Valina Sompredo was the parish priest here. I have written about Don Elias in an early post so won’t repeat it here, suffice to say that the recovery of the camino for our time is largely due to his scholarship and hard work, and he is responsible for the yellow arrows.

Our walking seems to be much like our cycling. Slow on the downhills (poor technique), average on the flat, but good going uphill. We find a comfortable cadence we can maintain constantly. We also probably have a good power to weight ratio for hills.

Ipod theme tune for today: The Beatles,  Fool on the hill.

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round

We did not do justice to Ponferrada. This morning we walked around the great medieval castle erected (1248 – 1282) by the Templars. It was not open yet so could not go in. In most towns and cities the yellow arrows we follow do not take the direct route but do a zig zag, dog leg, back tracking path that goes along the fortified walls, through gates, across bridges, by churches and museums, into all the main squares, etc. A mini walking tour of a city. This is what we saw of Ponferrada.

It is a modern city of 69,000 and has a unique micro climate that produces fine wines and is a fertile fruit and vegetable growing area. We left the city via the iron bridge, Pons Forrata, which gives the city its name. The original bridge has been reinforced with iron since the 11th century. Coal and iron ore have been mined here since medieval times.

After walking in the shade along the river and through a very upmarket suburb we stopped for food. Breakfast had been coffee, juice and one piece of toast. We were starving and downed a huge quarter of potato, egg and vegetable tortilla. For two hours we then walked through small market garden plots. Most were small operations say a quarter to a half acre and all very neat. Lots of people were out working the soil and their crops. The farmers were very cheerful with a wave or a hola. You could imagine them coming to the farmers’ market on Saturdays with their produce. This was the best part of the day and it was cool and peaceful.

At midday it was getting hot and we were looking for some shade to have a rest. At a road crossing we spied a grove of trees, a water fountain and a group of peregrinos, and decided to join them. Then we saw the best thing of all. A farmer was selling cherries, 1 euro for a third of a kilo. He was very, very popular. By now the small gardens had given way to huge vineyards and flash looking wineries. It was like this for the rest of the day.

The last two hours from midday were very hot and we were walking on the edge of the road. Where the path did leave the road and went through the vineyards it was lined with sweet smelling roses and near the end of the day, cherry trees. The trees were fully laden with fruit but it was not quite ripe. I wonder if they were planted specially for the pilgrims?

After yesterday’s 10km of downhill we discovered we had new interesting muscles. We don’t like them. They are whingers. They complain all the time. We tell them to shut up and go away. After a while they did. Only to be replaced by some of their whinging friends. These friends are even worse.

Being from temperate Wellington we can do the hills, the wind, the rain and the cool, but our achillies heel is the heat. Anyone planning to walk the Camino Frances in the Spanish summer needs to do some careful planning. For the last two days the temperature has got up to 30. In a month this will rise to 40. If the high temperatures continue we will consider forsaking our prepaid breakfast and start leaving at 6am. Getting the walking done by lunchtime makes it much more pleasant.

This evening Barbara realised we had not had any bananas today. Bananas are our go to snack when we are walking. We try to have one for breakfast and our packs usually have two more each to eat during the day. Any fruit you could possibly want is readily available everyday but bananas work for us.

Ipod tune for today: Yes we have no bananas. By Louis Prima

We have old fashioned tomato
A Long Island potato
But yes we have no bananas
We have no bananas today .

What a day! Man oh man this was a tough day. The toughest so far. But also one of the best. We really did feel we were knocking on heaven’s door today. Left the hotel in Rabanal at 7.45 this morning and arrived at the hotel in Ponferrada at 4.45 this afternoon. 9 hours, an hour off for stops, 8 hours to do 32km over difficult terrain and on a hot day.

From Rabanal it was a climb of 400 metres over 7km to Cruz de Ferro at 1505m. This was a wonderful climb in the cool of the morning through heather, broom, oaks and flowers. Not a cloud, not a breath of wind. We grew to hate that. We were in great spirits the views to the surrounding mountains and back down the valley were amazing. The path was rough and rocky but okay to walk up. We grew to hate that.

After a quick stop for coffee at an alpine village we soon arrived at Cruz de Ferro. This is such a humble monument but marks one of the most significant points on the way to Santiago. A simple iron cross stands atop a weathered pole, now surrounded by a huge pile of stones. The pole and the cross has become one of the abiding symbols of the pilgrim way of St James. The tradition is to bring a stone from your home, or somewhere earlier on your travels and deposit it here. At the same time to reconnect with the purpose of your journey. The stone is a token of love and blessing. We had each brought a stone from Raumati Beach and these are now on the pile. Probably already buried under hundreds of new stones.

A 7km walk across the tops to the true highest point of the Camino Frances at Alto Altar at 1,515m. It was now very hot with no shade from trees. There is an abandoned ruined village which has a population of 1. Manjarin hospitalero Tomas will bless pilgrims, play Gregorian chant, provide coffee. The sky was perfectly clear and we could see Ponferrada down in the valley about 20kms away. It is usually very misty up there so I think that was one reason we were enjoying the walk in the mountains so much.

Once we started to descend it became very slow and difficult. The track was possibly the worst we have had. Rough and rutted with lots of loose stones. Quite steep and walking poles were necessary. Barbara was worried about her knees so went very cautiously. It was 10km down to Molinaseca and it seemed to take hours. At one stage we managed to get off the track and use the road. Some of it was very pretty. In a little tree shaded valley we crisscrossed a stream and it could have been Wilton’s Bush.

At Molinaseca we had some orange juice and rested in the shade for a while. We were very hot and tired, it was 3pm and we still had 7km to go. The now concrete path followed a busy road through the outer suburbs of Ponferrada and was totally tedious. Out came the Ipods and with heads down just looking at the footpath in front of our feet we plodded on for nearly two hours.

We have now collapsed in our hotel room, not moving. The great medieval castle of the Templars is just 50 metres along the road and I can’t be bothered to move myself and go and have a look. It will have to wait till morning. Barbara meanwhile is fast asleep.

It was a great day, loved walking up in the clear air of the mountains and our knees and ankles came through a hard day unscathed.

Ipod tune today: Guns n’ Roses, Knockin’ on heaven’s door.

Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door
Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door.