Ponferrada to Cacabelos – 14 Kms, 23,732 steps
After a good night’s sleep in my luxurious room, I was ready to go, and I joined the tide of departing pilgrims at 8:15. The path took us through the center of town (of course) and then through a nice riverside park, past the Museum of Energy and some interesting public art.
I passed quickly through the Ponferrada suburbs, on nice, flat paths of packed dirt and gravel. Very pleasant walking!
An hour and a half later, I arrived in Fuentes Nuevas, my halfway point and 30-minute break. Another cafe con leche topped me up.
I’ve seen, and mentioned previously, some of the interesting modes of Camino transport I’ve seen. For example, the guy with the unicycle. Today I saw a handicapped guy in a wheelchair created from a Segway! Remember the Segway? The two-wheeled, self balancing, scooter-like device, that was going to replace walking? Well, this guy was in one fitted out as a wheelchair. It looked so weird because there were no front wheels. The guy just zoomed along in it. I wish I’d taken a picture.
Let’s talk about storks for a moment. They build big, unsightly nests on tall objects. Almost always on church bell towers here:
However, the town of Camponaraya did a smart thing to protect their churches: they gave the storks another option:
The days and kilometers are going by. Only ten more days until my Camino is over.
I’m not sure how I feel at the moment. I’m kind of ready to see my Camino end. Spending a week on the couch sounds pretty good. But, who knows what the next week will bring.
Tomorrow is a long 20 Kms into a narrow valley, with some gentle climbs. It’s a set up for Thursday’s killer climb into the mountains. Cheers.
The Occasionally-Examined Life 