Yesterday, we were expecting a very tough climb to Rabanal Del Camino, so I had my reduced-weight backpack, and Rosan and Alan just had their day packs. But the walk, while lovely, was rather uneventful.

Most pilgrims usually stop at the lovely town of Rabanal Del Camino, but we wanted to go a town further so that we could get to Cruz De Ferro early the next day.

It turned out that it was after Rabanal Del Camino that things got tough. And I walked it alone. Alan had gone on ahead because he didn’t want to stop for lunch. Rosan walked ahead of me…

I arrived exhausted at the quaint town of Foncebadon. (Alan: It looks like Patagonia! Rosan: It looks like Sagada!)

The albergue where we stayed had sheep and donkeys. It had a hippie vibe to it.

We had a lovely meal with cheese, jamon, chorizos and hummus to start, vegetable paella for or main course, and a choice of fruit or ice cream for dessert.

The pilgrims played music on the guitar until lights out at 11 PM.

Today, while we got up early, typically, we were the last out of the albergue. The pilgrims who walked from Rabanal Del Camino were already trickling into our town before we started our walk.

Depending on what you read, there are certain rituals that a pilgrim is to perform upon reaching Cruz De Ferro, the highest elevation on the Camino.

This part of the Camino, for me, is personal so I won’t write about it. Here is a photo of the cross which I took from the Internet:

The road from there was incredibly beautiful, with all these wild mountain flowers, and snow-capped mountains in the distance.

We passed two donation-only rest stops:

I didn’t mind the mostly down hill path, but others found it hard on the knees. (Will post more pics of the view when I have the time and better internet connection.)

At 3 PM, Raffy and I were setting out from El Acebo after lunch. Rosan and Stephen maybe had a five minute head start. Alan didn’t stop for lunch at all and was probably just arriving at our intended destination, Molinaseca.

We passed by a modern-looking hotel and, after a very brief discussion and only 12 km., we decided to skip the rest of the walk for the day and checked into the hotel.

We splurged on a big meal and invited our Korean roommates to join us.

Raffy and I will set off about an hour before sunrise tomorrow to catch up with the others for breakfast. It will be our first walk in the dark. Wish us luck!

FYI, from today on, all of us hope to walk with all our gear.

Accommodations:

Albergue Monte Irago, Foncebadon

8 euros for a bed with breakfast, 9 euros for dinner. 8 am check-out.

The advantage of traveling in a group is that, for the same rate per bed, you can request for a room to yourselves. Alan arrived early and he saw how everyone was packed in small dorms. He managed to get us a room that was separate from the main house.

La Casa Del Peregrino, El Acebo

10 euros per bunk bed (with sheets and blanket), 4 euros breakfast.

Communal balcony.