Plague #2?

Trip Start Jun 13, 2007
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Trip End Jul 10, 2007


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Flag of Spain  ,
Sunday, June 24, 2007

As we left Foncebadon we were pursued by the strange cloud of flies from the day before: however, they had increased in number.  We frolicked up the mountain and soon reached Cruz de Ferro: a plce where people tradtionally laid stones in order to appease the gods.  Then, in an attempt to Christianize the ritual, the church drove a cross into the center.  Now many pilgrims bring stones from their hometowns to lay upon the pile.  As you might guess, we had decided to forego this tradition - just as we had foregone the massive pack tradition. 
We pressed on and eventually reached the highest point of the Cordillera, Majarin (I think that spelling might be off).  A man took out photo next to a sign which gave approximate distances to many "holy cities". 

We stopped in a very pretty town, Molinaseca, and lounged by the picturesque river on a picturesque bench next to a picturesque tree-lined walkway...and ate the staple snack: chocolate cookies 01 abstract and soundless clip
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 .  Apparently the town was an old holiday spot for the moneyed: it still exuded that very definite atmosphere. 

The eight kilometres from Molinaseca to Ponferrada seemed forever: so hot, so long.  Finally we arrived. 

Ponferrada was a bit of a hole...but the albergue was pretty swell.  One of the albergue keepers gave us a bunch of food to cook for dinner.  So, as we are so wont to do, we proceeded to spend a vast amount of time cooking a vast amount of food...then a fair amount of time eating it all outside in the dwindling sunlight. 

29 km
albergue - 4 euros
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