Day 66 / Molinaseca - Las Medulas / 34.07 km

Yesterday evening the pilgrims dinner was great for the 9€ : fresh salad, albondigas with French fried, arroz con leche, bottle of wine. Both quantity and quality were more then acceptable. I gues it’s a volume based profit model. I slept well but at 6.15 I’m awake. I pack. Everything is closed so breakfast will be in Ponferrada,7 k away. I start running luckily mainly downhill. The sky is blue and it announces to be a beautiful, sunny, day. As usual a lot of other pilgrims on the road. In Ponferrada I will start the last leg of my journey by starting the Camino Invierno, a much less used path to Santiago, 254 k long. It should take me around 7 days to complete. Santiago is near. 

Before starting the Invierno I plan a brief stop in Ponferrada for breakfast and to get some cash (most information indicates there are not a lot of ATM’s along the way and creditcards are not often accepted. Welcome to the digital era). Ponferrada was in the 12th century a stronghold of the templars and untill today their heretage is present in the old city centre in the form of a well preserved castle and church. 

Ponferrada old city center’s architecture definitely deserves more time than the 60 minutes I spend to have breakfast and top up my cash but helas for Ponferrada the Camino calls. I return the way I entered the city to find the Invierno path. The path quickly leads me away from the city following a river and climbing into the hills. It’s a steep climb (Today I will learn that the Invierno contains a lot of steep climbs). Although the population of Ponferrada is just below 70.000 it seems to cover the complete valley. When climbing I pass a huge water supply tube. 

It becomes quickly clear that the Invierno route is quite different from the Camino Frances. It takes more then 1 hour before I meet other pilgrims. It will be the last pilgrim’s I encounter for the rest of the day. Also the small villages, more hamlets, I pass do not hold any signs of pilgrim menu’s, bocadillos, drinks,....for the simple reason the do not have any bar or shop. It’s like I’m back in rural France but in Spain. What it’s lacking in bars and shops it has plenty in scenery. The views are great. The path is narrow, more demanding. Steep descents and ascents. 

I’m climbing most of the time, sometimes a short ascent. It’s getting warmer, less shade available. I’m making less progress. My average speed is around 7.5 kmh. It’s 13.45 when I reach Las Médulas, by then my watch indicates 31.5 º Celsius and I have climbed a steep hill in the sun. Next day’s I will definitely take more water with me. During my climb I pass some trees which looked really old.  I arrive at Las Médulas , not only the place where I booked a room but more importantly a UNESCO heritage site (Las Medulas was a goldmine during the Roman time). Today though not a lot of other people are around. Most bars and restaurants are closed. One bar, with a cool garden , is open where I have a lunch based upon Empenada and water. After lunch I go to the hostal (recommended by the friends of the Camino Invierno), check in, and learn that in the evening the restaurants are not open. Shops are also not open for the simple reason that there are no shops. Later I walk around the town with the intend to go to the “gold mine” area but I’m tired and it’s to warm so I limit my visit to watching from some distance to the red coloured hills and rocks. 

For dinner I buy 2 bocadillios and a bottle of wine and have dinner in the  garden of the hostal I’m staying. 

I’m happy that I’m on the Invierno, which is clearly of the beaten track. No longer restaurants and shops every km, which is not so convenient, but in return I’m away from the Camino Frances circus which isn’t really my thing. Based upon the info I’ve found it  seems that often no shops or bars are available during daytime and lodging only available in limited locations. Tomorrow for starters I will need to run 10 k before I find breakfast. Not sure if I will survive so long without my latte gluten free decaf. The next day’s warmer weather is predicted so I decide to have an early start tomorrow. Maybe I will start  missing the early risers in the refugios.

Lessons learned : 

- It’s a hard run when it’s warm.

- The warmer, the steeper the hill.

- since 2 day’s I passed the 2000 mark. Including today I’m at 2083 k. Ongeloofelijk!

- It’s possible for a Spanish village not to have a bar. 

Song of today : Silence is Golden - The Tremeloes

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