With my meltdown behind us, Sal and I headed into the mountains again. Our first stop was breakfast with Ellie and Santiago which was Belgian pancakes and coffee. Excllent! Usually we’d stop around the 10 km mark each morning for coffee and a bathroom stop. Since we’d knock out about 5 km an hour, this first stop was around 1030 each morning. Bathrooms along the way were quite clean and had ample soap and toilet paper, so they were key stops along the way. We rolled into the hills then began some long climbs upwards. The village O Ceibreros was a neat town that used stones for everything. Another important part of this town was that it marked the end of the Leon area and the start of Galicia. Galicia, as we were to find soon enough, was more like Ireland in many ways, espcially the weather. Green pastures, rolling hills, small villages, and fragrant dairies marked the landscape. We had wonderful weather that soon turned chilly then cold as we marched into Linares which was the midway point on your trek. The coffee stop was much needed as it began to drizzle, but the stop was not one of our favorites. The coffee wasn’t from the machine, so that was the first clue that it wasn’t going to be good. Most bars have an espresso machine with a light on showing it was ready to go. If you like coffee, keep walking unless they have a machine with the light on. We pressed on to Fonfria which was a small country village which we later found had only 27 people in it. There was an albuerge, and Sal and I sat for a bit trying to decide to stay or push on. We had spoken with Ondres about meeting after Linares, and this was the first place to do so. While we sat and relaxed, Oliver rolled in, so all of us decided to stay. Moments later, Ondres walked in. The place was spacious with 40 plus beds for the 4 of us. It was super cold inside and finally warmed a little with the heaters. Heaters were interesting because they were also a source for drying clothes, so they became important territory for us pilgrims. The early bird gets the heater. Etiquette dictated that you had rights to the heater closest to your bed, but communal heaters were fair game. Since there were only 4 of us, it didn’t matter. Usually, Sal and I would wash or rinse clothes in the shower then hang dry them at night. The dry fit shirts and pants dried quickly while only the socks needed a day or so.
The dinner that night was perhaps one of the best on the entire Camino. Angela, the owner and cook, made a beef and potatoe stew for the first course. The beef was from the local village and the potatoes were from her garden. We had 4 bowls each with bread. The second course was similar meat and potatoes but made somewhat differently and not in a stew. We finished the plate. Dessert varied to include flan, tarta de Santiago, fruit, etc. We also had table wine to wash it all down. The Pilgrim’s menu usually consisted of a first course, second course, then dessert along with bread and wine. It cost around 9 or 10 Euros, so it was affordable and usually delicious. After dinner, Angela and her 2 friends cranked up the music and all of us ended up dancing for a bit despite the sore feet! Shots of something akin to lighter fluid followed to complete the feast!
An interesting bloke from England, Dean, had ventured into Fonfria on a horse in the last year. He showed up a couple of times and announced that he was going to the next town, Triacastela, to watch the Champions League soccer. Next thing we knew, all 4 of us piled into 2 cars to go to town to watch soccer! I can still see Oliver and Ondres inside this small car going to the game!
FC Barcelona hammered Bayern Munich at home, so Bayern needed to bring their A game. Unfortunately for Oliver, who is German, they didn’t. We returned to the albuerge to a great night’s sleep after a fun and long day.
Day 5 was done, and we were over half way there!
Tags: camino de santiago, fonfria, food, soccer, sore, tired
