September 26 Tricastela to Sarria (118km to go)

Given our long walk yesterday we decided to take the shorter route to Sarria (our destination), which was not to be. One thing we discovered was that a detail guide book is needed when taking alternate routes. Often we see yellow arrows pointing in different directions and unless there is signage we usually take the path with the more predominate markings. We had anticipated 20km today and instead we did 25km, but no regrets. We passed through the most awesome scenery – mountain streams and lush forests, and we came upon Samos with a beautifully preserved sixth century monastery and famous for its library, with a Latin motto on the door, “A cloister without a library is like a fort without and armory.” It's become routine for us to stop by mid-afternoon at a bar/cafe to have lunch, and we've often been lucky finding sunny and picturesque spots, along with other peregrinos in search of the same. See Pictures>>

September 25 Las Herrerias to Tricastela

Today's was not something we were looking forward to as we were about to make a 600m ascent with our final destination being O Cebreiro, which is perched at the top of the mountain. The walk up was spectacular, with lush vegetation, and watching the sun shine hit the distant mountain was very spectacular. We are in awe how our surroundings can be even more beautiful when sun shines upon them. Unfortunately as we went higher the air got colder and we could see the mist covering the peak. O Cebreiro is a beautiful town that overlooks the valley, with many bus tours stopping. The houses are all made of stone with shale stone roofs. All very beautiful, but the low cloud blocked all views and made the air very cold. We decided to press on and make our descent and look for a sunny village to stop at. Unfortunately this is a farming area and many of the villages had the special odor only a farmer could appreciate, hence we trekked on to Tricastela, which is at the base of the mountain. The total trek today was our toughest and longest (30km) and it was a relief to find accommodations so late in the day. Of special note was the running of the cows through the villages, which made Julie very uneasy. These were not the typical dairy cows – they were huge, but well managed by their owners and dogs who were controlling the herd. See Pictures>>

September 24 Villafranca to Las Herrerias

It's hard to believe that we have less than 200km to go to reach Santiago, and surprising how quickly the time has gone. We've met so many interesting people along the way. We continue to meet a few from the first week, but many peregrinos have slowed down, stopped or moved on ahead of us. Today we met a lady from Atlanta Georgia. She is 66 and had knee surgery three months ago. There are some remarkable people doing El Camino, and they are very inspirational. And it's hard to complain about sore feet knowing the challenges many of these people face.

Las Herrerias was our final stop for the day. It is not a big town – one albergue and three bars, but it is going through transformation with the restoration of old buildings and new sidewalks and streets. Historically Las Herrerias was known for its iron forge, which is evident at our albergue – with an iron designed door and an iron narrow table built into the concrete outside the albergue. Today many peregrinos continue past, but I suspect by next year it will become a trendy place to stop. See Pictures>>

September 23 Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo (185.5km to go)

This was a very interesting trek taking us through the vineyards, and it was harvest time with the fields full of pickers. The majority of grapes are red, and were they ever sweet and juicy! Grapes and wineries seem to be the main economic engine in this region, but what do people do in the off-season? I don't expect much, which is the reason many homes have been abandoned and others are for sale. I can't see young people sticking around, and instead are choosing to go to the bigger centers.

It was an easier walk today. Not easy, but given what is in-store for us in the next couple of days it will seem easy. Going through the vineyards was the highlight of the day and I (Mario) was wondering whether he would have had a vineyard had he remained in Italy.

Villafranca is a logical rest stop before ascending 600m. It is beautiful city, and in history it has been ravished by the plague and occupations by the French, British and French again. Today the historic scars are not visible and the highlight was the castle and church of Santigo. See Pictures>>

September 22 El Acebo to Ponferrada (202.5 km to go)

The mountain descent was not easy, with the majority of the path going through rocky areas. We had to constantly keep our eyes on the ground to avoid tripping. We arrived in Ponferrada in the early afternoon, with time to continue walking. However after a nice lunch in the plaza we didn't feel much like walking and went searching for accommodations. We met Jessica again, who we hadn't seen for a few days and met a peregrino from Quebec. Ponferrada is a large city with it's charm being the old town where the castle and museums are located. This was a great place to stop and enjoy the rest of the day. See Pictures>>

September 21 Rabanal to El Acebo

The Rabanal albergue was not a restful sleepover especially with the symphony of snorers in the room. We left at about 7:30 am, with some peregrinos leaving at 6am and some were still in their beds when we left. It was dark but we managed to find our way in the dark and the sun was rising when we started the mountain ascent. We stopped for coffee at a few small villages along the way, and I must say “small” with less than 20 living in a few of the villages. It appears from the information I've read, that some peregrinos love the camino so much they end up buying housing and living in these small villages – with the sole purpose of serving peregrinos. There was one stop in Manjarin and the owner(s) of the single house had farm animals, dogs and cats all living in an eclectic setting. El Acebo was not our planned stop, but the village had a certain charm. Thank goodness, because, as we discovered the following day, there was not much in the next couple of towns. The one highlight was Molinaseca, which is located on the river and, had we been willing to walk another 9km, would have been a perfect location to stay overnight. See Pictures>>

September 20 Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

The camino in the past two days has been much more interesting, going through many more villages and a more interesting mountainous terrain. It's more difficult to walk but, with the higher elevation the air is much cooler. A walker's dream. Rabanal is not a big town, but is a stop-over for many peregrinos before making the ascent into the mountain. And we met the most interesting couple, Pamela and Keith who are doing their second camino in two years on their bikes. They are from England and have spent their past 13 years bicycling across many countries with their two dogs. See Pictures>>