Cambrianos to Cacabelos

June 6th - Cambrianos to Cacabelos
Up at about 6:45 and poked around, getting organized for the day and eating our breakfast. Finally ready by 7:45 we stepped out of the door to note that it was raining which it hadn't been when we first looked out. By the time we got our raincoats out the rain was practically non-existent and never did amount to much during the day. We headed out, still on pavement for the first few kilometers and stopped in the first community, Fuente Nuevas for a coffee and a fresh orange juice. It was an attractive community as well, with flowers draped off overhanging balconies and roses blooming and climbing everywhere. Fortified we walked on through Camponaraya, still walking on pavement which offered food and coffee and even wine tasting and tapas but this time we were not to be tempted. On the other side of town we finally got onto a dirt road and off the pavement, much more important to me than to Suzy as I'm the pavement hater between us.

This next stage of the path was really beautiful as it twisted and turned on its way to Cacabelos. We're back into wine country here in El Bierzo and the people here are very proud of both their wine and their fresh food and it's obvious that they take both very seriously. We passed through vineyards and gardens and huge wild rose bushes. The air was perfumed from one kind of plant in particular - a low bush that looked a lot like the grape plants and even had little grapelike clusters on it. I don't know what it was but it sure smelled wonderful! The mountains in the distance created beautiful pictures every way we looked. But by the time we got to Cacabelos our knee was bothering us and even though neither one of us really wanted to stop, we decided the knee should take priority since it can make our lives miserable if we don't humour it a bit.

The albergue here is alongside the church and was described as two to a box in Miam Miam Dodo (a French guidebook that attempts to list all of the places to stay in each community). We couldn't really imagine what that would be but it is as it soundes. The albergue is a long strip of  about 60 or 70 boxes with doors  and a roof. There's room for two beds with about 3 or 4 feet in between and about 3 feet at the end of the eds which is made into cupboards. It feels a bit like a prison or a monk's cell but it will probably work just fine.