Day 16 - The Climb

We started the morning in Villafranca. We left at dawn because we were walking 28.9k today, and the last 8k has a huge climb. This was also the first day we decided to send our packs ahead to our destination. For 5 Euro per pack, there are several companies that will transport your bag to any destination down the road. Today was the perfect day to try it out.

We walked through mountain passes along a river. It was quite beautiful and reminded us of Colorado.
As we were rounding a turn, we noticed a group of men crouched on the side of the road. They had found several four leaf clovers. I'm so glad we came upon them because since we had such a long walk ahead of us, we were walking fairly determinedly and had forgotten to stop and notice what was around us. We started looking for clutches of clover along the side of the road and actually found five more as we walked!

We made our way along the path stopping for snack breaks here and there. When we reached the village at the 20k mark, we knew the climb was next. We stopped first for a rest at a picnic area along the river. We dipped our feet into the freezing cold water and then rested on the benches for awhile. Next, we went into the adjacent cafe for fuel. We ordered a plate of local goat cheese which was served with quince jam and bread. So. Good.

We then started to climb and climb and climb. And then we climbed some more. For 8k, we rose from 530 meters above sea level to 1330 meters above sea level.

The views as we climbed were excellent. We climbed mostly in shade with only the final ascent in the sun. There was a cool breeze during the sunny parts which made the final few kilometers pass more easily.

We finally reached O’Cebreiro, located our packs (they had been delivered to one of the bars), and checked into a hotel. We got two rooms with a shared bath for 65 Euro. We felt we deserved the treat after 28.9 k and an 800 meter ascent!  We had a lovely dinner and are now tucked into bed, ready for a nice long rest.
Buenos Noches!
(There is no wifi - that actually works - in O’Cebreiro, so posts and pictures will be a day or two late.)