Camino Day 30: Acebo to Ponferrada

This first half of today was a steep but beautiful descent from Acebo to Molinaseca. We wound our way down rocky hillsides through a forest of wildflowers and oak, the air thick with the sweet smell of gum roses. At the bottom of the valley, Molinaseca's picturesque stone bridge and chalet like stone and wood homes.

The next stage, through the valley to Ponferrada, was less picturesque and mostly paved, but relatively flat and cool. An easy day of walking and less than 11 miles. Now we are happily ensconced in a private room in the shadow of a Templar Castle, but I fear I have caught a cold. The pilgrim alburgues, with their shared spaces and masses of transient pilgrims, often seem to be incubators for coughs and colds of every variety. Tomorrow will tell.