Villafranca de Bierzo

We left Santiago, sad to be staying here so briefly. It is the sort of place you could easily settle into with the historic beauty, the brilliant bars and restaurants and the sense of excitement in the exhausted pilgrims. The prices seem ridiculous. Everything was dirt cheap.

My turn at the wheel so it was time to reaquaint myself with European driving. Steady as she goes at first, getting out of the city, with only a few heart flutters, then onto the motorway for what was planned out as a two and a half hour drive to the pilgrim town of Villafranca de Bierzo. The navigator utilised the brilliant technology of GPS to guide me through on and off ramps, townships and spectacular mountain scenery. Just how do these pilgrims trek these 670 metre high mountains? I asked myself. And the snow warnings? The gorges? Hmmmmmm.

The answer soon emerged as two and a half hours of travel had transpired and our destination must have been near. Ahh, central Spain, a Parador hotel, a beer, some tapas, a rest.

A murmur from the navigator..."I'm not sure we are going in the right direction..."

"Sorry?"

Some mumbling from the back seat.

A worried tone now. "Is that water up ahead?"

"Um, yep. Lots and lots."

"Its the Atlantic!"

A quick check of the GPS pinpointed us three hours north of Villafranca, tapas, rest and beer.

But, every cloud and all that, we had discovered Ribideiro!! Making the most of the moment we had a coffee and took in the breath taking scenery. It was a Griswald moment that will live on long after things that we forget before we forget this unforgettable moment. (Hope that sentence gets by the editor!)

Anyway three hours later we landed in Villafranca, in a really cool hotel nestled in a really hot village. Pilgrims everywhere. One Swiss lady was walking on her own and had ten days left but looked all but gone. The walkers are amazing, many not young but enjoying the tough trek. We trek from bar to bar, guilty but not that guilty.

Nice night, happy but tired.