El Acebo to Molinaseca 10 km

Last night, I had to go down the street a bit to get some dinner:

Sopa de Ajo. Very spicy garlic soup.

This little town is very pretty. Balconies hang out over the street.



View from my window at sunrise.

Another sunny day, another downhill hike to make my knees protest! But hey, I’m on the Camino and this is where I’d rather be. Plenty of wildflowers to brighten the trail:

Lavender, wild roses, cherries forming on the tree, buttercups and daisies (which we don’t see in Perth).

Leaving El Acebo, the huge sprawling mass of Ponferrada kept appearing and disappearing. Some people were actually heading all the way there today. Not me: Molinaseca was far enough; I could saunter along, watching my step carefully on the narrow, stony downhill parts:

The first stop was at Riego del Ambro. The only place open was a rather up-market restaurant, with outdoor tables set out under a trellis of vines. The Koreans were there before me, taking photos, so I joined in the party:

… and enjoyed a delicious morning coffee:

Riego is even prettier than El Acebo. Most of the older houses have these outdoor staircases. The Guarda Civil were there, ostensibly to protect the pilgrims, but they were parked under a tree for a long time, doing nothing much.

Molinaseca is down there. An enterprising woman and her young son were selling little bags of cherries for €1. Cherries season is here!