Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Ponferrada to Cacabelos

By bus to Fuentes Nuevas, then walk to Cacabelos.

I caught a normal service bus from Calle Ancha just across the square. There is a regular service, primarily to take people to the large Bierzo Hospital, but handy for pilgrims too.

Today was all about the grapes: with rows and rows of vines in every direction:



This is the Bierzo, one of Spain’s important wine producing regions.


Some are old and gnarled; all are bursting into leaf and looking very healthy.




This puss is hiding in the shade:




It proved to be another perfect day on the Camino: warm and still. I can’t believe I haven’t seen one drop of rain this year.



This was my first stop: an information centre for wine production: but it’s never open when I pass by!


Many of the vineyards had wild roses in bloom at the end of the rows.

I finally arrived at Cacabelos and the beautiful Moncloa de San Lazaro. They offered me a small cup of red wine to try in the welcoming courtyard. This is a place I’ve never stayed at before: it was always fully booked, but this time I was lucky! It’s an old-style hostelry, such as might have existed 100 years ago:






View of my room with its collection of antique furniture.


They won’t run out of garlic.

1 comment: