VEGA DE VECARCE

Thatched ancient granary


A flyover at the back of the village


Me in Pereje


Villafranca at dawn. Had a great breakfast here.


Villafranca

2/8/10 It was not surprising that I stopped two days ago in Cacabelos when I did. It wasn’t until yesterday that someone told me that the temperature reached 40 degrees in the town. But yesterday was a bit cooler and I managed to do some strenuous site seeing when I took a long stroll up a hill to see the remains of the Roman fortress. Of course, not much left to see now except the line of ash in the excavated earth when it was burnt by the Moors. That’s what an informed good English speaking local told me after I had been up there.

The room I took above a bar in town was nothing to shout about but at least I had a room to myself after all the nights spent with the hoards who are progressing along the way like shuffling penguins. The word for ‘pilgrim’ here is ‘Peregrino’ which it not dissimilar and there is yet another similarity in that they both seem to spend an inordinate amount of time contemplating their feet. Anyway, I’m back with the penguins now.

I must have fallen asleep very quickly last night and awoke feeling pretty good at around 4.30. I was on the road before dawn and made good time. The first part of the walk was a steady 5km climb but after that the way undulated through gorges and over passes. I arrived at the Villafranca albergue (at the top of the first hill) at a very opportune time because there still plenty of coffee and food left from the 3 euro buffet breakfast they provide. Feeling replenished I felt that the day would be a good one. The temperature was perfect for walking and now in Vega de Vecarce, some 26km later.

This is one of the nicest parts of the trail I have been along up to now with big steep rounded hills with grassy and forested slopes. It roughly follows a fairly new highway which really does live up to its name. There are a lot of incredibly high viaducts carrying trucks and cars. This is a very scenic area.

Just to finish I found a reconstruction of the typical kind of house that was built here many hundreds of years ago. Interesting thatch roof.