Molinaseca to Cacabelos – 24 kms

I forgot to mention cherry man yesterday. When we arrived in Molinaseca we went to a little shop and bought some sports drink and some chips.

We were almost back at our hotel when we heard ‘hola’ from a man behind us. The man from the shop had chased us down the road and handed us a punnet of cherries. So nice of him. Mike thought he liked me.

I also forgot to mention the big storm. We’d just spent a balmy evening eating dinner by the river. People were still swimming and the outdoor bars were packed.

We got back to our hotel which overlooked the bars and river and I thought we might be in for a noisy night.

Five minutes later the wind and rain started. Then the hail, then the screams. We struggled to close our windows as the storm whipped in.

I looked out the window and the place was deserted. It wasn’t such a noisy night after all.

Today we pounded the pavement all day, it was awful. We travelled through Ponferrada which is the largest town until we reach Santiago. It had a cool castle but other than that, it was a shithole and we’re glad we didn’t stay there.

At 2pm thunder clouds started rolling in, so we sped up the last five kms to make it to our hostel in time.

We’re staying in a nice hostel with a microwave and plates and stuff.

Not in the mood to go out, we picked up some melon, Parma ham, salad, and soup for dinner. And some peach juice. First alcohol free night! Probably won’t get any sleep.

Big tree fallen over where we stayed last night.

Castle at Ponferrada