100 km to Santiago and the "rules" change

Fast track through days 9, 10 and 11 ... and now we are at 100 km to Santiago de Compostela.

Day 9 (Astorga to Ponferrada) was one of the more challenging days. (Understatement ...) Starting at an elevation of 500m, we climbed to just over 1500m with grades averaging out to a modest 3%. The killer was the descent down to 510m. In one section of the descent, we hit a 26.6% grade. I'm not sure about you, but we were ecstatic to have disc brakes.

Day 10 (Ponferrada to Las Herrerias) gave us a little bit of a break. 45km at a blistering pace of 16kmh and we found ourselves in one of the most bucolic scenes imaginable. The "Rural Inn" that we had booked is owned and run by a brother/sister team who manage the property to perfection. We arrived early (blistering pace) and were greeted warmly by the owners. The terrace and grounds overlooked a pasture filled with cows and their newborn calves. The valley view however was ominous as it provided a preview of the big climb - aka muy alta - that was in-store for us the following day. 

Day 11 (Las Herrerias - Sarria) ... While I don't often use the word "proud" to describe my feelings, I'm making an exception to describe how I feel about Jude's conquering a 1000m climb today. Absolutely outstanding! Once we emerged from the clouds and began our descent into Sarria, we both realized that "we had done it!"; that the balance of the ride to Santiago would be not only doable, but a pleasant experience and time for us to sit back in our saddles and enjoy the view :-) 

One of the things that we learned about the Camino is that "pilgrims" only need to complete the last 100kms to get their credentials. That makes Sarria a very popular place! From this point to Santiago de Compostela we will be joined by the "taxi" and "bus" brigades, which is the description used for those who complete their 100km by hopping in and out of buses and cabs in order to get their passports stamped. Just serves to illustrate that even the Camino is not immune from abuse. 

A couple of notes:

Best place to stay (so far): Paraiso del Bierzo 9/10 (if only it had a spa it would be a slam dunk 10/10)

Best food (so far): little hole in the wall in Sarria, owned and run by young Italians who make the best Italian food this side of ... well, Italy! Matias Locanda.

Best bike shop: thank goodness we have only needed one bike service so far. Front disc pad replacement ... huge thanks and appreciation to "Taller de Bicycletas" in Villafranca del Bierzo! In addition to being an awesome bike mechanic, he also sells Ridley and Pinnerello.

With 100km left to go, our next posting will likely be once we reach Santiago de Compostela and we've taken the opportunity to reflect on this experience.

And, it has been an experience! 

Stay tuned ... 

The second bar is always better (a Camino saying) - Days 7 and 8

Day 7 (long) and day 8 (short) continue to teach us new things about ourselves, our world, and our neighbours. 

Our day 7 ride to Leon was the longest of this trip and at the same time, one of our quickest. Much of the route was on secondary paved  roads with the walkers on an adjacent gravel road. We ended the day in Leon in early afternoon and found time to relax at The Parador Leon (hotel above) before setting out for the evening. 

The hotel began its life in the mid-12th Century built to house and provide protection for the Camino de Santiago pilgrims. Later it became a Monestary, followed by a hospital, army barracks and was then on its way to being another ruins before it was salvaged and restored back to its original purpose. In its current iteration, it is for relatively well-healed pilgrims.

As we were leaving Leon for our day 8 ride (destination Astorga) we were thrilled to see that we were now less than 300 km's from Santiago de Compostela.

This part of the world is so deep and rich in its history. The bridge above was build by the Romans to shuttle their troops across the river. In the 5th Century the bridge and surrounding area became the scene of many epic battles between the Romans and Spanish. The bridge was actually destroyed by the Spanish at one point to halt Napoleons advances into the region. 

Another wonderful oasis built for pilgrims. All of the food and drinks are complimentary, although donations are not refused. 

There is a saying along the Camino that "the second bar is always better". To get a sense of what this means, you need to understand that the Camino pilgrims, walkers and cyclists are the primary source of income for hundreds of little villages and hamlets along the 850 km route. Because of the Camino, Albergues, hotels, cafes, restaurants and bars (and church's survive. As soon as you enter a village, you find yellow arrows (normally intended to guide the pilgrims) pointing every which way to steer you toward a business. There is also (usually) a cafe/bar as soon as you enter town. We learned early on that you should pass on the first bar, because the "second is always better". 

Speaking of which, it is time to sign off this chapter and head out to discover our stop for the night, meet some fellow travelers and perhaps find that - elusive - Spanish paella that we've heard so much about!

With 263 km left to go ... be back soon :-)