The rain today wasn’t predicted until 3 so we left in cool weather gear with the rain gear in the packs. The church in Acebo was walled off and the only small gate access totally overgrown with weeds. Obviously the people of this town were worshipping somewhere else.
During the search in the next town, Riego de Ambros, for the 10:30 coffee bar (closed on Sunday apparently) we found an unlocked and unattended access stairway to the bell tower of the local church. We got up there with the bells, but resisted the obvious impulse.
The walk was downhill all day, mainly on bedrock trails. The last bit into Ponferrada was typical city walking – 18 km total. That’s our limit.
Somewhere early in the day we saw a statue that looked like a rock with a rope around its neck. Vic ruminated on that all day and decided it portrayed the local food delicacy, Botillo del Bierzo. From then on nothing would suit her but to have it for lunch.
We eventually found a dining room offering it. I had the cheaper Menu del Dia of meatball stuffed mushroom caps and a pork fillet in a pepper sauce. It was great. Her delicacy was a fist sized hunk of meat in a sausage style casing. It came with the apparently traditional accompaniment of a chunk of chorizo, boiled potato, stewed cabbage and garbanzo beans. The meat turned out to be (after Googleing it) the rib ends and tail and like pieces of pig, in a casing, and cured like ham. A lot of bones and little meat. Should have Googled it first. I call it “Bag of Hambones”.
The big attraction of Ponferrada is the Templar castle. It was closed when we were here a decade ago. Castles have strange hours. I have never missed a chance to do a complete castle tour so we did this one too. It is a great castle in pretty good condition. Has some good exhibits as well as the basic castle fabric.
The rain never materialized and it was sunny most of the day. Back to shorts tomorrow if this holds.
You must be logged in to post a comment.