Day 25 - Friday, 16th May, 2014 - 17.0 km
[Church tower - Rabanal]
So today was an up over the mountains day. We had also given ourselves two lower mileage days to see if we could recover our fitness. This became pertinently necessary as Michael seemed to have yanked his Achilies tendon when descending from a bunk and needed to give it some urgent recuperation.
I was feeling on top of the world as I slept from before nine o'clock last night and Michael asked me whether I wanted 'Cafe con leche' in my lower bunk - how could I refuse such an offer, despite being totally against dormitory rules. Because we were in no hurry we let, the others in the dormitory scramble for the one loo and basins and then got up at our leisure.
[Foncebadon - Eila]
[Roof repairs - Foncebadon]
[Coffee and first aid stop - Foncebadon]
[Michael at Foncebadon]
We walked up to the mountain ridge through Foncebadon, which was probably the highest resting place on the Camino. It was a community that did not exist before the Camino became popular as it probably spends a greater part of the year snowed in. It is however only a short 2 km walk from the 'Cruz de Ferro', a place that I thought was quite new in Camino history (but is probably one of the oldest) in fact it was a non-Christian burial/memorial site until a hermit placed a cross on top of a pole and claimed it as a Christian site. It is where Pilgrims leave a stone or pebble, brought with them for the whole Camino, to remember a family member or friend. These stones are placed below the cross and pole and make an impressive mound of stones.
[Eila and Michael - Cruz de Ferro in the background]
[Eila - Cruz de Ferro]
[Cruz de Ferro]
[Cruz de Ferro]
[Cruz de Ferro]
Having walked past the Cruz de Ferro, we descended to our destination for the day - El Acebo.
Michael had tried to rest his tendon by sending his pack on to El Acebo by 'Jacotrans', an outfit that takes Morchilas (Spanish for Back Packs) along the Camino to a destination for 7 Euros. They run a very effective service allowing older and less able Pilgrims to walk the Camino and certainly help if you need a rest to allow limbs, ribs, etc to heal.
[Camino marker - Cruz de Ferro]
[South Korean couple showing how to avoid a sun tan]
We were always wondering why the South Koreans always completely covered themselves when walking the Camino. The girls always wear sunglasses, hoods or hats with a large brim and always wrapped up well, even on the hottest days. The mystery was revealed when I was last on Camino by Tommy, who was a South Korean living in America. He said " it is always considered not proper, how would you say, "slutty", if a Korean lady gets a sun tan". This is how we came to refer to people, who didn't mind getting a "Slutty" tan, which certainly included the British contingent....we certainly didn't mind getting a slutty tan.
Buen Camino.
[Eila on route to El Acebo]
[Michael walking on road to avoid tendon trouble - El Acebo]
[Approach to El Acebo]
[Michael and Eila showing how to make use of sun the British way]
