Day 1 of the Camino Invierno (Day 40 overall)
At last I’m on the Camino Invierno! I have to say after walking only for an hour or so, I think I’m actually going to really love it. Whilst it has been fantastic walking the Via de La Plata and the last three days on the Camino Frances, I get a sense that the Invierno is the Camino that I’m here to walk. I’m not sure why. I get a very strong sense in these early kilometres, but this Camino is really going to test me and challenge me. And I don’t mean that in any threatening or ominous way, I mean it in a very positive way. I’m starting to get a sense that the terrain is going to be tough.
I’m walking into Galicia, so the weather’s going to be changing. I’m going to be in the mountains, it’s going to be cooler and it’s going to be wet. I could be a lot more isolated than I have been over the last few weeks, but I’m looking forward to it so much. I finally getting a sense that this is what I’ve been seeking on this Camino, but time will tell. I’ve been walking for 40 days already, from Sevilla on the VdlP. Will my body hold up? Will I hold up emotionally? Those are all of the things that intrigue us when walk the Camino. I get such a sense that this is going to be the Camino I’m here to walk.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved my time on the VDLP – the landscapes, the people, it was sensational and almost everything that I hoped for. Being back on the Camino Frances for three days, it was amazing. I didn’t know that I would enjoy it so much. The number of pilgrims, the sense of energy and enthusiasm, I really felt it lifted my spirits. It’s not that I needed them lifting, but it was a real boost and I found myself with a lot more energy. But this one, this is going to be different. I think in a lot of ways, so let’s see how it turns out.
No one else arrived. I had the whole place to myself….
Thank you Rob for bringing back this wonderful stage and albergue. I did it in 2018 when the albergue had only been open for a couple of months. I almost gave up finding the key, no code back then, and headed down, about to walk on, then ran into a local living person who eventually found the key for me. I had very little food, but like you, loved it,had it to myself. Loved this first day.
It was a Sunday so the castle was open. The views from it , back to Ponferrada and the rain showers I’d dodged, will stay in my memory for a very long time. A special place…
I am planning to do the Invierno again this Sept., 2023, this time with 3 other Aussies. Your notes re accommodation is very helpful. Thanks again.
I think if I stayed there again, I might carry up some more interesting food though!