Riego de Ambrose to Cacabelos 27.1 K Day 22

Started out this morning under the stars once again. I loved the sensual, aromatic adventure of today; the smells were absolutely exquisite. Apparently it was rock rose, but burying our noses in every available plant could not produce the source of this evasive plant that gave off this elusive fragrance. When it wasn´t the rock rose, it was the smell of dill. I would grab a handful of the seeds, rub them into my hands and breathe in the delicious flavour. In the absence of these two smells, there was the rich, deep, pungent smell of the damp earth.

It was a little scary descending the steep, rocky path by headlamp, but when day broke, the views along the medieval road through the mountains were stunning. We were the only peregrinas on the trail which made this journey very special. I kept telling Elizabeth that we needed a poet, because my words could never capture this beauty.

Living in the moment, we grabbed the opportunity to explore what seemed like a winery. We watched the farmers bringing in their little trailers filled with grapes and wandered around taking photos trying to capture the moment. One farmer was very kind and gave us all a sampling of his harvest and these were the sweetest grapes we had ever tasted.

When we arrived in Ponferrado, we saw and toured the most stunning castle, The Knights Templar Castle build in 1185. After, we relaxed in the plaza with our cervecas when this interesting scene started to unfold before our eyes. A woman beside us was attempting to back her car out of its parking space, but the oncoming traffic, her close proximity to the car beside her (with distressed woman in passenger seat), and total ineptness to know which to turn her wheels, was more than we could bear. Welcome three type A personalities to the rescue. Elizabeth jumped up and played traffic officer in the street, holding off impatient Spanish drivers while Kathy planted herself in front of the vehicle and wouldn´t let the lady chicken out, and Monica stood between the two parked cars to assure the driver that she did have room to manouver. Much to the surprise of the driver, she actually made her exit.

We finally pulled ourselves away from this lovely plaza and began our journey to a convenient albergue. Unfortunately, village after village refused to produce one. We wondered if the day would ever come to an end.

Luckily, the scenery for this last stretch was once again breathtaking with the red and greens of the grapevines, the brownish-reds of the soil, and the late afternoon sun casting a heavenly glow over the whole countryside. I was basking in this glory when Jose came up behind me and we started to chat. The stresses of running an architectural office had lead to some personal challenges in his life which had in turn had lead to depression. His psychologist had perscribed medication, but he had refused it saying he just needed to walk the Camino. Our time together was magical as we shared stories, laughed, and celebrated life and friendship. While ending our walk through this mystical forest, where the sunlight danced through the trees, I felt like I was walking through a portal into a new world and I was once again reminded of the healing powers of the Camino....pyschologial and physical.