Camino de Santiago Day 24
Day 24: I woke up at 7:30 AM and left the Marriott at 8:30 AM. The entire first half of the day consisted of walking along roads out through the Ponferrada suburbs. I passed through multiple small towns. My first stop wasn’t until around 11:30 AM at Vinas del Bierzo, a wine maker and distributer. I tasted one of their wines and had some potato chips there. I was officially in wine country again because I spent most of the second half of the day hiking through hilly vineyards. I stopped again for lunch in the town of Cacabelos at St James Way hostel. It was a tasty lunch (fried eggs over chorizo and French fries) before continuing on the last 5 miles to Villafranca del Bierzo. Coming into Villafranca del Bierzo through the vineyards, I was expecting a smaller town (I had never looked it up). It was not small. It was fairly large and had a castle palace, a large monastery, multiple churches, and multiple plazas. I found out that it was the Headquarters for the Spanish Army of the Left during the Napoleonic Wars. Set in a valley with hills all around, it was a very picturesque place and I was amazed yet again. After checking in at a 17th century monastery converted to hotel/albergue, I laid down for a bit as I had a splitting headache for the first time on the trip. I drank some water, had an electrolyte drink, took some medication, and rested a bit. This was also the first time it rained since I arrived in Spain so it was perfect timing. After the rain stopped, I felt a little better and went out to explore the city. I visited everything mentioned above and ate dinner in the main plaza. They had Mexican style chicken fajitas which really hit the spot! After dinner I went back to my room and went to sleep early.
Distance hiked: 15 miles
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