Villafranca del Bierzo

This is a very cool (though hot) little town (3000 people) in the foothills of the Ancares mountains, between Leon and Galicia provinces. It´s small enough to walk around in half an hour, and big enough to have hotels, banks, bars, pharmacies, internet, and two good albergues up on the hill when you first come into town: the municipal one, and a private one called Fenix, in a very old building and very idiosyncratic and charming. I forgot to mention that on this stretch of the trail (and in Galicia, I think), albergues are mostly free, with donations encouraged but not insisted on.

This has got to be the most beautiful internet experience I´ve had--upstairs from a bar, in front of an open leaded glass window that looks out on a park with shade trees and rose bushes, I type away (and download photos--previous entries now have some photos), while sipping a clara (beer with lemonade). Out in the park, pilgrims sit in the shade and massage their feet.

Maybe because I didn´t walk today, I had the energy to hobble around looking at churches. The 13th century Iglesia de San Francisco was founded by St. Francis when he was on his way to Santiago as a pilgrim. The church has an amazing mudejar ceiling with star-shaped arabic designs. Also there´s the 12th century church of Santiago, with its Puerta de Perdon, or Door of Pardon, where pilgrims too ill to continue on to Santiago would be blessed and released from their duty to go further. I asked the door for pardon but it didn´t answer. There´s also the Castle of the Marquis de Villafranca, the only inhabited castle in the Beirzo region. You can´t look inside because its someone´s house.

Mañana, a Galicia!