May 17th+18th-Foncebadon to Ponferrada

We were told that the Aubergue was locked until 6am so not to bother getting up early, I had no intentions as the Cruz De Ferro or Cross of Iron was only 2km away and i wanted to get it in good early morning light, The Italians had other ideas, Started to get up shortly after 5am, Talking loudly even though people were shussing them, Then the torches came on and so everybody had to be awake, I have had a cold for 4 days, One of those running nose jobs that wear you down, I was surprised that nobody has ever punched one of the early risers and have to say its gone through my mind a few times, Breakfast was not until 6.30 but once again the Italians were trying to start at 6am, It was actually a good breakfast of tea,coffee,orange juice, Cereal,fruit and yoghurt, I left and made my way to the cross, I had carried a stone with me from home, It was actually some iron pyrites that shone when the light caught it as i was walking a trail at home, I was unsure how i would feel, Would i just drop the stone or feel something different? The idea is that when you place the stone you release or leave all your burdens, I actually placed the stone and then picked it back up, It was strange, I sat down and contemplated about the journey and why i was doing it, I thought of my family and those that had suffered from Cancer, Kissed the stone and placed it back where it could or would not be trodden on, The place certainly has some significance and was the most important part of the Camino personally so far and probably will be at the end, The light was perfect, There was the moon, People were discreet, Some just sat watching and thinking some reading the notes that others had left, I had also carried a lock of hair from my friends daughter who had been treated for cancer before i left, I felt that this was a good place to leave here burden behind, I stayed there for a while before leaving, Now the descent, It was long and pretty dangerous even in the dry weather, My leg started to twinge and by the time there was a village i was starting to hobble, I stopped for coffee and cake and have a chat with some of the others about the cross etc, I left town and was less than half a mile before my lower leg seized, I could barley walk on it, It was agony, Bernie passed and asked if i was ok as did Dan from Denmark, I said that it was going to be a long day and that i would try and reach the next village although in my head i had doubts that would happen as it was 2.5 miles away, I hobbled on for what seemed forever, The Aubergue was closed and i made it to a bar, I asked for a coffee and a bag of ice, I sat and iced my leg, I was very concerned, The nearest farmacia was 5 miles away and no chance of a doctor, After 25 minutes i stood and gave the ice and cup back and my leg felt pretty good, I carried on walking, My first thoughts were a shin splint or stress fracture but after the ice it felt like somebody releasing the hand brake on a car, I hoped that the worse it could be was a torn muscle seizing on the shin, Not only did i make it down to the bottom to a beautiful town called Molinaseca but continued onto to Ponferrada, A large town with better medical facilities and if they ever open i will let you know how i get on, I only have about 130 miles to Santiago so may rest here for a day or 2 or just have a couple of short day walks depending on what the Pharmacist recommends,
Being a Sunday most things are shut, It seem that the best or most convenient times of the day are the worst or least convenient in Spain so they do not open, I ended up getting a taxi to the large shopping center and waited until 10 am for it to open, It seems that the doors open at 10 but nothing else even though it says that they do, A woman ended up banging on the Farmacia shutter as we could see them in there and they opened, I asked the woman if she spoke inglis and she said no and went and got another woman who also did not speak English, I told them that i walked the Camino De Santiago and they thought that i was asking directions, So i showed them my leg which is red and swollen, I got a raised eyebrow, So i thought OK lets get the cold out of the way, I made a sneezing sound and made drips from my nose, This totally confused them as they now thought that my nose and leg problems were somehow linked, I asked for some Ibuprofen and a compression sock along with a nose spray and left, The shopping center was still completely empty and there was no taxi's at the taxi area, I was a long way from the hotel but decided to start walking and maybe wave a taxi down, I ended up walking the 35 minutes back to the hotel, I stopped at a cafe around the corner and asked for a coffee and some ice for my leg, It seems that ice in Spanish sound like 'yellow' so at least i can now get ice, I have rested the leg most of the day and will try and walk again tomorrow even if its just 10 miles, Nice and slow and see how it goes, At least it fairly flat
Ponferrada is a very nice medieval town spoiled only by the blight of Spain and that's graffiti, This is a countrywide problem and something Spain needs to really sort out

Leaving Foncebadon as the sun rises

 Early morning at the Cruz De Ferro with the moon behind the cross

 My friends Daughters hair that i carried

 Her burden is now left behind

 Yours Truly-Image taken by fellow Brit Ray

 My stone

 Carefully placed where it cannot be trodden on

Dan from Denmark

 I am also walking the Camino with this which is very important to my friends Jean and Wendell

 And my wife's Rosary which are very old

 A town with a population of 1

The long,long dangerous trail down, All rocks and shale

 Stonechat on a Camino sign, Very common bird here

 Beautiful Molinaseca

 Not all Graffiti is bad, This design in Ponferrada

 Lots of street sculptures in Ponferrada

Fuel

 Ankle in Ice

 War wound, After 350 miles why?

 The shitty side, Its pretty much everywhere

Dave