Day 14 - Camino day 3 : Ponferrado to Villafranca del Bierzo - 25th September

Sunrise over Ponferrado

This morning I woke early in the hotel and was able to do some communication with home. I had WhatsApp, emails, photos, blogger, and notes all going on at the same time - multi tasking  or what.

Went down for breakfast and met Andy again. We spent our second day walking together.
Sunrise over this town was really pretty.

Grape picking

We found an ATM after finding a little Sunday market setting up. A homeless man cleverly sleeping in the little enclosed room where the ATM was found. Not the last seen today either. We left this town and entered an area that featured many small vineyards and there were people picking grapes in many of them.

A church in one of the towns had a stork nest near the top

I met an actor and director from New York who had just finished performing a play in Edinburgh for a month at the fringe festival there. Before I had a chance to explore their stories further another companion of theirs, Louie from Vancouver, started chatting with me and we discovered we had much in common - teacher in the catholic system in Canada,  a principal for 4 years in fact - took a year's break, then returned to a DP position, before becoming an RE consultant fort the region. He continued on with Ben and his wife but I hope to catch up with them again tonight.

here's another one found on the same day

Lunch was delightful in Componaraya, a town of about 5000 people, then a 10 walk to this our destination for tonight. Got to know a French girl, Selin,along this stretch - she had chosen to live in Melbourne for the last 2 years living in an 2 bedroom apartment in Docklands with 5 other girls. We talked about travelling and making decisions spontaneously - a way of life for her. I felt for her though when her trip with a guy across from Brisbane to the west coast of Oz included a wet day at Uluru and an argument that lasted the last half of the journey. Cie Le ve.

Selin

Arrived in Villafranca del Bierzo at 4pm today which meant I could wash clothes (that probably won't dry again) and get a coffee down the plaza amidst the local Sunday night crowd. Coffee delicious and large mug for less than $2AU.

The beautiful plaza in Villafranca

There's a concert tonight at the Aubergue of young South Korean musicians -  that should be interesting. Then a meal provided by the Spanish crowd here - the guy who took my details had zero English but amazing how we were still able communicate.

South Korean singers and dancers - a real hoot!

Time to head back there now I think.