Up the hill hochs

We start at around 7:30 am. In the first village, we have our obligatory coffee with an older, sympathetic Australian. Uphill, we are like two lightning bolts and pass everyone. There is a lot to admire along the way, not just the view. Many little towers made of stones, painted stones with various sayings, and a prayer place. I think of my late grandma and send her many great moments in my thoughts. She would have surely been happy to receive a postcard from us and would have said how crazy we are to walk so far.

At the summit, we enjoy the view. We are at 1500 meters above sea level. Downhill, we are the slowest. I have knee pain and Kay's ankle is swollen, so we check into a hotel-like hostel in El Alcebo at 1200 meters above sea level, complete with a pool. Tonight, we treat ourselves to a three-course menu for 10 euros for dinner... I can't think of anything else, especially after yesterday's dinner disaster.

For the starter, we have the worst spaghetti carbonara I have ever eaten, but we were so hungry that they were fantastic! For the main course, we have meat and fries, and for dessert, we get whipped cream with strawberries... I deliberately write it like this because there was a lot, a lot of cream. We also get a liter of red wine and a liter of water. Sitting next to us is a lively Texan woman, who immediately allies with me against Kay, and everyone laughs at the story of our first date. However, the best quality of the Texan woman is that she doesn't let Kay get a word in.

In front of the hostel with a view of the mountains, the starry sky, and the many lights of our next destination, Ponferrada, we end the evening with lots of laughter and the reminder that we should be quiet.