Day 24 - Foncebadon to Molinaseca

Today I was an early riser.
I wanted to watch the sunrise on the mountain.
So I left at 6:45am.
To a mountain that wasn't on the way, but from which I was sure I would have a good view.
It was freezing cold. -1 degrees.
After sunrise I went back to the village and had breakfast there.
Why did I take my backpack with me? 🤦🏽
Well, I left at 8am and only had a relatively short climb of 45 minutes ahead of me.
Then I reached the Cruz de Ferro.
The Iron Cross. The highest point on the Camino.

Here I placed my stone, which I brought with me from Germany.
It was the most sentimental place and the most sentimental spot on the Camino so far.
Many people were heard crying.
It was a spooky atmosphere.
It was a difficult walk for me too and so I was very happy when Giuliano suddenly stood in front of me and we hugged each other tightly.
I stayed there for a while and then continued walking.
An hour later I met Giuliano again at a food truck, who had been waiting for me there. We walked together for a while before I sat down on a rock by myself again and enjoyed the beautiful view.

It is frightening how many crosses up there in the area commemorate pilgrims who lost their lives somewhere there.

The route is beautiful today.
Diverse and very demanding.
It's almost entirely downhill and often very steep. It's also become incredibly warm.
A Frenchman slips just a few meters in front of me, falls and does several somersaults. Two other pilgrims and I immediately help him and we treat his wounds on his arms and legs. But it is only 200m to the next town, which he can cover on his own. Luckily he did not hit his head on a stone or rock.

I take a break in El Acebo.
As I said, the path today is very strenuous and demanding, both physically and mentally.

A little later I get talking to Julie from Denmark. It's the first time in a while that I've been able to connect with someone. The main thing we talk about is that it was very easy to start a conversation with people in the first few days, but now many are tired, have only just started or are staying in small groups.
It was a welcome change for me today and the conversations were very interesting.

Arriving in Molinaseca I decided to stay here today.
My legs are sore, my feet hurt and I wasn't in the best mood today either.
I took a look at the little village and then spent time by the river and cooled my feet.

I also did some laundry and used my clothesline for the first time because I didn't feel like waiting for the dryer to become free.

Tomorrow I will only walk 8km to Ponferrada and then look at the town and the castle.

Cost of the day:

Accommodation: 14€
Breakfast: 4€
Food on the Camino 10€
Dinner: 16,50€