14th stage to Ponferrada

I slept surprisingly well and through the night. It was also warm enough and either there wasn't any snoring or I didn't hear it. Anyway, I woke up at 5 a.m. but stayed in bed until 5:45 and then packed up my things in the dark. Unfortunately there was no lounge (theoretically the kitchen, but it was locked). But I pre-packed as best I could in the evening and then left around 6 a.m. The first path was relaxed through the forest, I thought, but it went uphill well and unfortunately the paths were mostly very rocky and muddy. Many paths were so extreme that you had to stagger at least 10 meters through puddles and mud. This dampened my mood a bit because I was worried that my shoes and socks would get wet. But the view and the peace were great. I overtook a person in the next town who was staying the night in the same hostel. Then I saw the Cruz de Ferro. After that I moved on and the puddles got out of hand, so I kept taking the expressway a little bit whenever I could, which wasn't a problem because it felt like a car was driving past every hour. But in a forest I had to go through so many puddles and mud that a short time later I sat down on the ground and took a break. I examined my socks and feet. And the socks were a little damp at the front. So I decided to change my socks in the hope that there wouldn't be any more muddy sections, but more on that later. Anyway, I ate half my baguette and cookies and then walked on with dry feet and satiated. And apart from the socks, today went really well. In the next town, El Acebo, I thought we might be able to have a coffee, but everything there was closed again. So I continued on and it led again next to a country road into the countryside and again on narrow and unsecured paths. And there were also muddy sections, but they were limited. But the path was partly very rocky and you had to be very careful not to slip, both on the way up and down. The path continued and the sun also came out, but much to my dismay the water sections increased. And sometimes you could walk along the edge, but often you had to go straight through it because the entire path was under water and there was no other way. I thought about going back again, but that doesn't get me anywhere. So I stopped complaining and made the best of it. And after a good 5km I reached the town of Molinaseca. The place was very picturesque with a stone bridge and many old buildings. And there was actually a bar there and I enjoyed my coffee on the terrace with a little sun. Luckily I only had about 7km to go. And although it was described as strenuous in the book, I found the journey rather pleasant. Mostly on the road and right next to it on pebble paths, but not so much incline and not much mud and water. I finally made it to Ponferrada and passed through the city center on the way to the accommodation. I have already seen the Templar Castle, which consists of a gigantic castle. I found my accommodation, El Albergue Templarin. I have a 10 bed room but everything looks clean and inviting. Nobody was there. I received the code for the door by email, so I have the whole hostel to myself. After showering, I rested a bit and survived what I wanted to see here. But I'll probably just walk around town, get a coffee and then go out for something to eat later. I'll talk to you later.