Day 30 - walking from Villafranca to Vega Valcarce ( 16km)

It rained all night and cleared up in the morning. As I was planning a shorter distance I decided to take the more more challenging path that went along the top of the mountains. It was a steep climb up, but from the top you had a great view. After a little while the path took me through some chestnut trees and the ground was littered with spiky chestnut shells that you could open up to find tasty chestnuts inside. In some of the towns you can find people roasting and selling them in the streets, but I have also been told that you can eat them raw from the forest. The trail I was on twisted and turned and then seemed to disappear beneath leaves and chestnuts. I followed what I thought was the path until I reached some bushes and it became clear that I was no longer on the camino. I saw a road below and a bit of a path through the bushes so I continued on. My guide book said the path snaked steeply downhill which is what I was doing, but on a very steep angle. I think it was a path made by animals or lost pilgrims zigzagging through the heather and what I wanted to call Sage. As I got closer to the road I discovered there was a bit of drop off between the bushes and the road. I lowered my back pack and then jumped/dropped down just as a car drove by. I had hoped they would stop to tell me where the camino was, but at the same time I think I looked quite strange coming out of the bushes. Shortly later I found the real camino and made my way down to the town at the foot of the mountain.

The rest of the walk was much less adventurous along the highway and I go to Vega de Valcarce early in the afternoon. I spent a bit of time with two guys from Madrid in the local bar that was decorated with hunting trophies and animal heads and then we went to the grocery store. There was limited heating in the albergue so it was best to spend time in other warm places. We bought some things to make pasta which included noodles, tomatoe paste, chorizo and bacon. I tried to suggest adding some vegetables like peppers or zuchini and I got horrified looks not only from the other pilgrims, but the shop keeper as well. I thought it was quite funny that the idea repulsed them. So while in Spain I will do as the Spanish.