Yesterday evening we had a great dining experience in Ponferrada. Mary dipped into Trip Advisor and found their No 1 restaurant to be Mencia in that town. We found Mencia in a fairly ordinary part of the town. The menu, given to us verbally, was the €10 pilgrim's menu. The first course was a large plate of air dried beef with cheese, and with olive oil drizzled over it. It was wonderful but there was too much for us. Next was a big bowl of ratatouille accompanied by a big basket of fresh rustic bread - lovely, but we had to leave half of it. Then came a pasta bolognese, the meat flavoured with nutmeg - again we were found wanting. We were not alone - the Frenchman near us had raised the white flag and the Canadian lady across from him was organizing doggy bags for her group. Our pitcher of wine was now replaced. A salad was then produced, which we could only play with. The waiter then said he was bringing the pork dish and we conceded defeat. We played with dessert. Then liqueurs were put in front of us. Our words don't do the meal justice, and so inexpensive.
Pomegranates on a tree by the trail today.
Today was very straightforward. The way was relatively flat and the distance was manageable. The route took us past many vineyards and we are finally seeing the cherry trees promised in our guide. No new blisters but some blister maintence took place once we arrived in Villafranca. Our six other roommates tonight are Spanish - quite a friendly group.
You may remember that we went an extra 6 or 7km beyond the suggested destination a couple of days ago. We effectively banked those kilometers by going the same extra distance each day since. This has positioned us well for the big O Cebriero climb tomorrow. The route we have chosen is the easiest - there are three, one of the other two being the choice of masochists. Our route is essentially flat for the first 22km, then for the final 8km it rises 600m from 700 to 1300m. We are going to walk and climb for 25km to La Faba, so leaving the remaining 5km of the climb until the following day when we are fresher. Well, that's the theory anyway.
In the locality of the Mencia restaurant, above, we found all the local people were out - people on benches, at outdoor bar tables, and children playing games (hop scotch type stuff, not computer games). In the plazas of each town we are in, every evening, it is the same. Nobody seems to be watching TV, they are all out playing/socializing. Clearly, the climate encourages this, but it is admirable all the same. Anybody at a bar seems to drink in great moderation and nobody seems to get drunk.
Roll on O Cebriero!!!!
A farmer and his helpers bring in the potato crop
A narrow street in Villafranca
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