Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro

I haven´t had an internet available for a couple of days. I made the walk from Ponferrada in good shape--still thinking about that Templar castle, of course. But these towns have a way of demanding your attention. Friday and Saturday in Villafranca del Bierzo were fiesta days; their patron saint is Christ del Espiranza. They depend on Christ at the moment that his spirit left his body on the Cross. Literally at that moment, Catholics believe that Hope came into the world--thus, the Villafrancans call upon Christ of the Hope. They had a parade in front of the 16th-century chruch in which church elders carried a large image of Christ on the Cross--a depiction of that moment of perfect hope. Later, there were fireworks, a fair for kids (including bumper cars, but the guy who ran the ride said that I was too big!?), and another parade led by drummers and celtic bagpipe players. Yes, bagpipes--I´m in a part of Spain once inhabits by those same Celts from the British Islands. A group of people wearing tall costumes of Don Quixote, Sancho Panza, a Templar knight, a Moor, and others followed the band. I did tour the town; it had a very nicely decorated 13th-century church and a 17th-century, Jesuit seminary complete with a statue of its founder, Ignatius Loyola. The real gem was a small 12th century church dedicated to St. James. In the 15th century , the pope proclaimed that any pilgrim too sick or infirm to make the entire trip to the city of Santiago could receive the same plenary indulgence by standing in the doorway of the Chruch of Santiago in Villafranca. I, of course, did this, so don´t worry about me, folks, I´m covered.

On Sunday, I made the 30km hike up to O Cebreio. The climb up the mountain, the steepest on the pilgrimage, was difficult, but the glistening sunlight and fresh, cool breeze were only eclipsed by the stunning scenery. These are the mountains of Galacia, and they are granite hard, but covered with lawn-green fields broken only by stands of pine and oak trees. At the top of the mountain, you are afforded a spectacular view across mountain and valley. Additionally, there is a village, Cebreio, that hasn´t changed in 800 years. There is an 11th-century church surrounded by round, stone houses with thatched roofs. The church holds two great treasures: a 12th-century image of Mary and the Christ Child, and a communion cup and planten which are associated with a miracle. According to legend validated by the Vatican in the 15th century, a priest and pilgrim saw the wine in the cup literally turn to blood. The original cup is one of Galacia´s most treasured artifacts (its image is on the Galacian crest and flag).

Today, I´ve had a slogging-wet walk to Triacastela. Everyone on the trail is beginning to build a slow sense of excitement--only a week to Santiago!

p.s. No, Frank, I did not find the Holy Grail in the Templar tunnel; I did, however, find the Maltese Falcon behind a false wall.