Days 37-38 -- 30.5 km -- Tougher going
Trip Start
Aug 20, 2011
1
26
37
Trip End
Nov 30, 2011
La Faba, Castille and León, Spain
Monday, October 24, 2011
The chestnuts here differ from the pods that are familiar in North America or indeed elsewhere in Spain, in which the nuts are single or paired. These pods are bristly rather than spiky (though still sharp) and often contain three or more nuts. I found one with seven, although only three of them were well developed.
The weather had been good when we started to climb, but began to threaten rain before we got to the top, and so we pushed harder than we wanted to, becoming very tired on the steep hill down to Trabadelo. We had a wonderful meal at a cafe-bar at the east end of town, run by a Dutch woman. They also have rooms, but we stayed at the municipal albergue, where there was a roaring fire in the fireplace. There were less than a dozen people there.
The rain began at night, and today was our first day in the rain, mostly drizzle but a bit heavier at intervals. It's a nice walk in the valley, rising slowly and then more steeply after Vega de Valcarce. Much of the way was along a secondary paved road with little or no shoulder. Eventually you leave this road to turn onto a lane, virtually paved at this season with chestnuts and their pods, full and empty.
Our goal was La Faba, a small village half-way up the long ascent to O Cebreiro. After we had checked into the Hostal Vegetariano, we became aware that the hot water was unreliable, and the municipal hostel would have been a better bet. The Vegetariano is a unique and interesting place run by a German named Marcel who says he once lived for nine years in a tree-house in an abandoned village near Astorga. If you fancy a chat with Marcel, drop by for tea. The village also has a restaurant that was open at first light in the morning.
