Mio el Camino de Santiago de Compostela -15

Day 15 Astorga --> Villafranca

From Astorga, I chose to take the route close to the classic path- LE142 up to Ponferrada. I could say it's a mountainous route.

The day started out sunny but as the road ascended, the sky turned cloudy and there was snow on top of the mountain. Of course, it's cold. After consecutive days of mostly flat roads with warm weather, now I got the chance to use the snowboarding gloves I bought in Burgos. I never imagined how comforting it was to put on gloves that could keep your hands warm.

I stopped by the famed Cruz de Ferro on top of the mountain. The area surrounding this high post topped with a crucifix was covered with snow. I saw no pilgrims in the nearby rest area. Well, with the snow and cold weather, who would be sitting up here?

As I went downhill, the weather also improved. By the time I was in Ponferrada, it has turned into a sunny day. I went to the information center for a stamp. I asked what time it was because I was confused. Apparently, sometime during the weekend while I was in Leon, the daylight savings time went into effect and the time now is 1 hour advanced. So the truth was, there is no time zone change as I first thought.

Ponferrada was a rather big city. I was just passing by to get into my final destination for the day but getting out of it was difficult. The road names or route numbers tend to change or simply disappear. I found myself suddenly unsure of where I was until I saw the Camino road shell signs reassuring me that I was heading to the right direction. Well, the good thing with being on a bicycle is that it is easier to go back and retrace the path. Although I seldom did that. In fact, I only did that once in Logroño. That was because it was obvious I was on the wrong direction.

When I finally reached Villafranca a few hours later, I was given a room numbered 104 again for the third time in this journey. Hmmm...

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