Molinaseca to Cacabelos

We were sad to have to leave the little village of Molinaseca. We had no idea what it would be like when I picked it off the map as a place to stay because the daily walking distance worked out. Both Savanna and I felt the happy vibes the little place gave off and we both want to come back here sometime in the future. But the Camino was calling so off we went again. As we left town we passed this sculpture/fountain of an old pilgrim so I took this picture as we walked by. 

The trail took some turns and twists and we lost it a couple of times during the 7 kilometers to the city of Ponferrada. The trail went through several small villages and across a river. 

We could see the city in the distance so we kept heading for in that direction and before we knew it we were walking through the suburbs of it. The city is fairly new by European standards and was formed in 1908 with only 3,000 people living in it then. Now it has a population of 67,000 and pretty much looks like Odessa/Midland with the exception of a couple of old churches and the Knights Templar castle. I found these guys when we were passing thorough a small community. They didn't have much to say though so we moved on. 

The Knights Templar starting building the castle in 1218 and finished it in 1282. However, they only used the finished castle for just over twenty years.  

The Templar knights were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. They also managed a large economic system and developed an eary form of banking. 

King Philip IV of France was deeply in debt to the order of Knights Templar and decided he was not going to pay them back. He spread rumors that they did not believe in Christ, or the Virgin, and they worshipped demons. The church went along with it because they did not like the power that the military order had. 

In 1307, he had many of the order's members in France arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and burned at the stake Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312 under pressure from King Philip. That is the way it usually goes if you get too successful whether it is a company, an organization or an individual. There are always those that want to tear you down. 

Exploring the castle was pretty much the highlight of today.

After spending quite a bit of time there we had a quick lunch and looked at our maps. We still had a bit over 9 miles left to go to get to Cacabelos which where we would spend the night. The map showed that the trail was all city and suburbs walking so we decided to catch a taxi instead. The trail was alongside the highway and it would have been like walking out of Odessa with the temperature in the 90’s again so we were glad we made that choice.

We found this mural in an alley in the town of Cacabelos where we were spending the night. I don't exactly know what the artist was trying to convey but it was something about the cost of progress. It was so big and in a narrow alley I had to take multiple pictures to get it all.

Since we had a shorter than usual day, both Savanna and I took advantage of the air conditioned room and took a 3 hour nap before we went out looking for supper. It was a bit shorter than usual day for us but we needed a bit of a rest. Until tomorrow, Buen Camino