6. Labruga to Paço. 20 kms

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Ponte Romano-Medieval de Rubiães

I won’t say too much about my stay at Albergue O Conforto, other than to mention I ate the worst meal of any Camino: pasta, the orange spirally kind, overlain by hard boiled eggs and canned tuna, followed by a sticky, sweet, unrecognizable mass of goo. I was going to contact the Casa de Fernanda and ask them to warn pilgrims about staying here, but I saw a note in the kitchen, “Thanks Cecilia for a nice diner (sic)”, so perhaps it was just an off day.

I had heard stories earlier on the Camino about these two albergues in this village run by two sisters who weren’t speaking to each other. I had stayed at one of the albergues. Later in the day, I met a couple who had stayed at the other. They weren’t too impressed either: their evening meal had been omelette and chips. Perhaps the two sisters were trying to outdo each other in inhospitality!

I’m attending mass this morning. Not willingly. I had no choice. It was being broadcast from a church across the valley, at least a kilometre away. At first I thought it was one of those vans with a loudspeaker on top which go round making announcements or advertising products. But no, there was a priest and a chorus of responses and even a hymn. Well, it was Sunday, and I suppose it saved some of the congregation from getting out of bed, but what about the protestants and agnostics and atheists, not to mention the people of other faiths. Too bad for them!

I climbed and climbed, and just when I was walking along a fairly level stretch of road and thinking that this wasn’t too bad, I came upon an arrow which indicated not only a new direction, but the angle of ascent.

Up, up, and up this stony trail, scrambling over some rocks, onwards and upwards. This was practically a technical climb. Where were the ropes?

Then I came to a rugged cross, the Cruz dos Franceses ou Cruz doz Mortos, commemorating an ambush of Napoleon’s troops during his invasion of the Iberian peninsular in 1809. Pilgrims had laid their stones and cards and tokens of remembrance around the cross in a smaller version of the Cruz de Ferro on the Camino Francés. 

  

Up a little further, another cross, and a dirt road, and finally, an easy descent down to Rubiāes. This may not have been the longest climb on the Camino, but it certainly was one of the steepest.

After Rubaiās, i walked many a mille passuum on the Via Romana XIX, an important road which linked Astorga and Braga.

I paused at the Ponte Romano-Medieval de Rubiães. Elsewhere in the world, buildings are collapsing but these bridges remain, simple in design and solid in construction. I suspect the large uneven flag stones were a mediaeval addition to the Roman structure. What a privilege to walk across! 

I chatted at the bridge with Keith from Toronto whose legs are suffering. He had to take a taxi over the mountain and was now limping slowly towards Santiago.

I had planned to walk on to the border, but to avoid imminent rain, I stopped instead at Albergue Quinta Estrada Romana at Paços. Nine kms to the border!