Villafranca del Bierzo - 42.5 km

There is a good reason for the marathon distance today. Tomorrow will be the last very big climb on the Camino, up a mountain called O Cebreiro. The weather prediction was for rain on Saturday, so a decision was made  to walk to the base of the mountain today hoping for good weather tomorrow during the climb.
The Camino is changing as we get closer to Santiago. Buildings and homes are more modern and certainly the towns and villages are more populated. More people have joined the route as new pilgrims start in Burgos and Leon. There are many new faces every day. I'm staying in a place called Ave Fenix, it is funky and friendly. (It was also among the very last rooms in town as we arrived late). A pleasant walk around the town looking for the food market lead me to beautiful garden among streets that seem to go off in all directions. I did find my way back to the alburgue but it was a bit of a fluke. We ate a communal dinner with delicious chickpea soup, salad and fried egg with melon for dessert. As I was sitting on my bed packing for the morning a cat brushed up against my leg, somewhat of a surprise. The man above me is snoring softly and people mill about as the curfew approaches. I'm hoping for a reasonable night sleep before an early morning start. My quads are a little sore from the steep downhills over the past two days ( and perhaps from the steep climb and high mileage :-). Thanks for following me on my journey.