Arriving in Ponferrada
Day 0 - Friday, April 10
As the saying goes, "No plan survives first contact with the enemy".
Despite my best efforts NOT to plan anything, I still had to plan the logistics of getting there and back. The original plan was: fly to Vancouver, then to Montreal, then to Madrid, then take a bus to Ponferrada. And to get back, I booked a train from Santiago to Madrid. Everything was booked and paid for, including the bus and train.
The Air Canada flight was scheduled to leave at 5:45am. At 4:00am, when I was waiting for my taxi, I got a text saying the flight from Montreal to Madrid had been cancelled due to "mechanical issues" and they had rebooked me on the flight the next day.
Nope, that doesn't work because then I won't be able to get back to Madrid in time to get my return flight. So I talked to the lady in the airport and she booked me on a flight with British Air to Heathrow and then on to Madrid. And I'd only be 12 hours late instead of 24.
In Vancouver, I tried again and they booked me on an Air France flight to Charles de Gaulle which would get me there only 8 hours later. And nothing better was possible. Ok, so be it.
I flew 9+ hours to Charles de Gaulle and when I got there I got online and tried to adjust my bus ticket. But the window to make changes had closed while I was still in the air. And my flight to Madrid was leaving very soon. OK, let's see what I can do when I get there.
I figured since I had missed the window to change my bus ticket, it was a write off. So I thought, why not try the train since it's faster and I might be able to get there before the Albergue closes for the night.
Albergue: This is the Spanish word that equates to Auberge in French and the closest English word is probably Inn. Originally it meant "refuge" where pilgrims could seek shelter for the night. These days they use the word albergue pretty loosely to just mean a place to stay. It can range from the 10€ per night municipal albergues (basically a hostel) up to a 5-star albergue (kind of like a boutique hotel)
The trains and buses all leave from Terminal 4 at the Madrid airport - a shuttle bus ride from the main terminals. The train service is called Renfe. I struggled with their ticket machine and then with the help of a helpful Spanish commuter, figured out I had the wrong machine since Ponferrada is not a local stop. I switched machines and discovered there were no more trains to Ponferrada that day.
So back to the bus idea. I went up to the Alsa bus office and told the nice lady that I had a booking but I had missed it because of the plane change. She very nicely booked me on the next bus (leaving in 15 minutes) and gave me full credit for the ticket I had already bought. I just had to make up the difference. Sure! No problem! How much? 0.98€ WooHoo!
However, the bus was scheduled to arrive in Ponferrada at 11:00pm. And the Albergue closes at 10:30pm.
OK, lets see. The bus is supposed to take 6 hours to get there. But according to Google maps it's only a 4 hour trip. Maybe I'll make it.
Nope! The bus isn't express. It made about 4-5 stops, including one where I had to switch buses.
We still made good time and got there by 10:30pm. To a town I don't know. In the dark. And the bus terminal was NOT near the albergue. It was a 25 minute walk according to Google. The city was dark and poorly lit, but definately not asleep at 10:30 at night. There were people sitting outside at cafes. Parents out walking with kids.
The city has a huge fort that used to belong to the Templar Knights. It's called Castillo de los Templarios. And they light it up at night!
If had had more time I would have taken a tour of it.
Instead I just took this picture of it as I hurried by.
I hustled and made it to the alberge in 15 minutes! The door was closed so I knocked and someone answered! "Necesito una cama para la noche". And he let me in.
Between my broken Spanish and his broken English, I got my Camino credentials and a bed for the night. It was past the "quiet" time but he said I could take a shower if I was quiet and quick. I was!
Credencial: This is the booklet (also called a Camino Passport by some). It's what you need in order to prove that you did the Camino. Each night, when you check into an Albergue, you give it to them and they stamp it with a "sello" - seal in Spanish. You can also get sellos at cafes and restaurants and other stores along the Camino as a way to keep momentos of your journey. And it will also entitle you to the reduced pilgrim rates in albergues and in some restaurants.
Compostela: This is the proof that you get at the end that shows that you completed the Camino. There are many ways to do the Camino - by foot, by bike, by horse or by wheelchair. If you do it by foot, you have to complete at least 100km to be able to claim that you "did" the Camino. Or 200km if you do it by bike. Not sure about the horse and wheelchair options. The proof that you need to show is your credencial that has been stamped at enough albergues to prove you did the required distance.
Camino: This is a Spanish word that means "path" or "way" and El Camino means "The Way". By the way (pun intended) try to see the movie "The Way" staring Martin Sheen. This was how I first heard about the Camino. People usually talk about El Camino as if it's just one route. It's not. There are about a dozen that are well marked. These include ones like El Camino Portugués, El Camino Invierno, El Camino Norte and the most popular, El Camino Francés. All of these end in Santiago de Compostela. In my case, I did the Camino Francés (The French Way) but I only did the last 200 km of it. The entire trip is 900km long and takes about 6 weeks to complete. So if someone tells you "Oh, I did the Camino!", make sure to ask them which one, and how far they walked.
Comments
Post a Comment