Stage 23 – the day I got a Michelin star.

Start: 7:30, 15 ºC, sunny

End: 12:00

Distance: 16/554.9 Km

Stayed at: Albergue Guiana

OST: Discomusic, EeLST

I had to rearrange some stages wherever the “official” stage end did not have rooms available.

With Tomas’ albergue closed, I slept a bit further, in El Acebo… and today’s stage got pretty short, 16 Km only. A legitimate rest day.

I needed that.

It took a long time to exit Pamplona and Leon… well, it took forever to exit El Acebo. Not only because of how tired I was, but because the views were some of the best of the entire camino.

I cannot describe in words how I felt back then.

Anyway – the towns between El Acebo and Ponferrada offered some pretty views. Still… 3 hours of sidewalks, for the most part.

Ponferrada itself is a proper city, built around a Templar castle.

The albergue is more like a military dormitory – modern, efficient, clean, completely devoid of any character.

After much delay, I finally visited the Correios to ship 400g of Kindle and other items back home.

400g might not be a lot, but I did feel the difference!

As a “hailstorm survivor”, I rewarded myself with lunch at a michelin starred restaurant.

Well… I was still dressed like a peregrino, shorts, sandals etc. Bizarre, all things considered. I guess money is money.

Their portions were comedic, of course, so I had dinner on a bench, a much superior experience.

Next stage: Stage 24: Ponferrada – Villafranca del Bierzo