Walked today: 6.5 mi Camino2023: 213 mi
Today we walked the entire way on sidewalks! It was a pleasant walk, before the sun got too high in the sky and even then, we were able to find shade if we picked the sidewalk on the correct side of the street.
Ponferrada started off as a Celtic settlement, followed by a Roman mining town. The city was destroyed first by the Visigoths and then Muslim invaders. After the Reconquista, Bishop Osmundo of Astorga commissioned a pilgrim bridge here, which was unusually constructed with steel beams, giving the city its modern name. Ponferrada was a booming pilgrimage town, with diverse merchants including Franks and Jews, who were protected during a 15th-century restriction that called for segregating communities. The railroad came to the city in 1882 and in the 1940s the town grew with the coal industry.
The Templar Castile was built in the 13th century over a destroyed Visigoth fort, which was built over a Roman fort, which was built over a pre-Roman castro. Soon after its completion, the Templars were banished.
Our room (48€) was ready when we arrived at this small hotel at 10:42. Our transported backpacks arrived a hour later. We had our main meal in the hotel “comidor” (dining room). With the exception of Jim doing some shopping for snacks and bottled water in the supermarket across the street. we spent the rest of the day doing our usual routine.
Jimandi 