Day 14 - 08.07.2020

We start early in the morning on the way, when it is still dark, so we can cover the 15 km to O Cebreiro.

It is said that it is the queen stage, it remains imprinted in your mind because it has the hardest climb of the French Way, on the territory of Spain. 12 kilometres of continuous ascent with a level difference of 660 meters altitude does not seem like much, but in the last part of 5.7 km from Herrerias to Laguna de Castilla is a level difference of 480 meters.

The climb from my point of view was torturous due to the fact that you have nowhere to buy water in the villages on the route, and the taps had warnings of non-potable water. Only in Laguna de Castilla we find a bar open and we manage to buy water. With small and very small steps we follow the difficult route, trying to encourage each other.

My hands hurt a lot, Vasi can barely breathe, but we don't give up. From birch to the next curve, from certain flowers to the next oak, somehow we manage to reach the plateau. The view heals and the beautiful mountain village is enchanting.

It's lunch time, we sit on the terrace of a restaurant, eat pinchos and then combined dishes and a mixture of embutidos, we enjoy our coffees and set off again. The municipal albergue in O Cebreiro is closed, so we made a reservation in Fonfria.

Because we were very tired, we went on the bike path, to make our descent easier.

At an intersection where we had to turn right, we didn't notice the marking because a motorcycle seating exactly on it, where two boys were working. Unbeknownst to us, we go on about 2 km until a lady in a taxi stops to tell us that we are going in the wrong direction and we have to turn around. Astonished, we believe we are in a nightmare, because we had come down, which meant we had to go back up. Slowly we reach the initial marking, where we notice with difficulty the almost erased arrow on the road.

Tired, with water running out, again, we climb drowisly el Alto de San Roque and el Alto do Poio. We arrive in Fonfria and to our surprise we are the only pilgrims in the huge albergue. For the first time at dinner we take the pilgrim's menu.

Day 13 - 07.07.2020

We start a fast and beautiful day, used to walk many kilometres in one day, today's stage is a blessing, until Villa Franca del Biezo we do not find many shady places, but we went early in the morning so we had no problem.

The next route to Trabadelo is a real pleasure because most of the route goes parallel to the river, which gives you a generous shade due to the vegetation, but also an invigorating feeling due to the water.

We arrive at Trabadelo quite quickly during the day, we try to find out about the difficulty of the next day's stage, because the climb on O Cebreiro makes us uncomfortable and nervous. The rest of the afternoon we enjoy the pool of the pension where we stayed, but also on the banks of the river Valcarce, thus reducing the foot edema that accompanied me for several days.

Day 12 - 06.07.2020

 From the discussions with the other pilgrims we are left with the impression that today's stage is just a descent, surprise! Right at the beginning, at the exit from the locality, until the iron cross there is an accentuated ascent and it reaches 1505 m, after which the descent to Ponferrada follows.

A feeling of success and joy envelops your heart when you reach the base of the cross. How many people have brought their suffering, joy, but also their whole life through the stones left at its foundation.

Although we were happy, a shadow passes over our souls. What do we leave there? The stones we had brought especially from Romania, the white quartz stones from the Țibleș Mountains, we had lost together with Vasi's credential in the storm on Alto del Perdon. A smile appeared on my lips, I had tied a tricolor to my little pink backpack. It wasn't big enough to wrap it around the wood of the cross, but it was big enough to tie it to the tape that was wrapped around the cross, probably not a big deal for many, but it was for us and for all Romanians, who couldn't reach Camino.

After a few moments of peace and tranquility, we set off again for Ponferrada.

Having problems finding accommodation again, none answered the phone, we have no choice but to go further to Camponaraya. Hostels are not open, so we take a room, we are the only pilgrims again.