Another one of those mornings where I know I have to say goodbye again. I will have to take a zero day here in Ponferrada too, but I will not be alone all day. My father, Jan, will arrive in the afternoon, marking a kind of fourth stage of my Camino.
Plaza Mayor, with some sort of demonstration going on.
Note to myself, if someone is going to walk together with me, but join me at a later place, I would in the future do this in another way. It is probably a better idea to just walk as I would like to, and then notify the other part of my whereabouts when he or she has arrived in the country. From then find out how and where to meet.
Market stalls below the castle.
As I had spent the evening at an albergue, I have to leave it at the same time as the other pilgrims. Thankfully, they had told me that I could possibly stay for a consecutive night, despite it is not normally allowed.
Interior view of the Castillo de los Templarios.
At the Plaza Ayuntamiento there appear to be some sort of demonstration, as there are some tents and canvases there with banners and posters with slogans on them. I am unsure, though, what they are demonstrating against.
There is a row of market stalls next to the river Sil on the banks opposite the castle walls. Plaza de La Virgen de la Encina and the Torre del Reloj are other places worth a visit, but they are also hard to miss.
Castillo de los Templarios.
One can take a walk beneath the very same walls, but there is no avoiding that it is the castle itself that one should visit when in Ponferrada. Castillo de los Templarios stands as a poignant monument to the Knight Templars, who was positioned here to protect the pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
The castle itself covers about 16 000 square meters and hosted the Grand Master of the Knight Templars before the order was disbanded. It is well preserved and also provides nice views of Ponferrada and its surroundings.
Ponferrada, Plaza Virgen de la Encina.
In the afternoon, I meet my father, and we are thankfully admitted to spend the night at the albergue. We share the room with a grumpy man that grudgingly admits that he is only walking the Camino due to the wish of his wife.
Evening sun in Ponferrada.
We eat dinner at a restaurant in the old town, and I am already in the process of teaching him about the life on the Camino. I am looking forward to showing him the way.
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