Ponferrada

We made it to Ponferrada, a Templar city where the Templars built a huge castle and basilica. (The photo is of a small portion of the Templar Castillo.) And I'm here to tell you, the Templars live! Yesterday we stopped at a little place called Monjadin where there was an inviting shop with food and trinkets to buy. As I was looking at postcards, a bell was rung, the sound of Ave Maria started resounding from a CD and a "templar" came from a back room, stood in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary, his sword at rest, and began to say the "Our Father" and a peregrino benediction in Spanish. I would have loved to take a picture, but none were allowed. Comforting to know the Templars are still at work protecting us peregrinos.
Tonight we are at a wonderful new albergue. We are separated into a men's and women's area with separate bathrooms. What will they think of next?! There is a great big kitchen, and we decided we were tired of peregrino menus and wanted a homecooked meal. So Truus and I went to a supermercado and bought salad stuff and spaghetti and sauce and some very cheap vino tinto. All for 7 euros. A peregrino menu usually costs about 10 euros each. In the kitchen were many people doing the same, cooking simple meals from their home countries. Inevitably, there was much food left over, and it began to be passed around. A delightful French lady brought out several bags of sausage, cheese, yogurt, bread, and a good bottle of wine. She said she had traveled 2000 kilometers eating Spanish food and bread, bread, bread, and when she went into the supermercado, she could not restrain herself! It was like the loaves and fishes. Such an abundance!
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