Foncebadon – Serene in the Mountains!

Camino First!  In Astorga the camino markers are illuminated.
They really want to get rid of us before the sun even rises!

After a good night’s rest I left Astorga at dawn:  6:45AM.   I was expecting a 6-hour walk and climb of about 6 hours.  I had my rain gear on but it never really got raining.   Thank goodness.  My friends the mountains, though, were sure not to disappoint.  There was the first climb of 300 feet to Santa Catalina.   That was followed by a 400-foot climb to Rabanal del Camino, which was fine too.  The third climb of 500 feet to Foncebadon, however, did me in.  It was rocky terrain and after walking so long I was very tired.  But here I am in the mountains at about 5,000 feet.

It’s not a lovely sky.  There are many clouds but the landscape is still strikingly beautiful.

Kindness in El Ganso:  someone made souvenirs for us to take.

Foncebadón is a dead town coming to life again because of the Camino.  It doesn’t have many residents.  The restoration of old buildings is for pilgrims.  There are now four albergues in town.   And of course pilgrims are hungry.  At least this one always is.  So now bars and restaurants are following.  Once that gets established then other Spanish will come to see the mountains and have a meal.  Foncebadon is only walled by God’s beauty, not medieval stone and mortar.  There are neither cathedrals nor bishop’s palaces.   In fact its founding resident was a hermit Gaucelmo who climbed the mountain to escape the world.  He founded a pilgrims’ hostel for those who got stuck crossing the mountain.

The forest road from Rabinal to Foncebadon.

I mentioned it before; the Camino is directly related to the existence of many towns on the route.  Pilgrims as in ancient days bring money with them.   They have to eat and sleep.  And when they stopped walking they like to gather and usually have a drink or two.  But pilgrims also bring improvements.  The improvements come in infrastructure.  They come in monies allotted by government or the European Union.  Pilgrims also bring “a buzz!”  It doesn’t hurt to have your establishment filled.  When others see that they might want to be at the place that has everyone.   But the “buzz” also returns home with them: particularly with Europeans.  They might be inclined to return as tourists to this village or that.  They also tell their friends and family of what they saw along the way.

The mountains as seen from Foncebadon. 

It’s strange that God’s handiwork sanctified these mountains millennia ago.  Now is the time for the Camino renewal to make sure others, even non pilgrims, have to chance to experience and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation for millennia more.

Cyclists climbing the mountain outside of Foncebadon.