Rienos de Ambros

Rienos de Ambros boasts an Albergue, a bar/restaurant (currently closed) and a vegan food van (rather good), and that seems to be it!  It's most of the way down the descent from the Cruz de Ferro (see today's other post) to Molinaseca.

Sally has also sent me some more thoughts - please do read her post, which I've updated (you'll need to scroll down). 

Yesterday afternoon and evening were really good.  Being an Albergue associated with the Confraternity of St James in the UK, there was tea and biscuits at 5pm.  Proper tea, from a boiled kettle.   And teabread!

At 7pm there was Sung Latin Vespers in the church next to the albergue, which is used as a chapel by the adjacent Benedictine community. 

 It's a 12th century church, and doesn't look as though it's structure has had much maintenance since, but it's still standing! The church was full of pilgrims.  Then there was dinner with six of the 'gang'; finishing at nearly 9 when we realised the restaurant was supposed to have closed at 8:30!  And at 9:20 there was compline in the church, with a pilgrim blessing.  It would be good to return to Rabanal sometime; there was a really good feel to it.

Then this morning, out into the early light after breakfast (with marmalade!) and the start of the climb to the Cruz de Ferro (you are going to read that other post, aren't you?).

We're really up in the mountains now, with tremendous views.   Some of the views bear the scars of the recent wildfires in the area - great swathes of blackened hillside.   The vegetation next to the walk is bracken and heather - so if that is what burned in this area, it's likely to recover fairly quickly. 

Then the descent starts.   Down is always harder than up, but it's not (yet) as bad as it's been painted, this descent.   The path is rough but manageable.

And the post on the edge of the town says there are only 223 km left.   So well over two thirds now done!