This morning was our coldest morning but it was so worth it for the incredible sunrise. The most brilliant we have seen.
We arrived to Foncebadon through hills of wildflowers.
We walked into a cloud covered mountain at the Cruz de Ferro – the Iron Cross. We waited as a young man stood solemnly just meters from the cross. An older couple walked up and with great reverence they stood together before kneeling and placing their tribute at the base of the cross. The young man remained, motionless with head bowed. The woman next to us told us his story. He had lost both his parents and on his birthday his sister had died. His journey to the cross was an emotional release for him. The couple moved on and I walked up to the cross and placed my stone from home. I’m not too sure what I was asking. Was it to absolve me of my sins, to release me of all my cares and worries or was it to ask for a safe journey to Santiago. I’m not sure what my stone was meant to represent but I do know that walking back down on the mountain of stones I felt incredibly close to tears. The young man placed his tributes and walked down. Emotional Dave gave him a hug and he clung to Emotional Dave.
The Cruz de Ferro is said to represent the highest point on the Camino at 1504 meters above sea level. Approximately 6 kilometres further on Alto Altar at 1.515 meters is the highest point. From the Cruz de Ferro we have passed through Manjarin with it small lonely cemetery on the hill.
Manjarin a ghost town of tumble down stone houses. One establishment, a novelty humpy of chimes and flags is all that now remains in this community.
As we are about to begin our huge decent to El Acebo at Altar Altar we have reached the pinacle of 1,515 meters. I didn’t see a sign proclaiming that it was the Alto Altar. There may have been one, if so I missed it. We now begin a nice but difficult and cloud shrouded decent to El Acebo.
From the hilltop looking down on El Acebo’s black rooftops the town looked new. In town the black slate rooves covered houses both new and old.
In front of a church on the way out of town a monument to a German cyclist who died in an accident in 1987.
