Another long and very hot stage today from Monzon to Berbegal. The good news is that both my and Annie's new shoes worked out great. Trish had diagnosed the blister problem as stemming from heat, so my new ones are lighter and better ventilated than the others (which I'll be mailing home tomorrow). I sure hope I don't regret the loss of waterproofness once we reach Galicia later in the trip.
 |
| rest stop in the shade before the final climb into Berbegal |
Berbegal is a small village atop a hill, and the church dates from the 12th century. The albergue is small, so all four of us shared the one room (but with enough beds that we all had lower bunks).
After we'd showered, the local priest came out to open up the church and give us a little tour. While the original structure dates to the 12th century, there is an addition added in the 13th, and two baroque altars added in the 17th. The church was heavily damaged during the Spanish Civil War (1930s), but they are in the process of restoring it. After our tour, Annie asked the priest to give us a blessing for our journey, which he did. We also lit votive candles. Both the blessing and candle lighting are firsts for me.
The priest gave keys to another local man to take us up the steps to the top of the bell tower. The view is quite incredible: one could see 82 distinct villages (we didn't count them), and we could see a lot of snow-capped peaks in the Pyrenees to the north. Our local friend insisted we each take turns ringing the church bell. Between all of us, we created quite a commotion for the town.
After the tour and bell ringing, we enjoyed a great meal at the village's sole bar/restaurant. As we finished eating, our friend came over with a bottle of his family's homemade port, and we all sampled.
No comments:
Post a Comment