Camino a Santiago: Rest Day in Ponferrada

This is what a true rest day on the Camino a Santiago looks like. There was no sightseeing. No nights on the town. There was rest and a manicure. That’s about it.

My last rest day along the Camino, I always knew this one would likely look a little like this. I chose to stay in Ponferrada because of the Templar Castle, but having visited it the day before, I was quite aware there was little else to see or do in town.

I have to say I truly enjoyed the previous evening in Ponferrada. This is clearly a city that comes to life on Sunday nights. And it does so in a very authentic way. There were nearly no tourists out. Not that you could feel anyway.

Sunday night in Ponferrada

After getting up late, doing laundry and making myself some eggs for breakfast I had but two things I wanted to do. Unlike Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos and León, the downtown here is quite compact. It looked cute with some nice shops and cafes. I wanted to check it out a bit further. I also desperately needed to get a manicure at some point.

Well guess what? All that life from the night before was gone. As it turns out central Ponferrada, essentially shuts down on Mondays. The castle is closed, hence so is nearly everything else. This is to be clear, not the part of the city where most people live and work. It’s where they play. Being open on Sundays means their rest day is, you guessed it, Monday. Well, at least I found a place to get a manicure.

In any case, after walking around aimlessly for a short while, wondering where I would even be able to find an open restaurant for lunch later, I found one in the main square, which was clearly packed, and settled on that one. So much for my highly anticipated pizza and staying away from Spanish food for a couple of days. I have to say though, the meal was good and the view excellent. They were also setting up for some sort of medieval festival which is to take place after I leave. I keep missing out on these medievals fairs. First in Belorado and now here. It’s kind of a bummer. I guess I’ll just have to come back.

Lunch: Restaurante 7 sillas. The food was good. The service slow. But being located right on the square it’s a great value. Menu del día includes full bottle of wine (which no, I did not drink. LOL): €16