Murias - Ponferrada - Villafranca & Amazing 11 Year Old

It´s Friday morning and I´m in a smokey coffee bar in the village of Villafranca del Bierzo. I started from Cacabelos earlier this morning and enjoyed a nice walk across hilly vineyards as workers were setting out to harvest grapes. It´s a cold morning today and my hands are just now warming up enough to type.... I never drink coffee but somehow I picked up the habit about a week ago. I like a cup of tea every now and then but men who drink tea in Spain are not considered real men. I consider myself a real man so I guess I´ll be a coffee drinker while in Spain. Not to mention, it enhances my hiking pace !... ..Where Have I been the last couple of days ? Well, I´ve been walking quite a bit. I definitely have my hiking legs back and aside of cold nights the weather has been fabulous. The last time I posted I was in Murias de Rechivaldo. The terrrain has really changed. For days on end I´d been walking across relatively flat and rolling agricultural lands but now it´s hills and mountains. From Murias I walked to Acebo and passed thru the mtn villages of Foncebadon and Manjarin which appear to be revived by alternative hippy types. Really interesting places. I then continued over Cruz de Feero where I tossed a rock that I´d been carrying for days. It landed atop apile of stones that have been tossed by pilgrims for god knows how long. The site is marked not only by the rock pile but by a tall pole with a crucifix atop of it. I think I´ve been frogiven of more sins for doing so. That night I camped in a courtyard behind an albergue for the night. Yesterday I set out from Acebo thinking of a short day to Ponferrada but just felt like walking so I continued to Cacabelos where I checked into a very nice albergue. Only 2 beds to a room and I had a room to myself. Not bad for 5 Euros. Also, I once again caught up to the Swiss gang of Mark, Micah, and Simon at the Cacabelos albergue. Micah greeted me with a big hug. Ah yes ! Another great reunion!.....Now for something more interesting. The place I camped at in Acebos is a private family run albergue, hotel, and restaurant. Naturally, I ate at the restaurant. I joined a mother and daughter from Australia for dinner. The mother is probably 40 something and her daughter is 11. They started in France on September 2. When asked why they were walking the Camino her daughter informed me that her father died last year and her mother said they were doing the Camino as a way to help them get on with life. The mother is an artist / circus performer and her daughter Zebbidi is quite impressive. Very athletic and sharp as a tack. Zebbi, as I´ll call her, is the driving force behind this mother daughter hiking team and a true purist. She is walking every step and the 40 km she hiked on the day I met them did´nt seem to phase her. The guide book they are carrying is very poor. Zebbi asked to barrow my book and maps after dinner because she wanted to plan another 40 km day. By her mothers expression Zebbi is clearly the one dragging mom along the Camino. Quite an amazing role reversal if you ask me. Yesterday I walked around 35 km. Zebbi and mom went further and did around 42 km. I seriously doubt I´ll see them again.... Another impressive walker is a man walker is a man I met just a couple of days ago. He´s an 80 year old Frenchman who started in France and is walking over 30 km a day. I just saw him again this morning. I was really interested in asking him what it was like when the Germans occupied France during WW2 but he only speaks French.... So many interesting people on the Camino.... Today I´ll continue for another 20 km or so. Its another beautiful day and the coffee has kicked in !... Wonder who I´ll meet today ?... Buen Camino !