To Villafranca del Bierzo with the American-April Fool's Day

When I go downstairs in the morning, John, the American says that he will walk with me to the next city and go to the bank with me. We leave together, I want to walk the shorter, highway route into town, but try to figure out what he wants, since he's never walked the Camino before and he's doing me a huge, huge, huge favor. We end up walking the road. When we get into Ponferrada, we see his friends in a cafe, and so go into join them, croissants and cafes, and they give you a chocolate candy with that as well. We split up again, and John and I go into the center of town and find a Banco de Santander, good call. This is the only place where cashing the traveller's checks doesn't prove to be a problem. The man at the counter just takes them and processes them. I'm guessing it's because it's a big enough town/city. He takes 200 euros worth of checks and walks away, I consider giving him another fifty, but since he's already started processing them, I refrain. I don't want to seem rude. I didn't end up needed John's spanish, but I am happy for the moral support anyway. It was such a decent thing to offer, he had overheard me saying that I was out of money, and couldn't cash the checks anywhere, and that I was probably going to catch a bus or train back to Madrid or Burgos, where I'm hoping someone will cash them. He said he'd hoped I wouldn't have to do that.

We hang out in the plaza for a bit, seeing people we know, and he goes to buy stamps and a postcard while I stretch against a bench. The Frenchman from Hospital de Orbigo stops by to say that he is going to stay here, he wants to visit the castle and to rest. So do I, but I want to be in Santiago de Compostela for Semana Santa, so figure maybe next time. It's funny, I had known him, and seen what I thought was a different man playing guitar along the Camino, and had no idea he was the same person until this moment. I had the same problem with Andreas, I probably met him at least 4 or 5 times before I realized he was the same person. This is the last time I see him.

John and I head out for Villafranca del Bierzo, and look for a grocery store since there won't be anywhere to eat really until we get there. We split some cheese and bread. We walk until the park next to the winery, and another older woman comes over and asks if we have any water as she lost her bottle and it's still hot and sunny out. John gives her one of his bottles. I run across the highway to a gas station to use the restroom, since there aren't any others along this section. We go into a cathedral in Cacabelos where people are making preparations for Holy Week, but there are no albergues open at this time of year. We rest on a bench near the river and then take the longer route to Villafranca. People keep coming out to try to get us to come in and have a soda or something to drum up business (along Villatuerta del Arriba). John is good at saying no, I'm so tired I want to stop, and I feel like I want to give them some business, but it's late. There is an internet spot out in a field, and they ask us to come in. We don't.
We finally arrive in Villafranca, I'm really glad he was there, I don't think I had it in me to continue all the way. I decide to stay at Ave Fenix, (I like it here, and I want to have the family style dinner/breakfast, though you can't flush tp in the toilets, which always makes me want to pause) and his friends are at the other albergue, so he walks me to Ave Fenix, and hands me half of the cheese and we part ways.