Left our creepiest hotel so far at 7:30 AM.
The lady who ran it was scary.
All trails point to Astorga.
(Mike calls a whole family of Astorgas his own!)
So happy to be on the road again.
Open, beautiful fields with corn and wheat.
Weather and walk today were wonderful!
Really spectacular flowers. Yucca, maybe?
Dave wouldn't get a move on
until the cows got their moo on.
A fascinating piece of film. Or not.
Grave site with a huge pilgrim, visible from
a long way off. An interesting memorial.
We assume someone died on this hill.
It does have a spiritual feel to it.
You have to keep moving on the Camino.
(This guy stood in one place too long.)
Mike points us onward. Halfway to Astorga!
Um, Mike. You took a wrong turn.
We are so ready for a break!
Atop a steep hill, Dave's Oasis beckons.
Our new friend, Dave. The oasis dude.
He smells like he sleeps with the cows.
Still, he saved the day with his foodstuffs.
Hence, we shall embrace the stench.
Mike, eating some delicious watermelon.
Really hits the spot!
Everything you could want is at the Oasis.
Dude even has several massage beds!
Time for a drink, big guy!
You see everything on the Camino.
And you hear it, too.
(Watch for guitar tricks!)
Cruceiro Santo Toribio, where Bishop Toribio fell
to his knees in sorrow after his exile from Astorga.
(Dave tells the story later.)
Coming down from the cross, we get our
first view of the lovely city of Astorga.
As you enter, the corn rows are a little off-kilter.
Looks more modern than it is from this angle.
We finally made it!
This one's for you, Fidel and Ma!!
(aka Mr. and Mrs. Astorga)
Kinda hard to get lost around here.
Iglesia de Saint Bartolome.
The bell tower dates from the 12th Century.
Catedral de Astorga. What a magnificent door!
15th Century, Romanesque Gothic church.
Inside the cathedral: View from the choir seats.
Looking the other way: View of the main altar.
Ring out, wild bells!
(Not quite as resonant as others we've heard.)
Palacio de Gaudi – Museo de Los Caminos,
aka the "Bishop's House." It was built for him.
Absolutely beautiful inside, but the
Episcopal bishop died before it was finished.
Gaudi designed it differently than others of the day.
No one ever lived there, so it became a museum.
Fantastic stained glass window in the Palace.
Museo del Chocolate - Astorga was the first
city in Europe to make chocolate.
We sampled some. Magnifico!
Tomorrow we go 9.9 miles to Rabanal.
We also hit our 2/3-done mark on the Camino!
A story from Dave:
Today we visited a towering cross on the hill overlooking Astorga. (The two of us are standing in front of it, posted below.) The Cruceiro Santo Toribio is a much-visited memorial that commemorates Bishop Toribio of Astorga, who lived in the 5th Century. Having been banished from the town never to return, he fell to his knees in a final farewell on the very spot where the stone cross stands. There is a beautiful view of Astorga from that vantage point, which seems entirely fitting.
I think we all enjoy vacations and traveling to faraway places. I know I do. This Camino adventure has been a fabulous trip, and I will miss it when we are finished. But however great our adventures are, I sympathize with Bishop Toribio. I, too, would fall to my knees if I were never to return to my home to see those I love––if I were never again to see all those familiar places I feel so comfortable inhabiting. "Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his traveling." – Charles Dickens
A story from Mike:
I love the Camino family! There's such pleasure in meeting people along the way. As a fairly outgoing person, making new friends is a highlight for me. (Dave isn't exactly an old hermit, either, though he's beginning to look like one.) What's kind of hard for us on this pilgrimage is that, because of the way we are walking the Camino, we have to say goodbye every seven days or so to those who are moving along without any rest days. We walk a week and then take a layover day to rest our bodies and explore a little, but some people prefer to walk straight through, with no rest days at all. Recently, we lost a big group that we'd traveled with for a while. We had stayed in the same towns and mostly the same hotels with them. They had to be our hardest goodbye yet: three terrific women, all the same age. (You've seen them in pictures and stories for the past week or so: Molly from DC, Sarah from Seattle, and Janice from Bergen, Norway.) We find that we get comfortable and supportive of our fellow walkers, especially if they have blisters, back pain, knee problems, or the like. We all have something, some worse than others, and we encourage each other along. It's particularly fun when they have plans to meet up with their significant others along the way, and we get to meet them, too. How we loved finally getting to meet Sarah's husband, Arnie, knowing she will be well cared for as she travels. We hope to cross paths again, when Molly's daughter joins her in Sarria.
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| Molly and Sarah |
We also said goodbye to some darling young women, recent college graduates about to start their first jobs. After passing a rigorous training program, Laura from London is going to be a personal trainer. Emily, who just graduated, will be working in the medical software industry as an analyst. Both of them are delighted (and delightful). We appreciate their enthusiasm and know the future is in good hands. It was fun spending time with such well-rounded and mature young adults.
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| Molly, Laura, and Emily |
I just loved them all, every one of them. Out of nowhere we met, we shared, and we traveled on to our own lives. So wonderful! Buen Camino.
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and mental health, the causes Mike and Dave
are championing with their walk.
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