Astorga Ahead
We knew starting out that today would be a challenge. The calculation showed our route would be about 18 miles. In order to begin our walk, we first had to ride in a taxi for about 30 minutes, to get back to where we finished up yesterday. As we approached the city, we saw any number of people we knew walking in the opposite direction. We whizzed past them and continued down the road for mile after mile. It put an incredible amount of distance between us and the group we would normally travel along with.
When the cab finally came to a stop, we had to be at least two and a half to three miles behind the last person. Today, we would start out last in line. Since it takes anywhere between 18 to 20 minutes for us to cover a mile, we were at least 45 minutes behind anybody we knew. It was unlikely we would catch up along the way.
More than three miles of the route was on paved surface. Luckily the road wasn't well traveled, and there were as many tractors as there were cars passing by. It was a relief to finally get off the tarmac and hit some trail.
This particular trail was loaded with large stones – not exactly a relief on the feet. That continued for another two miles with incredibly unremarkable scenery. The only real surprise was to see big, 18-wheel semis covering the distance on that road. We could only figure that they must be servicing some of the farms along the spurs.
The first real town we came to was about five miles into the walk. It featured a statue of a pilgrim near a stop sign as you entered the village. I was curious as to why a stop sign would be written in English and not in Spanish. Why not Alto?
It turns out that for standardization across the European Union, it was decided that the word "stop" would be used. Walking on the Camino, you have lots of time to think about little bits of trivia like this.
One of the first highlights of the day was getting to see the 13th-century stone bridge at Rio Orbigo. As one of our fellow travelers described, it looks like something out of Don Quixote. The heavy stones create an arch across a fast-running river, and remain elevated across to the other side of town.
While on the bridge, I got to see some type of military ceremony being held on the drill field. I'm not certain if it was a graduation or promotion or something else. If someone can understand the announcements, I would appreciate feedback.
Just prior to crossing the bridge, Spence caught my attention and got me into a coffee shop for a quick break. They had a grassy courtyard where some exotic birds wandered around freely, pestering us for scraps of bread.
Exiting the town, there were two routes offered. Sometimes it is difficult to decide which is the correct way to go. The signage here made this election very simple. It was a slightly longer route, but it avoided running along (and on) some of the major roads to Astorga.
After a few miles, there was another small village. I could hear a siren noise, followed by a recorded message played over and over again. Turns out it was a small white van driving through the town trying to sell fish. Part of the announcement called to residents to come to their doors for the finest fish filets available. I didn't see them make any sales.
As we exited that very quiet town, the terrain changed. We went up and down a number of hills. At one point was a spot known as the Oasis. Water, soda, fruits of many varieties, and hammocks were available there.
The people who maintained it asked for no payment, though they did take some donations. Spence and I were getting too close to the end of the day to linger, and pressed on.
Shortly after passing the Oasis we came upon a tower that was probably 20 to 30 feet high. It had a rickety ladder attached to the side, so of course Spence had to climb it. The unobstructed view from the top, he said, was worth it. Of course, coming down was a bit more intimidating than going up. I was satisfied that he got the pictures necessary, and kept my feet on the ground.
We were only about three and a half miles away when we came to a cross at the top of the hill that offered a commanding view of Astorga ahead.
The last few miles were mostly along roads. The path was slightly offset for about half of it, so it wasn't too bad. We crossed a small footbridge as we approached. The last couple of hundred yards were up a steep incline. Trekking poles definitely came in handy for this portion of the hike. At this point I trailed Spence by just a few minutes. He got up close to a weird apparition as we climbed the hill.
We had agreed that whoever arrived first at the city plaza, across from our hotel, would buy the first round of lemon beers. Spence did not disappoint. After looking at the distance traveled, just short of 20 miles for the day, we definitely felt we’d earned that beer.
After the well-deserved beverage, I took a well-deserved shower and prepared for a well-deserved nap. Five straight minutes of tolling bells from the church steeple next door made certain the last part of that plan did not come to fruition.
The town of Astorga has roughly 10,500 residents. Like many towns in Spain, it has been losing about two percent of its population every year. Unlike many of the towns we have traveled through, there seem to be families and young people visible on the streets and in the stores and restaurants. Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí is a fixture in the town.
Out in the plaza, I first spotted Beth and Fred. Then Yosef from Belgium arrived. We wound up making plans with the doctors from Copenhagen for dinner, and as we were seated, Miriam popped in. It was a great meal among lovely people.
Tomorrow’s hike is only about 12 or 13 miles, but it seems to be mostly uphill. We have about 167 miles to go before getting to Santiago. Not quite the final leg. Not just yet.
I'm happy to report that Spence and I continue with no equipment failures, no bruises, no blisters, and nothing that really hurts when we get up and put our feet on the floor in the morning. Others are not quite so lucky.
It almost appears that some people did not fully test drive their shoes before committing to using them for several hundred miles. If anyone should ever ask me how to test footwear prior to doing the Camino, I would tell them to strap on a pair of shoes for at least a month and make sure that they fit well and don't cause any irritation. Even the smallest discomfort is amplified step after step after step, day after day after day.