Here we gooooo! Astorga-Rabanal-Molinaseca

We arrived by train to Astorga and walked the short kilometer or so to the city center, where we found our first official Camino sign. These yellow arrows will guide is the 260 kilometers to Santiago!

We were able to quickly visit the Astorga cathedral of Santa Maria - before being escorted out as it was closing. It is a beautiful and enormous church. 

The students had their first experience of albergue (hostel) accommodations.  They did pretty well!

The next morning we began walking! We had about 12 miles before us, going through little villages and immersing ourselves in the beauty of creation. 

One highlight was lunch in the “cowboy bar.”  It is an American southwest themed cafe in the little town of El Ganzo. It’s a must-stop place in my book. 

The wildflowers were in bloom, and their colors are magnificent!

We ended in the small town of Rabanal del Camino. Dinner wasn’t so good, but we joined the monks of the Benedictine community for Vespers (evening prayer) chanted on Latin. It was very nice, particularly in the 12th century church  

The next morning, we had about 15 miles ahead of us….and rain. It rained almost all day, and with the rain came MUD! Lots of mud!  We slipped a lot, especially on the steep downhills at the end of the day, but the scenery made up for it, even if it was foggy. (By the way, the pictures do none of this justice.)

One highlight of this section is the Cruz de Ferro (iron cross). Traditionally, each pilgrim carries a stone from home and then leaves it at the foot of the cross. It’s pretty incredible when you think of all the stones that have been left there over the hundreds of years.  Once again, this was a very moving experience for me, especially as I watched many pilgrims solemnly climb the little mound and add their stone at the cross. 

We ended our day in the town of Molinaseca. I’m sure that we will all sleep well tonight!

Buen Camino!

23 San Martín del Camino to Astorga - 16 miles

 A farmer, a nurse and a teacher walk the Camino. 

…or…

In Italian, a French woman and an American walk the Camino.

No, this isn’t the start of a bad joke but a little bit of my experience on the Camino today.

I headed out in the morning and decided I would have breakfast at the first town I came to. Along the way I met three people now living in Florida but who are originally from Cuba and Columbia. We shared stories and laughed a lot along the way.

That brought us to the towns of Puente de Órbigo and Hospital de Órbigo. Essentially, they are one city connected by a really long medieval bridge. There is a story that at the bridge a knight pledged to win 300 jousting matches in order to get over his lost love. Ahhhh medieval chivalry at its best. The towns now recreate that event each summer.

We then headed out into the countryside again. I am quite impressed by the system of canals and channels that they have here for irrigation.

Then, we went through the village of Villares de Órbigo. (By the way, Órbigo is the name of the river that runs through all of these towns.)

On the way out of town, I began talking to a young man who is a farmer from northern Italy. We were then joined by a woman who is a nurse from Paris. We walked together for about the next 10 miles until we reached our final destination of Astorga. Along the way we talked about many things including how to raise cattle, the state of France’s healthcare system, and teaching students with learning disabilities. It really was a wonderful time of sharing experiences and shared humanity. It is a big part of the Camino spirit. Maybe if everyone in the world could just walk and talk with each other, it might be a better place.

About halfway along we came to a rest stop over seen by a Spaniard named David. He lives here by himself off the grid and sets out refreshments for the pilgrims that walk by. You are just requested to leave a small donation for whatever you take. It was quite the nice surprise to receive this little treat.

As I was finishing up I wasn’t sure if I would continue walking with my two new friends or not. But as they were packing up they motioned to me and said “Andiamo - let’s go” and so we continued along our journey.

A group of bicyclist volunteered to take our picture because, then, in turn they wanted us to take theirs.

We arrived in Astorga which seems to be a very beautiful little city. 

There is a chocolate museum that we visited. (Evidently, Astorga was the center of Spain’s chocolate making.) The tour included a free sample at the end!

There is a bishops palace designed by the famous architect Gaudi. 

And of course, there is a wonderful cathedral.

It was also a fun town to just walk around, and of course the food was good too.

I got nachos for lunch. A little taste of home!

Buen Camino!