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!