Astorga

Historically Astorga has been a very important place. It is at a crossroads geographically  and a center for Christianity before the Islamic Moors took it over in the late 8th century. Supposedly both apostles Paul and James preached here. There is an impressive cathedral which has some paintings by Michaelangelo's apprentices. Nearby is a fabulous Gaudi building which now houses a collection of art and artifacts associated with the Camino.

We decided that we couldn't take another pilgrim meal tonight and our Albergue has a kitchen and there was a market to buy food. We cooked pasta with a ton of vegetables. It tasted good and was a nice change. 

Astorga is known for its chocolate. I guess that should have been the first thing I said about it... I have sampled some of the dark chocolate (my favorite) and I give it 2 thumbs up. 

A storm is supposed to be coming in tomorrow, so it makes it difficult to know how to plan. Our rain gear will get tested for sure! 

A New Day

Today was a wonderful day of walking. It is a blessing that every day is a new beginning. The scenery and weather were lovely and I felt good walking. We are getting used to doing about 21-24 kilometers on the Camino plus walking around town. This is the last bit of the Meseta and the beginning of the mountains. 

One nice surprise was a bountiful donation based snack stand and resting place with lots of fresh fruits and even a labyrinth. At one point near town we had to stop to let a flock of sheep go by. We arrived at our Albergue in Astorga around 2. The room feels like it was intended for the 7dwarves. Very tiny low beds crammed together. It also is quite hot because there is a fire going downstairs.

El Paso Honroso "the honorable bridge "

The impressive Gothic bridge over the Rio Orbigo is the site of a legendary medieval jousting competition. Don Suero de quinones was rejected by the woman he loved. In his heartbreak, he locked his neck in an iron collar and swore he would not take it off until he had defeated 300 knights in jousting. The call went out, and knights from all over the kingdom came in 1434. He defeated them all and overcame his heartbreak. He journeyed to Santiago and left a bejeweled bracelet there in honor of his love.

Donde esta el bano?

There are a lot of wonderful services available for the pilgrims, but one area for improvement would be a few more "servisios" or toilets. Today I had a definite Camino low when I had a dire need for a real toilet and we went through 2 towns and many kilometers where there was absolutely nothing available. Nature wasn't obliging either, roads with dirt fields for as far as you could see. We knew a town was ahead but their was only a man with a stand with snacks and trinkets and wet wipes and Kleenex. Desperate,  we took turns walking through weeds and brush to find a tiny bit of privacy. We both came out covered with hundreds of little sticky burrs on our clothes. After some tears of frustration from me, we continued on, but I think I left my knee brace somewhere during the "adventure ".

Luckily the rest of the day went better. Julia suggested that I listen to some music, which did manage to calm me down. I haven't listened to music yet while walking but today was a good day to do that. We had a long walk and didn't get in until 4. We decided to do a longer distance today so that we could get to Astorga tomorrow. After Astorga it is all uphill until we reach the peak near Foncebadon. Luckily the weather has been great so far, but it might turn stormy in a day or two. 

Prayers are welcomed from you all! 

Bach in the Cathedral

At the last minute, I heard that there was a free Bach organ concert in the cathedral in Leon. A few of us wanted to go to it and planned to get a quick dinner first. As the numbers in the group for dinner grew to 8 people we realized it was either dinner or the concert. Mikkel from Denmark and I decided to go to the concert and the others to dinner. There were a couple of hundred people in line by the time we got there but we managed to grab the last couple of chairs. The cathedral was dark inside except for some lights for the organist. It was a lovely atmosphere to hear an organ recital. I felt very relaxed afterwards and thankful that I was able to attend it.

Cathedral of Light

The cathedral in Leon is known for its stain glass windows, much like Chartres Cathedral in France. There are 3 stories of stained glass and several rose windows. This amazing cathedral was built in only 50 years by a city of 5000 people. I'm sure it was funded by the Catholic Church, but regardless, that was quite a feat. The windows were lovely to look at when I was in there around noon, but the light was supposed to be the best either early in the morning or late afternoon. I tried to get back in during the afternoon but I didn't want to pay 5 euros  again and the guard wouldn't let me in with my ticket from earlier.

Arriving in Leon

The guide books said if there was a day to skip ahead on the Camino it would be walking into Leon. A lot of the way is through ugly industrial areas and near or on the highway. More than ready for a rest day, we decided to take the bus with about 30 other pilgrims to Leon. It felt strange at first to not be walking after a month of getting everywhere by foot. But it also felt like a good decision. I've been fighting a cold for a week and wanted a rest day in a place with decent accommodations. 

Leon is one of the biggest cities along the Camino. It has a gorgeous cathedral, many other churches, museums, shops and street life. A big farmers market was set up in front of the cathedral when we arrived. It was nice to see all of the produce. It is puzzling that more of it doesn't make it onto our dinner plates. I would kill for a Dino kale salad with lots of fresh vegetables!!! I'm weary of potatoes, bread, pork and fried fish. I did have a really tasty meal last night, but something didn't agree with me and I was up most of the night with the stomach bug. Good thing we aren't walking today. 

I feel up for coffee, so I'm sitting in a cafe writing this before going to tour the cathedral. Hopefully I will be in a better emotional and physical state tomorrow when we plan to head out on the 2nd half of our journey! I've filled up one pilgrims credentials book and started my 2nd here in Leon. The credentials are stamped everywhere you stay and occasionally at churches or other locations. They prove that you actually did the Camino and are necessary to receive your certificate in Santiago.

My scallop shell that I had as a pilgrim symbol on my backpack broke when I got off the bus yesterday. That made me sad because it has been with me for my whole journey so far. I can buy a replacement one easily because they sell them everywhere, but mine was from Sanibel Island in Florida where I went years ago on vacation with my family and aunt and uncle. The Camino keeps making me let go of things, plans, control... I wonder how much more of this lesson I will have to experience...