The Winter Passage: 01/22/19

I was expecting rain, so I donned my full rainsuit and put my raincover on my pack. I left the albergue at 08:20 and walked through farmland and past cattle. At one point, I had to cross a railroad track with no crossing. I just had to climb over the ballast and rails. On my way into Puente de Orbigo, I passed by a smelly Mondelez plant that made Philadelphia cream cheese. I covered almost fifteen kilometers in three hours. As I approached the Gothic bridge into Hospital de Orbigo, I bumped into Marco, who I last talked to three days prior, Francisco, and Victor. I stayed with them in Moratinos and El Burgo Ranero. They were with four older Spanish women who had backpacks smaller than a school backpack and walking poles. They were coming off the highway route I chose not to take yesterday.

We walked across the bridge into Hospital de Orbigo as a group of eight, but shortly after, the women wanted to get coffee. I was the only one who wanted to keep walking, so I went on alone. Similar to yesterday, there were two routes between Hospital de Orbigo and Astorga. One route followed right along the busy highway, and the second route went through farmland, hills, and forest on a more scenic route. My app and guidebook both recommended the second option, so that is the one I took. I was in the town of Villares de Orbigo at noon. The town was dead, and there was nowhere to get lunch. The next town, Santibanez de Valdeiglesias, offered the same prospect.

I soldiered on, up and down hills. Eventually, I came to a place called Casa de los Dioses. It is a small farm that caters to pilgrims. It is run by a hippie named David. He has a stand set up offering free drinks and fruit to passing pilgrims. He has been a fixture on the Camino de Santiago for around ten years. He lives in a simple shelter and keeps it heated in the winter with a wood burning stove. Right then, the four Spanish ladies, Francisco, and three Mexicans showed up in short order. I asked David for a stamp and the Mexicans did as well. It was a red heart. Everyone passed by quickly like a guy living outside in the middle of nowhere was a freakshow. Only Francisco and I stuck around a bit to rest. I am guessing Francisco knew David because Francisco has walked to Santiago de Compostella ten times.

A few kilometers later, San Justo de la Vega and Astorga were in sight. I pushed forward, catching up to one of the three Mexicans. Her feet were hurting, and her two friends were not being friends by leaving her behind. I slowed my pace and chatted with her for the last few kilometers into Astorga. It was her second day walking, so I gave her some tips about how to protect one's feet from blisters. Part of walking the Camino is time alone thinking, and part of it is talking to other pilgrims.

As I climbed up to the Old City, an old Astorgan started talking to me. When he found out I was from the United States, he asked if he could have a dollar for a souvenir. I told him I carried no dollars because they are not even accepted in Spain. I think he then asked for any money, but I just walked off. I walked all the way to the Astorga Cathedral and paid the €3.50 to go inside. I got another stamp and listened to the audio tour for fifty minutes. It was similar to the Leon Cathedral yesterday, but there were many more artifacts on display. One golden cross had pieces of wood from the true cross incorporated into it.

After I checked into the Hotel Spa Ciudad de Astorga, I showered and walked to the Telepizza I had passed about 0.4 kilometers before the cathedral for dinner. The individual menu was only €6. I got a pizza with onions and green peppers, potato wedges, and a Coke. I then went back to the hotel to sleep.