The Winter Passage: 01/23/19

I left the hotel at 08:05 with full rain gear on and my pack cover over my backpack. It was supposed to rain again. I exited Astorga, then passed through the towns of Valdeviejas, Murias de Rechivaldo, and Santa Catalina, gradually heading uphill. The howling wind was as strong as it was on the Alto de Perdon, but I had to deal with it all day. I got to El Ganso and drank a bottle of water out of the wind, blocked by the wall of the church. I had been crisscrossing paths with an older South Korea guy throughout the morning. I passed up the three Mexicans I saw yesterday. They had not brought sleeping bags with them, and said they froze last night at the albergue.

Eventually, I got to the town of Rabanal de Camino. I was thirsty and hungry. I was hoping for an open bar or restaurant, since there had not been one open in the last few towns. I came upon a place called El Refugio, which was open. It was a restaurant and hostal. I sat down and soon after the older South Korean guy came in. I told him he could join me at my table if he liked. His name was Seo. He was a retired vegetable researcher who worked at Korea University. We ate lunch after a hard uphill walk. I had vegetable soup, beef with vegetables, and ice cream for €12. The beef with vegetables was one of the best meals I had eaten in Spain. It tasted like a pot roast from back home. A group of three Koreans came in shortly after to eat. Then the three Mexicans came in and decided to stay overnight at the hostal and also eat lunch. By the time we finished eating, a group of four Koreans came in. It seemed El Refugio was the only place open for lunch.

I set out with Seo, and we went uphill the last 5.3 kilometers to Foncebadon. The conditions were horrendous. The terrain was steeper, there were several inches of wet snow on the ground, and the rain and melting snow turned the path into a stream, sometimes several inches deep. The wind would not let up. It was like being in s hurricane according to Seo. We reached Foncebadon at 15:30 and checked into the Monte Irago Albergue, the only open lodging in town. We were the first ones there. Later, the seven Koreans from the restaurant arrived. Before dark, Francisco and Victor arrived. Marco, the Italian guy in their trio had to stay back in Astorga due to illness.

Seo introduced me to the one group of Koreans. They all spoke some English. At 19:00, we had dinner. It was mainly a vegetable paella with alot of sides like salad, chorizo, bread, hummus, and cheese. Victor went crazy over the food, eating more than everyone. He also went crazy over the Spanish thirty-something hippie girl who cooked the excellent paella. I told Francisco that I think Victor likes the cook. He responded that he likes all the women they meet. I guess they had been walking buddies since St. Jean Pied de Port, and he knew how he operated.