Day 20: Villar de Mazarife to Astorga

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.

Walking by a cattle ranch.

Crossing the railroad, not safe.

The bridge into Hospital de Orbigo.

Hospital de Orbigo.

Walking right by a dairy farm.

From a distance, I actually thought this was a person standing on a hill.

The Casa de los Dioses.

Walking down the hill into San Justo de la Vega and Astorga.

Astorga Cathedral.

Dinner at Telepizza.

Day 19: Leon to Villar de Mazarife

I decided to sleep in to give my feet extra rest after a long walk the previous day. I did not leave until the hotel until 09:30. I first stopped at the Leon Cathedral. I paid €6 to enter and spent forty minutes listening to the audio tour. I got a stamp for my credential next door at the cloister. About 10:15, I started walking through Leon and its suburbs. The walking was hilly and through residential and industrial areas.

I made it to the town of Virgen del Camino, and there was a Repsol gas station right in my path. I stopped to get a Powerade and box of juice. Not too long after, I came upon the Basilica de la Virgen del Camino. I went inside and and found a stamp in an office at the back of the church. About five minutes of walking after leaving the basilica, the Camino de Santiago split into two different routes. One route follows the N-120 highway toward Villadangos del Paramo, and the other route takes country roads to toward Villar de Mazarife. Both routes join up in Hospital de Orbigo.

My guidebook and app recommended taking the second option since it was more scenic and did not follow a busy highway through industrial areas. I walked along a quiet road through farmland until I got to the farm town of Villar de Mazarife. I checked into the San Antonio de Padua Albergue for €10 about 15:30. I ended up being the only pilgrim there. Looking at the albergue's log, there were only two pilgrims the previous night, an Italian woman and a Dutch woman. I paid the owner of the albergue €6 to wash and dry my laundry.

I showered and laid down for awhile. About 19:00, I walked through the dark to the supermarket. There were actually two small supermarkets at the crossroads of the town. I bought Band-Aids, a bottle of water, and two cans of Budweiser. It was the first time I saw Budweiser in Spain, and that is what I drink at home. I left the store and started wandering around town to see if there was a bar or restaurant to get dinner at. I cracked the first can of Budweiser and drank it as I walked. It did not taste the same as it does in the United States. Villar de Mazarife was dead. I found nothing open until I turned back to go to the albergue. The only other open albergue, Casa Jesus, had a bar that was open. A half dozen local men were inside drinking. The bar did not have much in the way of food, just sandwiches. I ended up eating a tortilla sandwich. I went back to the albergue and passed out before I could drink the second can of Budweiser.

The Leon Cathedral.

The inside of Leon Cathedral.

Looking back over my shoulder at Leon.

The Basilica de la Virgen del Camino. The statues are of the apostles.

My view in the afternoon. There are snowcapped mountains far off in the distance.

The sign for Villar de Mazarife.

Day 18: El Burgo Ranero to Leon

I got a horrible night's sleep at the municipal albergue in El Burgo Ranero. It was cold inside the mud building, and the beds were so old and worn out, the springs in the mattress left bruises on the backs of my thighs. I was the first one to leave El Burgo Ranero just after 08:00. The terrain was flat. I saw men in the fields preparing to go hunting on Sunday morning and would hear occasional gunshots. At one point two hunting dogs went sprinting by me on the trail.

I reached the town of Reliegos after a couple hours, but it was completely dead. Mario caught up to me and walked ahead. I got to Mansilla de Mulas just after noon. I was looking to get some more water. I spotted a bakery and cafe that looked open. I went inside and saw Mario eating a giant flat donut type of bread. He offered me some, so I joined him after I bought an orange juice and a bottle of water from the bar. We talked for awhile. He said that he might not make the 37 kilometers to Leon because his feet were hurting. I left about 13:00 to continue walking.

I bypassed the town of Villamoros de Mansilla, walking on the shoulder of the highway, and then walked right through the middle of Puente Villarente on the sidewalk. Mario caught up to me and passed me about this time. I did not see the other four people I stayed with in El Burgo Ranero all day. They must have been way behind. As I was getting closer to Leon, I was seeing more and more snow on the ground. I had to ascend and descend some hills on the way into Leon and this killed my feet. I was walking slower and slower as the day went on. I no longer saw Mario's tracks in the snow or mud, so I thought he might have stopped at the open albergue in Arcahueja.

I finally descended into Leon around 17:00, and it was city walking from there. I saw a McDonald's billboard, a Burger King bag amongst some litter, and a KFC restaurant. I said to myself, "No Spanish food for me tonight." I finally entered the walled part of Leon, the Old City, and checked into La Posada Regia about 18:00. The receptionist was a very friendly African girl.

I showered and then went to Sunday night mass just a few blocks away at San Marcelo church at 20:00. The mass lasted a quick forty minutes. Then I walked to a Burger King I found on Google Maps. I got the Whopper combo with a large Coke. It tasted great after a 37 kilometer day. The streets were full of people in Leon on Sunday night. I would have liked to have stayed out, but I was very tired and needed rest. I fell asleep quickly when I got back to the hotel.

Hunting dogs running in front of me.

A small meteorite hit this spot in Reliegos in 1947.

The twenty arch bridge over the Porma River in Puente Villarente.

The Camino signage in Leon. Leon is Spanish for lion.

A walkway I had to use to cross a busy highway.

The newer part of Leon.

The walls of Leon.

Day 17: Moratinos to El Burgo Ranero

I left Moratinos at 08:40. It was a foggy morning. I talked for an hour or so talking to an Italian guy, Marco. He was part of a trio along with an older Spanish guy named Francisco and an Argentine guy named Victor who resembled Anthony Bourdain. We walked through the hamlet of San Nicolas del Real Camino. Then, I went ahead and walked with Mario, who left St. Jean Pied de Port on the same day as me. Eventually we got to Sahagun, which is a large town for the area. By this time it started to rain. I thought about stopping for lunch at a restaurant in town to escape the rain, but instead I just decided to keep walking. The temperature must have been right around the freezing point because there would be intervals of freezing rain and snowflakes.

The walking was easy, mostly flat and on a gravel path along a road, but the cold and wetness made it a very miserable day. The rain was blowing sideways. No matter how good your rain gear was, eventually you would get wet. The gravel path was flooding in many places. I moved over to the ajacent road to avoid having to walk through water and inch or two deep on the gravel path. I pushed on and made it to the town of Bercianos del Real Camino. The town was dead. I could not find any bars or restaurants open to warm up in. I made the final push to El Burgo Ranero. Just before town, Marco, Francisco, and Victor caught up to me. We checked into the municipal albergue, which was a building made of mud. There was a €5 donation. There were seven other people there. Five I knew from the previous night in Moratinos. The two I did not know were a Korean couple who just stayed for a couple hours and then left on the next train to Leon because they were so miserable from getting soaked and walking in the rain all day.

The remaining pilgrims six pilgrim, including myself, spent the next few hours warming up by the wood-burning stove and drying off our clothes. For dinner, I walked across the street to a bar called Piedras Blancas. It seemed they were only serving beer and tapas, so I left and went down the street to a bar called El Peregino. There I had a 1906 beer and a two course dinner: potato salad with tuna, followed by a veal steak with French fries. The food was not the best, but it felt good to eat after a miserable day.

A pilgrim statue in Sahagun.

The path leaving Sahagun.

Finally reaching El Burgo Ranero.

El Burgo Ranero.

Day 16: Poblacion de Campos to Moratinos

I left La Finca at 08:15. The day was cold and foggy similar to two days ago when I left Burgos, but not quite as extreme. I passed through Revenga de Campos and Villarmentero de Campos. When I got to Villacazar de Sirga, I was going to check out the church there since the guide book said the white Virgin statue inside had performed many miracles. I walked around the whole church and tried all the doors. It was locked up and I had wasted a good five minutes I could have been walking.

Around 11:30 as I was getting close to Carrion de los Condes, it began to snow. I got into Carrion de los Condes by noon. This was the largest town I had been in since Burgos. I walked on through. On the way out of town I looked down from the bridge over the Carrion River and saw a trout about fifteen inches or longer swimming in the river. I stopped at a gas station on the far end of town to get some candy bars and another bottle of water. After Carrion de los Condes, there is a seventeen kilometer gap with no services. The day before, Mark, the Argentines, and the couple from Barcelona all said they were going to do a short day and stay overnight in Carrion de los Condes.

Shortly after leaving the gas station, I had to stop to get my rain jacket out and put on my pack cover. The snow was coming down heavier. The snow eventually stopped around 14:30. It was not much below freezing, so it did not accumulate on the ground. The long walk across the gap was very flat but seemed to take forever. I did not see another pilgrim the whole day.

Eventually I arrived in Calzadilla de la Cueza. There was an open albergue there, but I still had energy, and there was almost two more hours of daylight. I got to Ledigos at 18:15 as the sun was going down, and found the albergue, La Morena, that was supposed to be open according to this website. The door of La Morena was closed. There was a sign that said to check-in at the attached bar. The bar was also closed. I rang the doorbell and knocked on the door. I was in a pinch. It was now dark and getting colder. I found a guy down the street and asked him if the albergue was open. He said it would not be open until tomorrow. I called my mother long distance to see if the website had changed the winter albergue listings since I left Poblacion de Campos in the morning. La Morena was still listed as being open. There were also two open albergues six kilometers further down the Camino in Moratinos.

I set out in the dark at 18:45, walking along gravel farm roads with my phone's flashlight function. I passed through Terradillos de los Templarios and finally got to Moratinos at 20:15. I walked into the Moratinos Hostal, and the eight pilgrims eating dinner inside the dining area all stopped and looked at me funny. The proprietor at the hostal said the owner of La Morena died two days ago, and that was why it suddenly closed. I got a private room instead of sleeping with the others. I walked forty-six kilometers and needed a good night's rest. I got dinner for €10 downstairs: bread, lentil soup, two pork chops, fries, and a banana for dessert. One of the eight pilgrims was Mario. He came over to catch up with me. All the other pilgrims thought I was crazy walking forty-six kilometers and walking in the dark.

A statue in Revenga de Campos.

The church I tried visiting in Villacazar de Sirga.

Walking into Carrion de los Condes.

Carrion de los Condes.

The flattest I've seen Spain.

Calzadilla de la Cueza.

I thought my day was about finished at this point.

Day 15: Castrojeriz to Poblacion de Campos

I got a late start from the albergue in Castrojeriz, leaving at 08:45. I had been talking to a Spanish guy from Madrid at the picnic table outside. His name was David. It turned out he was the guy I saw camping the day before. I started out walking in the rain, first on an old Roman road, and then up the side of a big hill. Once I reached the top, there was not the epic view promised by the guidebook due to the fog and rain. Eventually it was time to walk down the back side of the hill at an 18% grade. I took it slow and walked backwards part of the way to ease the pressure on my knees and ankles.

Right as I finished the descent, the rain stopped and Mark caught up to me. He had stayed in Hontanas last night and left there in the dark. We walked together and talked for most of the day, catching up on how each of us had broken up the stages since we last walked together. We stopped in Itero de la Vega at Fitero, the only open bar, for lunch. I had horrible heap of macaroni and an orange juice. A couple from Barcelona that stayed in Castrojeriz with me the night before stopped to eat with us.

We then continued on to Boadilla del Camino. My feet were hurting and I needed a rest, so I told Mark to go on ahead. He was planning on getting a hotel in Fromista. I rested up, then walked with three Argentines from Boadilla del Camino to Fromista. They were a 53 year old guy and a couple in their 30's. The older guy spoke English, so I talked to him for the next five kilometers. He was doing his third walk to Santiago, although it was the first time he had walked on the Camino Frances. The group had started in Burgos, and they were on their third day. He told me how his wife divorced him and that is what made him turn back to God. He started going to church everyday, and the trio prayed the rosary while they walked. We followed the Castile Canal into Fromista and then parted ways by the dam complex.

I walked through Fromista, only stopping to go to the ATM to replenish myself with cash. I continued three kilometers past Fromista to Poblacion de Campos and checked in at the La Finca albergue about 17:00. I was the only one there. I took a shower and put some clothes in the washing machine. Eventually fifty minutes later, the Spaniard, David, who I talked to at breakfast that morning arrived. He likes to talk alot. He almost had one credential booklet already filled with stamps and needed to buy a second one. He was really into the Camino de Santiago compared to many of the people I had encountered earlier in the trip.

David and I had the pilgrim dinner for €10. It turned out to be a good deal because the host gave us alot of food, more than we could eat: cooked vegetables, salad, pork, eggs, fries, bread, and wine. We both ate until we were full, and there was still food left over.

This was from the top of the hill. Too bad visibility was poor with the rain and fog.

A horse outside Boadilla del Camino.

The Castille Canal that runs between Boadilla del Camino and Fromista.

The canal dam complex just before Fromista. I think these were locks when the canal was used.

Fromista.

Fromista.

Day 14: Burgos to Castrojeriz

I left Hotel Abadia at 07:50 and walked through the rest of Burgos. Right then, I knew this day was going to be different. It was the coldest it had been since I'd been in Europe. The sidewalks were slick with ice. I made my way out of town in the fog. Everything was frosted over. I made it to Tradajos and Rabe de la Calzada. I saw one backpacker coming up behind me in Tradajos, but then he disappeared, probably into a coffee shop. From then on, it was just me and the frozen windy fields. I did see a pilgrim camping out in a rest area on the way to Hornillos del Camino. It looked like his tent was so wet he could not get it packed. I waved from a distance and walked on.

I was hoping to get something to eat in Hornillos del Camino when I got there at noon, but everything in town was closed. It was like a ghost town. I pushed across the meseta to Hontanas. Once again, everything was closed. I did see three Spanish pilgrims, a dad and his two sons, in Hontanas waiting for an albergue to open. It must have never opened because they ended up following me to Castrojeriz. The fog finally lifted around 15:00 and the frost melted.

Walking into Castrojeriz, you can see the castle above the town on the hill. I ended my forty kilometer day about 17:40 at the municipal albergue. It was €5 for a bed. Most of the albergues, hotels, and restaurants in Castrojeriz were closed. I ate at the only open bar: La Taberna. I had spaghetti to start, pork loin as the entree, and ice cream for desert. A beer and bread were also included for €11. It was not the best value, but I was glad to get a hot meal after a long day of walking.

I have now caught up to a new group of backpackers, none whom I've seen before: six Spanish, three Argentine, and one German.

The Arlanzon River.

My view for most of the day.

Everything was covered in frost, even my hat and backpack.

A tractor in Hornillos del Camino.

The skyline of Castrojeriz: the monastery and castle on the hill.

The castle above Castrojeriz.

Castrojeriz.

Day 13: Ages to Burgos

I was the second one to leave the municipal albergue in Ages around 07:45. It was still dark out. I proceeded down the road to Atapuerca. Outside Atapuerca, there is a UNESCO archeological site where hominids from over a million years ago are being dug up. I stopped to refill my water jug at the fountain in Atapuerca, and watched the Spanish guy who was speeding ahead of me miss the sign to turn off the road to the left onto a dirt path. He was out of shouting distance, so I figured he'd just have to figure out his mistake.

Next, it was a climb up a hill with sharp and loose rocks. There must have been sheep grazing there at one point because there was a fair amount of sheep droppings amongst the rocks. After reaching the summit of the hill, it was downhill towards a quarry and then down into the quiet town of Cardenuela Rio Pico.

From there, I walked further downward toward Burgos. First, I had to walk along the fence of the airport. Then it was miles of walking through an industrial district. There was a Gala factory that makes ceramics like sinks, toilets, and bidets. Then there was a Bridgestone tire factory that smelled like burning rubber. There were also alot of car repair shops and car dealers. As I exited the industrial area, there was a McDonalds right on the Camino de Santiago. It was 12:45, so I went in and got lunch: a quarter pounder, potato wedges, large Coke, and an Oreo shake. It was okay, but did not taste the same as the McDonalds back home.

After lunch, it was city walking. I had to stop to cross streets and deal with pedestrians and cars as I headed to the old part of Burgos. Eventually I made it to the Burgos Cathedral. My guide book said it was free to enter on Tuesdays after 16:30. Since I still had an hour until 16:30, I continued walking until I got to Hotel Abadia near the University of Burgos. I kept waking up at the albergue in Ages last night, so I needed  to get a good night sleep in a real bed. I checked in, showered, and then took a taxi back to the Burgos Cathedral at 17:00 to get my credencial stamp and tour the inside. While inside, I saw the Spanish guy who missed the cut off early in the morning. We waved to each other.

The taxi that dropped me off told me there was a taxi station somewhere near a bridge. Since international calls from my phone are expensive, I did not want to call a taxi. I'd have to find the taxi station. I wandered out of the old part of the city to the east for twenty minutes and by some miracle found two taxis idling near a bridge. I got a ride back to the hotel.

There was a Telepizza about a block from my hotel, so I got the individual menu again: a pizza with onions and green peppers, cheese sticks, and a Coke.

The archeological site near Atapuerca.

Entering Burgos.

McDonald's, I'm lovin' it.

The retablo of the cathedral.

The dome of the Burgos Cathedral.

Burgos.