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Category: Camino de Santiago 5/2023 Page 6 of 9

Day 24: Rest Day in Leon

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On May 25, 2023

In Camino de Santiago 5/2023

Miles: 6.71/Steps: 14,745

Today’s Selfie

We started the day with a tour of the cathedral. It was absolutely stunning.

Of all the statues, this was my favorite. Something about his smile made me want to sit and tell him all of my thoughts and secrets.

After we left, we came across a cute market. The saddest part of doing a backpack trip is that you can’t buy anything because you have to carry it! It was fun to look at though!

We walked the city walls and around town for a bit.

I love that their walk/don’t walk sign is of their mascot.

We saw Taco Bell, KFC, Dominos Pizza and Burger King. I can’t believe so many American fast food restaurants have made it over to Spain!

We also ran into my roommates from Estella. I am excited to see that they are still traveling together!

We enjoyed some street art.

We had lunch in front of the Leon Cathedral with my friend Ines from the Agnes Alburgue and one of the ladies we ate dinner with in Rabanal.

I toured the St Isidoro church. (I felt like I was going full circle since I used to go to St Isidore’s School.

I had a few drinks with Nikki before heading home and came across a dog training class in front of the cathedral. Does it get any better? It was a great day! Even though it was a rest day, I still got 15k steps!

Day 25: Leon to San Martin Del Camino

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On May 26, 2023

In Camino de Santiago 5/2023

Miles: 19.39 /Steps: 42,481

Todays Selfie

I left early to swing by the cathedral on my way out of town.
The streets were empty.
The park statue looked cool with its lighting.
I saw a Tesla charging station and had to share a picture with Howard.
My 5 year old maturity level made me take this picture. I thought of tons of inappropriate things to say but will leave them to your imagination.
Dominic, your Virgin is here waiting for you!
Todays dog of the day.

The scenery was a lot dryer than some of the other places we have been.

Love seeing the storks. There are a lot of nests!
Random gym equipment is placed in parks!

After 14 miles of walking next to the freeway, we finally made it to San Martin del Camino. It was a long, boring walk and the only excitement was pretending to pull the chain for the truck drivers hoping they would honk their horn. I got about 20 honks throughout the day. It made me giggle each time!

Home for the night!

Nikki and I got into town around 12:30, checked into our alburgue and had a look around town. It was a ghost town with only 1 bar and a small grocery store. We decided to take a quick nap and then catch a cab to Astorga to check it out. First we went to the Chocolate Museum and then we went to the Astorga Cathedral.
Knowing we would be walking to Astorga the next day, we were unexcited about the drive home because we saw the trek we would be walking the next day and it was along the road and felt very far.

The Astorga Cathedral had a really cool VR set up so you could see all of the different views of the cathedral. It was really well done.
While walking back to catch the taxi we ran into Audrė from Lithuania. She is moving on so I’m not sure we will meet up again! Buen Camino Audrė!

It was a great mini adventure and we were still able to make it home for the communal dinner!

I had a private room but had to use the shared restroom. It was nice just to have some privacy.
The Alburgue Manager was very helpful and had her hands full with all the pilgrims!

Day 26: San Martin del Camino to Astorga

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On May 27, 2023

In Camino de Santiago 5/2023

Miles: 17.99/ Steps: 39,387

Todays selfie

Most of the path was along the freeway. The only enjoyable part is getting the truck drivers to honk their horns.

Getting close! 174 miles to go!

Walking into Hospital de Orbigo was beautiful.
A lot of the front yards were gorgeous and so well manicured.
There is a story behind the bridge (which I read on https://caminotimestwo.com/) that I thougth was interesting. In the fifteenth century, the knight Don Suero fell in love with Lady Leonor, who unfortunately did not return his affections. Don Suero, who should have gone on to become the patron saint of emo, displayed his heartbreak by fasting and donning an iron collar every Thursday to show himself a “prisoner of love.” (That “every Thursday” part gets me every time.)
But a weekly collar wasn’t enough to get over the lady’s rejection, so in 1434 Don Suero also announced that he would joust any knight brave enough to fight him on the long bridge of Hospital del Órbigo. When he won 300 lances, he said, he would remove the collar and be free of his affliction. This became known as the tournament of the Honorable Passage.
Oh, but Don Suero didn’t really intend to fight all 300 jousts himself. Because there are bros in every century, he managed to convince nine of his closest friends to fight in his place sometimes — probably on Thursdays, when he was hampered by the collar.
The contests commenced, and since 1434 was a Jacobean holy year, there were many nobles passing through. However, not everyone wanted to fight (those who did not wish to participate in the tournament were required to throw a glove on the ground and ford the river instead of taking the bridge).  Plus, Don Suero and his pals didn’t win every joust. The ten knights combined had broken fewer than 200 lances when the judges, at the king’s order and probably because the jousts were about to impede the annual cattle drive through the city, announced that the contest was over, and Don Suero was the winner. They ceremoniously removed the knight’s collar and sent him far, far away — on a pilgrimage to Santiago, of course.
After leaving Hospital de Obrigo, it started to rain and was super windy. I felt like I was going to fly away.
167 miles to go!
Cruciero de Santo Toribo overlooking Astorga.
Such a fun statue that was also a water fountain.
We stopped in a restaurant called Bar Oasis that is known for its “tortilla”. It was especially tasty because it had green chili peppers in it.

Nikki and I got into Astorga and checked into a hotel! It was such a treat to be in a hotel rather than just an alburgue. Afterwards we went to check out the Gaudi Museum. The detail was exquisite.

Is that poop on my head or do I need to get a new barber.
I’m not sure I would have wanted this doll when I was a kid because she is so scary!
Would you like a side of boobs with that dish?
Coins found on the premises when they refurbished the building.
More wall art. They wear these outfits for Semana Santa (Easter Week).
We spent a lovely afternoon in the spa and both had massages. We then went out to dinner and met up with Barb and ended the night hanging out in our posh room!

Day 27: Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

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On May 28, 2023

In Camino de Santiago 5/2023

Miles: 15.44/ Steps: 33,811

Todays selfie

One last look at the Astorga Cathedral

Let’s talk about Spanish bathrooms!

Bano Facts:

~If you want to use a restaurant’s bathroom you have to buy something.

~Most bathrooms have motion sensors lights. If you sit still for too long the lights will go out.
~If there is toilet paper, it is never on the roll but rather sitting somewhere else.
~A lot of toilets don’t have seats and if they do they are often cracked or they are loose.
~There is never soap or paper towels.

~Bathrooms are specified for men and women but nobody pays attention to the signs.
~There is always a mop in the bathroom

Below are some random pictures from the day.

Walking into Rabanal del Camino, we were greeted by several gorgeous cows.
When I checked into the hostel and got to my bed, Nikki had surprised me with the a cute backpacker girl that she purchased from the hotel owner! So cute!
Home for the night!

Rabanal del Caminowas such a cute village! There were tons of cats and dogs roaming the streets and all of them were looking for cuddles.

Lunch was amazing and we enjoyed the company of Italians, Spaniards, Australians and me!
I had a great cuddle and nap with this dog. He just loved the attention.
Nikki took one for the team and tried out the foot massage chair. She let us know that it was as painful as childbirth and not to try it!
We went to mass and heard the Gregorian Monks sing. Nikki was even able to get us front row seats. Ultimately it got us in trouble though because we got the giggles during the performance.
Gregorian Monks singing.
Walking home, we met these 4 lovely Senoras who were all 80 years or older. They were so kind and made me giggle. They had all lived in this village since they were little girls and were just hanging out watching the pilgrims.
We have crisscrossed with Marisa and Steve several times over the past few days. Sadly, we are going a different directions tomorrow so we said our goodbyes with promises to keep in touch. With that, we had an early night because it was going to be an early morning!.

Day 28: Rabanal del Camino to Molinseca

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On May 30, 2023

In Camino de Santiago 5/2023

Miles:19.15 Steps: 41,926

Todays Selfie

Today was one of the hardest days so far but it was so beautiful it was worth it. It was almost 2000 feet incline and 2600 feet decline. The views were amazing and there were so many amazing distractions that it made the day such a happy memory despite the rocky ground and fall that I had going downhill (I’m fine…just a few bruises luckily!). I started in the dark because it was a long walk and I didn’t want to be walking in the hot afternoon.

Sunrise over Fromista

Cruz de Ferro

Cruz de Ferro is a wooden post that has an iron cross on top that has a lot of sentimentalism for Pilgrims on the Camino. At the bottom, there is a mound of rocks and other items that has been forming over the years due to the tradition of pilgrims bringing stones here from their homes. Stones are left to symbolize you leaving all your burdens behind. I brought 3 stones with me. 2 from home and one from the beginning of the Camino and associated 3 different worries to them. I have left them at the cross and set them to the universe to take care of. It was a very emotional morning for all the pilgrims actually. You could see a lot of people left a lot of fears, worries and sadness on that mound.

After the cross, we had a crazy decent that was rocky and steep. It helped to distract people from their thoughts becuase they really had to focus on their steps.

Here are some pictures from the day.

The path was horrible today. It was either very rocky or uneven panels of rocks. I couldn’t have imagined what it would have been like in the rain.

We walked thru several small villages. Most were deserted.
Lily and her Dad reminded me of Rocket and Howard.
In the middle of nowhere this angel was standing and selling cherries. It was such a nice reprieve from the long and arduous walk.
There were so many butterflies who visited me while walking. It really kept me motivated.
I have never been so happy to get to my destination!
View from the bridge and actually where I spent most of the afternoon sipping wine, eating lunch, watching pilgrims walk in (over the bridge) and enjoying the rest.
Bridge leading into town. (Mentioned above).
Sen0r Oso is a great albergue. Jose was an amazing host and the hostel was very comfortable and clean.
Nikki graciously gave me the bottom bunk. Our hostel was great and the owner was phenomenal.
This is where I will be walking to tomorrow morning!

After filling ourselves with good food and good wine, we headed home before it started to rain. We hung out in the common room for a bit and then called it a night. I had a bad cough and had to leave the room a couple of times so I wouldn’t keep everyone awake. It also go a bit hot because Nikki and I were sharing with 2 men who radiated so much heat and no one opened the windows before we went to sleep.

Day 29: Molinseca to Villafranco

By

On May 30, 2023

In Camino de Santiago 5/2023

Miles: 20.75/Steps: 45,432

Todays Selfie

We woke up to seat cushions on the stairwell and lovely postcards for everyone from the hostel manager. It was such a special touch.
All was quiet in the world when I left town.
The Pilgrim fountain and the birds chirping were the only noises to be heard.

I had read about this tree before coming. A man from the Japanese Sister City carved this Buddha into the tree and was able to do so without killing it. It was pretty phenomenal to look at although it did look a bit like female genitalia.

The sunrise was gorgeous!
Joe from Seattle and I tried to capture the sunrise pictures but photos don’t do it justice.

I walked the first part of the hike with him this morning. I’ve met a lot of people and heard a lot of stories on the hike but have to say Joe has lived (and still is living) the most amazing life and has the best stories. If he ever decides to write a book, I would be the first to buy it.

The walk into Ponferrada

Breakfast of champions while overlooking the castle. Funny story about this breakfast. My asthma inhaler fell out of my bag while I was here. Luckily Joe found it and knew it was mine. He and I know the same people on the Camino and knew people that were ending in the same town I was and was able to hand it off to the right people. Not kidding, I had it in hand by 8:00pm that night!
Wall art while walking out of Ponferrada.

There were 2 paths to get to our final destination. I didn’t realize the one that I took added an extra 30 minutes to the walk but it was gorgeous and away from the road. Lots of grapevines!
There were beautiful churches and buildings as I walked into Villafranco.

Since tonight was going to be our last night together, (I split a harder stage into 2 days) Nikki invited me to stay with her in her private room. She sent me her details the night before and we realized that she booked her room in the Villafranco near Barcelona! In a panic, we were able to find this beautiful room in a gorgeous hotel. It was our last big treat on the Camino and so fun! A bunch of us got together to celebrate Nikki’s birthday for dinner (a day early)! We even had feathers and candles for the cake! 😊

Savina, Nikki, Caroline, Lou, Jette, Me and German Anna

Happy Birthday Nikki!

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