~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!.
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!
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!
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!
The streets were empty as I walked out of town.Passing over the river.The morning was peaceful. There were lots of birds chirping and there weren’t many people out.There were storks hanging out in the fields. I can’t say I have ever seen them in real life so it’s intriguing to watch them. I find them very prehistoric looking but majestic in their own way.324km on/201 miles to go.Mushrooms on the trees in the forest. I wonder how many people have tried to eat them.What a fun playground. Especially for such a small town.More storks. The nests really are big enough to hold human babies.
Aww!
I made it to Leon very early in the day and got checked in. I had a private room and bathroom for 2 nights. I never realized how exciting it is to use a real towel when it’s been awhile since you have used one. The bathtub was tiny but I still enjoyed every minute of my soak!
Once I got settled, I met up with Nikki to have a wander.
Leon Cathedral
I was so happy to meet up with my 3 Spanish Friends before they left to go home to Madrid. I didn’t know Nikki was taking pictures in the background but I am so glad she did!
We planned for a farewell lunch with Father Mark, Annie and Marie as they were going their different ways from Leon and it turned into quite the get together. Sonya, Lou, Sharon, and Sabina joined us as well! We ate at Ezequiel Calle Ancha and the food was GREAT!
I ran into my Belgium roommate Veronique from Bercianos at the store as we were both needing new socks!Carlos was an amazing masseuse/osteopath and really did amazing work on my feet and legs. Apparently my plantar fasciitis is the least severe version so I just need to keep stretching. I am sharing his information because he was great I don’t have any relationship with him but if someone is reading this and are on the Camino…I would definitely reach out. (+34)649 17 91 24
I ended the night with a drink overlooking the cathedral and I ran into some friends along the way. Paul was my bunkmate the second night in Roncevalles and I sat with Sonia and Lou for dinner the first night in Orrison. I love how we run into people over and over when we least expect it. We all start out as strangers but really become friends and care about each other along the way. No one cares how much money a person has or what religion they believe in. We really just care about people as individuals.
Lately my schedule has been to be up and out between 5:30am – 6:30pm. It normally takes 30-40 minutes to manage foot maintenance and get everything packed up and out the door. I normally walk until 1:00pm-2:00pm and am in bed asleep between 8:00pm- 10:00pm. Today, I was up before sunrise and it was gorgeous!
I do enjoy setting off early and watching the sunrise. It makes it easier to get out earlier when I am woken up by someone’s snoring. Sometimes one must take the bad with the good.
Below are just some random shots from the day.
331 km/205 miles to go!
The path is lined with trees that provide shade in the afternoon. I did actually walk on the road a lot today because my feet were hurting from the rocks on the trail.
There are random statues and memorials everywhere.
Not many dogs out today so I had to settle for a cat picture. 😊
Someone tried to liven up the scenery and give the trees some color! Such a nice gesture.
Did you know this was the dead center of town!
Every mile or so there were huge picnic tables. It’s so nice to have a place to sit down for a bit.
I am on a similar path/timeline as this Korean mother daughter pair. The mother pulled her daughter out of school for 40 days to do the Camino and the little girl is such a good sport. I think she is really enjoying this walk and time with her mom.
These 3 guys and I have been on the same path for several days. As I mentioned, I am a slow walker so they always catch up to me in the mornings, exchange niceties and then continue on. We have also stayed in the same hostel several times. They are always playing cards and laughing amongst themselves. Last night we finally shared a room and I got to know them. SUCH NICE GUYS! They are part of a hiking club and live north of Madrid. They are walking as far as Leon and then will come back to finish the Camino in the fall. Anyways, they always make me laugh and are helpful and patient with my broken Spanish.
After seeing wheat and grassland for so long I was very excited to see cows!!!! I watched the calves for a bit. It looked like they were up to something!! Haha
Some towns really cater to the pilgrims because of the amount of income they bring. I think some towns are annoyed by them. I have witnessed entitled and rude behavior from pilgrims that is a bit embarrassing to be honest so I can understand both sides. Mansilla was a bit in between but had this lovely statue placed in one of the town squares which I loved and appreciated.
After a stop at the Farmacia, Nikki, Savina and I were going to go to the grocery store but it started raining so we suffered through a couple of drinks at the bar until it stopped. We finally made it to the grocery store where we didn’t really get anything that was healthy but had a fun look around!
Not sure what happened here…. We want a door…we don’t want a door…let’s close the door in…but we paid for an arch….screw it let’s leave half the arch and build a wall…???I know this statue is supposed to be of a pilgrim with sea shells on his lapel but he sure looks a bit boobie to me.
We finished the night off at a restaurant with the group. It wasn’t the best food but it also wasn’t the worst. Irish Kevin, Nikki, Sabina, Annie, Marie and Diane made for an interesting night of conversation!
Foot update: I have zero blisters! Yay! My shoes are great and there is no friction at all. I met 3 more people today who had and loved Hokas at home but they tore up their feet on the Camino. It’s too many to be a coincidence at this point. My arthritis in my big toe is acting up quite a bit and the plantar fasciitis is acting up in my left heal. Both are manageable and I have a plethora of creams and drugs to help. No matter the distance, the last 3-4 miles always feels really hard and it takes me about 30-60 minutes of sitting once I arrive to get to be able to function properly. That said, all of the pain is worth it. I’m having tons of fun, enjoying the people I meet and the lessons they give me and the experiences I am having.
I have a few more days left of the flat Meseta and then we move into another mountainous region again for the last third of the walk.
