The roadside pit stop was an interesting one. The hotel was attached to a service station. When Ron and I sat in the bar typing away at our blogs all the locals started pouring in. Woohoo! Let’s go to the servo and hang out for a beer. It must’ve been the only watering hole in town because it became quite crowded and rowdy but in a good way.
We ordered a meal at the bar and seemed to be the only ones ordering food. Everyone else was having coffee and drinks as 7pm was probably way too early for them to even consider food. We both ordered the same thing, a seafood paella for entree and a spring lamb with potato for main. Ron had a flan for dessert which is like a creme caramel and I had ice-cream which was basically a Cornetto. The meal was enjoyable enough and had flavour. My paella had part of a lobster head in it which I wasn’t really partial to so that was left aside. The lamb was good too. Nothing to write home about. Next time I have a meal I will try to remember to take some snaps. We’re off to the local Albergue tonight for a $10 pilgrims meal so we’ll see how that goes.
It was a foggy morning again starting out as seems to be the theme the last couple of days. Hopefully we’re getting some sunshine going by the weather forecasts on my phone. I’m longing for a sunny day. I’m over these misty photos.
We took an inland road as an option today so we weren’t stuck on the side of the main highway again. The path was well signed with the yellow arrows so we had no trouble finding our way. The path led us through farmland and crops of cereal and corn. At times it was really quiet with not much going on.
We passed a couple of farmers out on the fields ploughing which seemed to be the only activity we could see.
It was really eerie walking through this section of track. It was deathly still and the only sound that could be heard occasionally was a crow which made it all the more sinister. Sometimes we could see them. I kept saying to Ron when are we going to see an Orc jump out of the bushes wielding an axe and come for us. Quite funny thinking about it now but it was that spooky and I don’t think I would’ve walked it by myself as my mind would have played too many tricks on me.
It started to drizzle at this point so out came the wet weather gear to cover the packs and ourselves. We met a few more pilgrims (not orcs) at this point and met up with them later for dinner this evening at the Albergue.
We came upon the town of Astorga soon enough and we stopped by the cathedral and paid the fee to have a look at it. €3.50. All the cathedrals seem to charge to go inside in Spain. Well, in the cities I’ve visited so far. Mass is said in a side chapel which has free entry but to see the actual cathedral itself there always seems to be a fee.
After Astorga it was a 10km walk to our home town for the night and for the most part it was uphill, not unbearably so. The path looked like this for the majority of the way. We met a fellow German pilgrim in Astorga and walked the path with him to our home town for the night.
We had dinner with these two guys which meant my blogging time was cut short. That and the terrible Spanish internet. Perhaps tomorrow I might share more of what else has been happening with me as I walk the Camino.
Till then….
For stats and a map of today’s walk you’ll find them below.
Buen Camino! 😊