Mazarife to Astorga
We left the hotel around 7:00 am as we knew it would a long day - around 20 miles. It was dark outside so we had our headlamps on. There was a full moon out and it appeared to be hovering over the fields of corn.
It was 43 degrees when we started the Camino this morning. We wore shorts but dressed in layers to keep our core warm. We have long pants, and if it gets colder we will certainly be wearing them. The high today was in the mid-60s, so by 12:00 pm the extra layers were removed.
We had hoped to grab some breakfast at our first village, Villavante, but nothing was open. Our next village was Hospital de Orbigo where we were able to grab a bite. We crossed the Puente Orbigo which dates back to the 13th century. It’s difficult to see it in the photo below, but there are 19 arches spanning what used to be a very wide river. We had read that they still have jousting contests in the grassy area below the bridge. That would be really cool to see.
Before reaching our destination, Astorga, we had to cross over some train tracks. The bridge we used was quite a contraption and reminded me of the old children’s game Mouse Trap (I included a picture below). We arrived in Astorga around 2:00 pm. We checked in and asked for a restaurant recommendation. It was Michelin starred Restaurante Serrano, and it did not disappoint. I won’t go into details except to say I had a lamb filled cannelloni with a béchamel sauce with shaved truffle on top. It was amazing and just reinforced for me how much we love this region of Spain.
Tomorrow we head to Rabanedo del Camino. We say goodbye to the mostly flat Meseta and start gaining elevation. Update: We had the opportunity to visit the cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace and Museum which is another building designed by Antoni Gaudi. It now houses a museum of pilgrimage relics from Astorga’s many years service to the Camino. It is a wonderful building and it actually impressed me a bit more than the cathedral.
1 Comment
Rick Knight
9/23/2021 12:14:12 pm
Wow! Almost 20 miles!
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AuthorsGreg and James live in Pleasanton in Northern California and are on a pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago in Spain. Their adventures are captured in this blog. Archives
October 2021
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