Villadangos del Paramo to Astorga (18.24 miles / 29.37 kms)

I have decided not to predict what my next day will be as I always seem to say I hopefully will have a short day, and then they turn out long. Just like today when I assumed last night that it would only be fifteen miles and a short day. As it turned out it was over eighteen miles and a full day. Speaking to other pilgrims today my mileage was fairly accurate because others mentioned close to and over nineteen miles.

My memory of specific sections on the Camino elude me, and that could be because there was a split with two alternative routes today and I took the one running next to the highway today thinking I could move onto it if it was possible, and thankfully I did for a small section of it.

The forecast was for rain today but it never rained while I was walking until the last few minutes as I entered Astorga. It’s been like that almost everyday it’s rained. The weather, for me, was prefect for trekking, cool and overcast.

I had breakfast with the man from Mexico before leaving this morning. He is having his stuff shipped to Astorga and was planning to try and walk there, and I hope he makes it. After finishing the day, and hearing from others, today was not an easy section. I sure hope I meet him again.

The Camino started out on a brick road in town and then crossed a canal and moved onto a nice wide, and compacted, gravel road. It ran through woods for a distance and then moved to a two tire wide section that ran parallel to the highway for much of the way.

I moved onto the highway shoulder for much of this section because the Camino path was directly next to the highway, and again, it’s much easier to pull the Wheelie on that surface.

While walking on the highway at a fairly good pace and rhythm, I was suddenly shocked my someone behind me that started to pass me on foot and said, “Buen Camino.” It turned out to be a man pushing a quadriplegic man in a special wheel chair. Right behind them was a woman that was also with them. I had to speed up, almost to a slow run, to keep up with the woman to ask her what they were doing. Apparently they were part of an organization that was pushing the quadriplegic man from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago for a fund raiser for a spinal injury support organization. The group here consisted of many volunteers, a small RV that the man slept in at night, and the man’s wife and daughter that were walking their Camino on foot. They had raised over ten thousand pounds so far. I couldn’t keep up their fast pace and quickly fell behind. What a great thing!

Just outside Hospital de Orbigo the Camino moved off the highway and crossed over a long old stone Roman bridge into the city. The crossing over the bridge was such a beautiful scene and was worth a thousand pictures.

The little town of Hospital de Orbigo is very short but the walk through area must have recently been redone in new cobble stone streets and walkways, and side by side houses and stores must have had front facelifts because it looked like what the village must have looked like new hundreds of years ago.

Outside of town the Camino splits in two alternative routes that connect again within about three miles. I unfortunately took the one running parallel to the highway, which turned out to be a very narrow path that was difficult to walk on with the Wheelie because the wheels were in the grass and brush. I was almost forced to move onto the highway for a short distance until the Camino moved back off the highway to join the other route in the village of Santibanez de Valdeiglesias. It surprises me how many of these tiny village that are probably hundreds of years old that are along the Camino. I assume many of them now depend on the tourism from the Camino, and then again, they probably have survived for hundreds of years because the Camino.

Once past the village the Camino again opened to a nice wide and compacted route with some steep long hills, but that changed quickly as the surface became small rocks and pebbles. That along with some steep hills always poses a challenge for me pulling the Wheelie. When I encounter them I feel like that big truck that flies by you at a high speed (that’s me at a good rhythm and pace) and then when you hit that steep uphill you see that truck crawling along in the slow lane (that’s me going uphill on a rough surface).

At what turned out to be the last steep uphill climb before Astorga there is a little snack and fruit stand that a friend of the Camino has set up for the pilgrims. There were countless snacks, drinks, and big boxes of fruit, and my favorite, big cut up pieces of watermelon. I first thought it was just another vendor making money, but the young Spanish man, and his Australian girlfriend, don’t ask for money as there is a donation box that he hardly mentions. I am sure he makes enough to keep himself going.

Just before dropping down into Astorga you come to the top of the hill with a large cross. From there you can see Astorga in the background, and it’s deceiving because it looks close but it’s still several miles away.

Once you are in Astorga, and you see the big city sign, that last long distance trek to your lodging that I joked about before comes into play. Sure you are there, but hey this is Spain, so how much further and how much higher and steeper to I have to go to get to my lodging? In this case it’s short but that last few hundred yards are steep, I mean really steep! San Francisco, Lombard Street steep, if you’ve been there?

Luckily my hotel was almost at the top of this last steep climb. Yes, I am almost shameful to say, I am staying at a hotel. Should I be embarrassed to stay at a hotel, a fancy one at that, when I’ve stayed in so many alberques and I mentioned the true feeling for me of being on the Camino is staying at alberques? No, I shouldn’t be, because I’ve experienced much of the Camino in my three times here, and because I plan a zero day, so it might as well be nice at a nice place.

Actually I had planned a zero day because my blister had been bothering me and I need to take the time to find the best way to protect it for getting worse and then take a day of rest to hopefully help heal it. It’s in an awkward spot on the ball of my foot that is hard to protect. Blisters on the toes are easy to wrap and protect, but the ball of your foot gets constants movement and it’s a place hard to get bandages, etc., to stick. As I mentioned before, this is the exact same spot I developed a giant blister that sent me to the emergency room and then home for two weeks on my trek to Canada.

When I was looking for a hostal or hotel in Astorga I was surprised that they were so much more than the places I have gone through. It’s because the closer you get to Santiago the more pilgrims start their camino’s and therefore the higher the demand and the lower the supply.

I ended up staying at the Hotel Spa (fancy that, me staying at a spa!) Via del la Plata. I got it cheaper (€60) by calling direct rather than through Booking.com or other online sites. It was actually the cheapest of the hotels listed here and rated one of the best. I am sure there were cheaper ones but I was trying to make arraignments while walking.

I checked in and was rather surprised by how fancy the hotel was. Again, I can’t stay at too many places like this or I’ll have a hard time staying at alberques. I went to the supermercado and ended up buying food and had dinner in my room. First TV in a while, and I love all those American programs dubbed in Spanish!

I took a hot bath in the tub, and then moved to the separate shower to rinse. How fancy and decadent for the Camino! Now I see what those poor Day Walkers must go through every day after they have their stuff transported to their next hotel every day. I almost feel sorry for them! Yeah, right!

Last time I was here I only passed through and didn’t really look around. If I prep my blister today and it feels better, I may take a short tour of the plaza mayor and cathedral area.

Hopefully my blister feels better because I have to admit that I am a little frustrated because I am more than half way to Santiago, and only with about one hundred sixty miles to go, and a thing like a blister is sidelining me. I will stay positive as I have every day. I usually start my day with a prayer and meditation, but I have learned to think of all the positive things I have in life, or experience every day. If I do that, it fills my mind with many, many, more positives than any negatives.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

As always, please excuse the typos, grammar, and spelling, etc., because I am writing this on my phone and don’t always review my blog. And, even if I don’t review it, it’s s good a good excuse for my mistakes!

Leaving in the morning

Crossing a canal and moving into a little forest area

The two wheel Camino trail next to the highway. Note the water spots that I constantly had to go around

The quadriplegic man in the wheel chair and his supporter pushing him as they fly by me

Just a nice view from the Camino

I love the design of the water towers

The bridge into Hospital de Orbigo

The bridge into Hospital de Orbigo with me

The Camino with the narrow path, which was a challenge with the width of the Wheelie

Entering Santibanez de Valdeiglesias

Back on the nice wide and compacted Camino

Rough going, steep and rocky. It’s much steeper than it appears in the photo

What a great place to stop and find watermelon to eat. I could not have asked for anything better to eat after that long sweaty climb uphill

Looking at Astorga in the background

Steep descent down into Astorga

I am finally here! Not really, maybe a mile to go, and the last steep climb to my hotel

Ok, my fancy home for the night

The hotel is actually very beautiful and in keeping with the style of the old architecture

View from my room

Where is my room? Valet?

Pretty fancy for me

Where are the hot towels. Hey, I slept in alberques with plastic mattress covers and no pillows, so I can have fancy once in a while

You can’t see all those beautiful scenes without seeing the beauty of my foot! See why I need a zero day at the “Spa!” The toes are fine and are just wrapped for prevention