Now in beautiful Astorga

This morning was cold, about 8° and we started off with jackets on and fingers tingling. And a cold wind, which we seemed to be walking into…so I first took off my big blue hat, changed to my small floppy one and finally abandoned hats and just put up the hood on my jacket…but it was absolutely invigorating, and we strode off at a good pace, walking with Sandee, one of the Americans we met at dinner last night. She is very pleasant, lives in Northern California, and is walking alone, and using the same company to book her itinerary so we are staying at the same hotel. The walk was 17.9 kms and we took about 5 hours including stops. Left Hospital de Órbigo at 8.45 and arrived here at the hotel at 2.15.

Today was not monotonous countryside - it undulated, lots of cornfields, we walked up hill and down dale. Stopped a couple of times…once at a bar where I introduced Sandee to ColaKao, and once at a small hippy bar where there was a man playing a guitar (of songs even I remembered!) and a dog wanting people to kick or throw his ball, they sold fruit, tea, coffee, juice…Cathy has made a nice video of the scene that she will add.

You get to see Astorga in the distance long before you actually arrive, as there is a complicated rail crossing and then you have to ascend to enter the walled city. We found our way to the lovely, very comfortable 3* hotel, overlooking the Gaudi palace, and all is good. We have dinner here in their fine dining room..now about to go out on the town to explore, and Cathy will continue ….
After a relax at the hotel we meandered the city walls, wandered through the city. As it was really windy we opted for a pre dinner drink at the bar. Despite being an opulent hotel, service was like Fawlty Towers and no tapas with the drinks. We went to a Mass at the nearby convent. Mum and I had a lovely dinner at the restaurant hotel. Delicious scallops and salmon. A chat with Paul before bed as he’s arrived with Charlie and Jaimee in Italy. Sleep calls as another big walk tomorrow.Read more