Day 33: Astorga to SantaCatalinadeSamoza

I am so happy we planned a short walk for today (10 km) so we could spend the morning in Astorga. What an amazing city! We took the 8 AM train from León, then found a hotel that let us store our backpacks while we explored the city. Astorga was originally a Roman city (Augustus Astorga) and we saw some of the old Roman ruins that have been excavated. Astorga has an impressive cathedral, not only because it is on the Camino, but also because it was the seat of the Astorga diocese since the 3rd century. Gaudi actually built the palace for the bishop beside the cathedral, although it is a museum now. We only had a few hours in Astorga, and we definitely made the most of it.
We walked to the small village of Santa Catalina de Somoza in the heat of the afternoon, but still it was a nice walk. I did accuse Amy of putting rocks in my backpack, because it sure felt heavy. 🤣 I’m still not sure if I’ll keep carrying everything or if I’ll send a bag ahead, but for now I’m doing it. 👍
Our albergue “La Boheme” is a donativo, meaning you aren’t charged a rate, you pay what you wish. The owner, David, does everything himself, including cooking our dinner and washing our clothes. He’s a pretty phenomenal host! There are about 15 pilgrims staying here from all over the world…Brazil, Hong Kong, Korea, Italy, Belgium, Spain, and one other guy from the US. We had a nice communal dinner and met some cool people.
All in all, I would say it was a great first day on the Camino for Amy. 😊Weiterlesen