Day 25: To Astorga

Today was a (maybe too) long day. I hiked a little over 22 miles to the town of Astorga. When I started out my left shin was feeling much better. By the time I arrived, my left and right shins were bothering me.
I started out from my albergue Tio Pepe about 7:30 this morning and didn’t arrive until nearly 7pm. Tomorrow I am going to do a much shorter day. Fortunately, there were several small towns on the way to stop and get a coffee or Aquarius (a non-carbonated electrolyte drink that taste great). I stopped for lunch at ‘Hospital de Órbigo’. It was one of the more interesting small towns I’ve walked through. Some of my Camino family that is several days ahead of me told me then they were here there was a big medieval fair with jousting and the evidence of the celebration was still apparent when I arrived today. It turns out every June they celebrate Don Suero’s Jousting tournament.

A little history…. In 1434 the knight Don Suero had his heart broken so he locked an iron collar around his neck and declared he would host a jousting tournament here during the two weeks leading up to Saint James Day. Nobles got behind the event and champions showed up to take his dare. At the end of the two weeks Don Suero prevailed after breaking the lances of 300 opponents. He declared himself the victor, and free of the bonds of love. He then made the pilgrimage to Santiago as a final gesture of his release.

The whole town has a very medieval feel with the medieval bridge and Templar and Maltese crosses and coats of armor displayed around town.
The trail continued past rusty dirt (rock) farms and fields. I stopped by one and shared a little baby-cow love. Near San Justo de la Vega there was a little donativo (donation based) oasis with fruit (watermelon!), snacks, juice, teas and even hammocks available.
About an hour later I topped a hill with a little rest spot and a view of Astorga in the distance. I stopped and got a wax seal sellos for my credential from a vendor and continued on to my destination for the evening.Leggi altro