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  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    Day 27

    Astorga to Foncebadón

    April 28 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

    355 miles done. 145 to go.

    Slept 11 hours last night. Guess my body needed it! Today was 16 miles, all uphill…but a steady uphill. And it was gorgeous… the trail was flanked by flowering plants and bushes, from blues, to purples, to white, to yellow. And the smell of lavender all along the route was fantastic. To my southwest view all day was a snow covered peak and as I ascended the trail the entire day, I ended right below the snow line in a little village with a fantastic albergue that I’m staying at tonight. The place is charming and the food was fantastic.Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    Day 26

    Hospital de Órbigo to Astorga

    April 27 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 39 °F

    339 miles done. 161 to go.

    More scenic landscape today on this other side of León. Was a short day and I was finished walking for the day by 11:30 am, so I was able to walk around Astorga and visit the Cathedral and the Palacio de Gaudi.

    By 3:00 pm, I was starving and at both a hot dog and a flatbread (don’t judge) and then decided to take a nap. Woke up 4 hours later… whoops! Hopefully will still be able to sleep tonight!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    2
    Day 25

    León to Hospital de Órbigo

    April 26 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    328 miles done. 172 to go. 66%!

    Woke up and hit the road. I noticed that Spain treats Thursday nights like the start of the weekend and everything is closed on Fridays until late morning. Even cafes. So I started on my way at 8:00 am and walked for 3 hours before I found an open cafe. Had a quick coffee and then walked another 3.5 hours to my destination, Hospital de Órbigo. The walk itself wasn’t scenic… it was mostly along the side of highways and through industrial areas on the outskirts of Leon.

    Hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch, so I grabbed a burger at a little bar nearby the hotel after walking in mid-afternoon which sufficed for both lunch and dinner. I still have yet to have a good burger here in Spain.

    The Comic Sans font is used EVERYWHERE in Spain. On municipal signage, on menus, on billboards and other advertisements… really. It’s maddening! The only place this font should be used is in daycare centers as a cheerful font for 4 or 5 year olds who are learning to read. That’s it. Stepping down off soapbox now…

    Had a zoom meeting this evening with others who I will be walking with on the Portuguese Camino in October. I’m looking forward to seeing how that landscape differs from the Camino Frances.

    Rain, rain, and more rain forecast for tomorrow. Looks like it’ll be a wet day!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    11
    Day 23

    León Rest Day

    April 24 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    308 miles done. 192 to go. 62%!

    Day in Leon. I had a slow morning after sleeping till 9:00 am, then spent an hour at a cafe eating breakfast and deciding what to do with my day.

    Went to the Museo Casa Botines Gaudi and learned all about Gaudi’s architectural style and influences. Then dropped by the meat and fish market and once I saw you can buy a whole head of a cow, I was out. Eww.

    Then, just like every other town along the way, it was 1:30 pm and every business closes up shop for siesta. And then… it rained. Fiercely for the rest of the afternoon, and the forecast is for off and on rain the next 10 days. Ugh. I’ll have to time my walking to the forecast of the lightest rain. Tomorrow is a 20 mile day, so I’m sure I’ll need to find cover at some point to escape the weather.

    Met up with some fellow pilgrims for drinks and tapas for dinner and then caught up on the news (and what the heck is going on with the stock market?! 😬).

    Check out the view from my hotel room! Couldn’t be closer to the Cathedral! Gotta get up early-ish to walk and beat the rain. Night!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    11
    Day 23

    Mansilla de las Mulas to León

    April 24 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 37 °F

    308 miles done. 192 to go. 62%!

    There were no cars coming. I looked both ways. There wasn’t a cross walk, so I crossed. Immediately after getting to the other side of the street, two police officers appeared and motioned for me to come to them. Immediately there was a pit in my stomach. Was I going to be arrested for jaywalking?

    The León police asked me for my passport. So, I got out my US passport and they looked at it and said excitedly, “Colorado!” What they really wanted though was my Camino passport. And out of one of their vests, they pulled their little stamp device in order to give me a stamp in my Camino passport. Then they said “Goodbye Colorado!” and walked away.

    I’m so glad I’m not in jail for jaywalking. But now I have a fun police stamp in my Camino passport (see pics).

    Toured the Cathedral, ate a huge lunch of pasta and cheese, did laundry, took a nap, met up with my Australian gals, late dinner. Tomorrow is a rest day here in León. Gonna do all the touristy things. Very long walk on Friday, so I’ll need the rest. Buenas noches!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    1
    Day 22

    Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de

    April 23 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F

    296 miles done. 204 to go. 59%!

    Coming near the end of the Meseta and the farmland as far as you can see. I’m excited to get past León and enter the last 200 miles of the journey. Especially looking forward to having my second and last rest day in Leon to do laundry and relax my legs a bit.

    It was chilly today and I feel like I can’t get warm enough. Still, wearing sandals at the end of the daily walk feels amazing, so I added socks to my sandals. Not just socks, but toe socks. So yeah. Judge me. You’d have done the same. On the Camino, all sense of fashion or what is right or proper is out the window. I saw a couple at breakfast who were wearing “long johns,” but not the kind that you wear skiing. They were very thin and black, like thicker pantyhose, and they were wearing them over their white underwear, at breakfast. Pretty much entirely see-through, with his tighty-whities and her granny-panties all bunched up underneath the black hosiery. So, we all wear what we have, what may or may not be semi-clean (I really really need to find a laundry tomorrow), and we just roll with it.

    Joined a table of pilgrims tonight and traded lots of stories and reasons why we are on the Camino. The consensus was really “why not?” and “finding myself.” Same.

    León tomorrow and rest day there the next. Needed!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    1
    Day 21

    Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercian

    April 22 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    280 miles done. 220 to go. 56%…over half way

    16 miles walk today, and met several people along the way for whom the pain of blisters, or a hurt ankle, or other malady is a struggle. Prayers for them as they slowly push through their pain on the Camino.

    Around lunchtime, I found a little place that advertised pizzas. I’d been craving one. They had many options, but I chose the Tex Mex one and it was fantastic to have some spicy food… Spanish food (at least that I’ve encountered) isn’t spicy at all and is fairly bland, similar to English food. The Tex Mex pizza hit the spot.

    Dinner was a typical pilgrims meal… and bland. lol.

    Downloaded a couple episodes of Franklin on AppleTV and watched them before bed. Amazing forefather of the US who was gifted in so many various ways.

    Till tomorrow—    Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    1
    Day 20

    Carrión de los Condes to Terradillos de

    April 21 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    262 miles done. 238 to go. 52%…I’m over half way!!

    16 miles walk today, so was a longer short walk today. Unfortunately in this season of the Camino, the Meseta, the scenery is quite bland. Just long grass, rapeseed (yellow flowing plant from my which canola oil is made from the seeds), and newly tilled dirt, everywhere. Nothing like the beginning of the Camino where at almost every peak, you gasp with taking in the beauty before you.

    Staying at the most rural of the alburgues I’ve stayed at thus far… it’s like a small farm just along the side of the road. But, I bought a bottle of their most expensive local rioja (12 €), and enjoyed it in the sun for 10 minutes (cause I just need a little color without getting burned) and then moved to the cooler shade.

    Had the pilgrims dinner full of carbs and then talk with Bryan before heading to bed. Night!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    Day 19

    Frómista to Carrión de los Condes

    April 20 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    246 miles done. 254 to go. 49%…almost half way!

    Very short walk today and walked most of the way with Dianne and Sharon, a couple from Australia. They are a hoot and fun to talk to. Mostly grass fields and graveled paths today with very little elevation changes.

    Went to mass at the Catholic Church in town and then had a late pilgrim’s dinner. Tomorrow I will be at 50% of the total distance and as of today, I’m 21 days away from kissing Bryan again. It is true that distance makes the heart grow fonder. I’m missing a piece of me, and Bryan is that piece.

    Night!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino de Santiago
    Day 18

    Castrojeriz to Frómista

    April 19 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    235 miles done. 265 to go. 47%…almost half way!

    8 hours of walking today, but had great company with my audiobook, Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. Bugs were very active today and it was annoying, but nothing to really do about it. Just blow your nose with like a dozen bug visitors in it, and do it again, and again.,. (Also, I found one in my teeth once I finally got to a mirror in a proper bathroom). Fiber.

    Got to my destination of Fromista and had drinks with two gals from Australia and a guy from Canada. Then off to my hotel which, and not an exaggeration, is an oasis. It is appointed nicely, and I took advantage of it. The Camino knows when you need a break. A real break. Like a shower with good water pressure. A little (very cold) dipping pool to put your sore feet in for a bit. A bottle of wine all to yourself for the afternoon with good WiFi to reconnect with your husband and life. And several hours where you have no expectations on yourself other than to just be. The entire place is encompassed by a soothing spa fragrance that is clean, inviting, and soothing. That was today. I needed it. And the Camino provided.

    In Spain, they don’t ask you how you like your meat cooked. And even if you have the foresight to try to tell them, it doesn’t actually matter. It will come from the kitchen as done as they like. Always rare at the top end, very rare often, and mooing if they are really busy. It is what it is, and you sometimes hope your beef tartare is of the quality that you won’t be heaving 4 hours later. (So far so good here)    Read more

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