Camino Day 26: Astorga to Foncebadón

Total Distance: 21.9km
Step Count: 33.4k
Blisters to date: 2
Tortillas to date: 22
Injuries: shin splints

I’d planned a relatively short day today so I could sleep in a bit (till 7) and not much was open around us for brekkie so I happily accepted a ride to the next town. This would save me 5km walking out of the city (cheating? 🫣). I’d already taken a boat and a bus so this just added a bit more variety to the mode of transport mix!

We were enjoying some seriously delicious tortillas for brekkie and bumped into Szab and Ben, a Hungarian dad and son who were doing the Camino together (so adorable!). Ben and I had met many days earlier and bonded over the amount of weight in our packs allocated to journals! Ben also seemed to have everything happen to him: blisters, pains, aches and today’s latest, a whole bunch of crazy bites on his feet and arms that were all scary swollen. Despite this, he was one of the most upbeat and optimistic people I encountered on my way.

We gave him the famous ointment and then it was time to say goodbye to Jorge 🥺 and get on with the 20km I still had to walk that day. 🥾

A bit into my walk, I got a message from Lukas saying to keep an eye out for the guy who made these wax stamps we all wanted on our credentials. No one knew where we’d find the guy and it was a lovely addition to our collection! It’s a beautiful and clever way to fund the Camino too.

All the towns along the way today were roughly 5km apart so it was easy to take a bit of a rest every hour or so. The last 6km would be all uphill under the scorching sun to Foncebadón which was up in the mountain. The town was beautiful and left us a mere 30min walk from la Cruz de Ferro where we’d enjoy sunrise the next day.

I finally met Lukas at the parroquial albergue in town which offered beds for a donation (great for people with a tight budget). There was only one bed left so we asked Fernando (the hospitalero) if he’d save it for a friend who was behind us and needed it more than we did. He was surprised by our thoughtfulness and concern for others that he offered us mattresses on the floor (which we kindly declined) and then invited us to join them in the morning for breakfast (which we promised we’d join). Kindness begets kindness! ✨

We were exhausted so after feasting at La Taberna de Gaia (a really cool medieval restaurant), and quickly bumping into Mark (best hugs on the Camino!), we called it a day. Yay for sleep! 🛌En savoir plus