Besides nothing is ever open, but unfortunately I´m walking through Astorga and I´d much rather walk through here when everything is open - I´ve missed the Chocolate Museum - not happy!!
It´s becoming very frosty in the mornings and I´d really like a pair of gloves - not going to get them in Astorga on a Sunday! Its a great walk and my feet aren´t too bad - but a school excursion of kids is looming and Iñm looking for a bar to escape for coffee....it´s too early on Sunday to deal with a large bunch of screaming, yelling, yabbering school kids - obviously doing a section of the Camino for a project or some such thing. SOOOOO glad I was not staying in the Alburgue they all stayed at last night!! Coffee is my friend and I find it 5km after I start, just at the school kids are gaining...phew!! PEACE
The big event for today is the Cruceiro Santo Toribio (the 5th century Bishop Toribio of Astorga who supposedly fell to his knees here at the cross in a final farewell having been banished from the town)!! It appeals to be some kind of "holy grail" for some anyway with many commenting how important it is and having pics taken etc. A stunningly sunny day and the views are spectacular!
I wander through Astorga via the "pic Historic" route (for photo addicts like me) and nearly get seriously skittled as I stumble upon and oncoming Sunday "Cyclathon..." damn they are serious and of all ages and sizes" they are all cycling at full tilt and should you slightly meander off course you will get tyre tread marks across your face....!!! ;-) I finally reach the Cathedral Plaza and its also a swarth of people - its the Porsche Club outing and they´re all parked near the Gaudi Museo. I see some familiar faces sitting in the sun in the Cathedral Plaza and join them for a glass of vino and lunch - its a stunning day but aware I need to continue for another 10km!!
Finally arriving at my Alburgue I find more familiar faces - Whiskers NY (a New Yorker who looks like santa) and the German & Belgium with the dog and a few others. Its like a mini reunion every night - you just don´t know who you´re going to bump into!! As Forest Gump would say "life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you´re going to get!!"
You'll have the Cruz de Ferro under your belt now and, at the pace you're going, probably 0'Cebreiro as well. So you've got all the heavy terrain behind you so you can ease up and enjoy the 'cruise' down to Santiago:).
ReplyDeleteThe pounding on the roads really puts pressure on your feet so anything that reduces that pressure- walking poles,spongy soles on your boots and (if you have an arch porblem) orthotic insoles can help.
Ultreia and Bonne route!
Nell