Days 21-23

(09/16/14)

Since Leon (and my last blog yaking about the beautiful lighting) we have had a few days of rather "interesting" weather. 

Below was the night I last wrote...Mom outside of our albergue with her new friend. 

Yesterday morning started out well. This was a medieval bridge crossing into Hospital de Orbigo. The bridge was really long (and tricky to walk across)--19 arches in total. They still have jousting tournaments in the grassy areas to the left of the river. 

The weather continued to appear nice and we walked through some very nice villages. 

In the one we met an adorable old man who was eager to engage us in some Spanish conversations. We had a great conversation and he led us to his pear orchard where he knocked down some delicious pears for us. He was so sweet (so was his fruit;) and so excited to share his fruit and stories with us. Meeting locals along the way is just as magical as those we meet who are walking. 

After this, the sky started to darken, and it was evident a storm was brewing. 

Storm 1 blew past relatively quick. Lots of wind, but we were back in the sun with our rain gear off in thirty minutes. 

The trail was gorgeous (even despite the rain) and just when we were ready to take a short break, this amazing food stand popped up. There are quite a few cantinas along the Camino, but most are fairly standard. This one was very unique and special- offering local produce, nuts, and fresh squeezed juice. (All with a great hippie and colorful vibe).

After our stop, another rain storm popped up. This one was freezing. The storm quickly blew off, but left us cold! (First time on the trip). 

At this point we could see our end destination (Astorga) in the distance, but it was a long walk, especially when cold and exausted...19.5 miles was a long day. 

We made it, and after a quick stop in our alburgue, we went off to explore. Below is the Astorga cathedral. Astorga was a nice medium sized city with quite a bit to see. (Although most every thing was closed as it was Sunday)

Another cool building in Astorga was the Gaudi Palace. Although not as colorful and whimsical as the Gaudi architecture found in Barcelona, it was still fun to see more of his work. 

Last night was absolutely freezing! We really wished we had those sleeping bags we sent on. The rain must have brought in a cold front because it was frigid. The cold continued through this morning, but along the way we found a great vegetarian restaurant and some really unique and delicious food to warm us up. 

The nice thing about today was that is was short (13) in comparison to yesterday's 19.5. It seemed like we got to our destination way too quick. Although cold, it was a nice walk heading up into the mountains (where we will spend the next few days climbing up and into). No pretty sunlight though. (I think I cursed te weather with my lat blog). 

We're staying at a really cool albergue tonight. Just finished a "tea time" with those staying there. A great way to meet new friends. Tonight we will attend a pilgrims mass (all in chants) and a special pilgrims blessing. The town, Rababal, is very pilgrim friendly--a real gem to be staying in :)