Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Camino Day 5

I cannot remember what day it is! Must be a good Camino! I have 9 minutes left after checking email on the black box...pay 1 euro computer at our inn.

No rain makes a huge difference! We walked about 10 or 11 miles yesterday again across the high plains. We saw very old grape vines just starting to leaf out, hops growing (there is a worldwide shortage we hear), wheat looking spindly but growing, pine trees just starting to grow in a tree plantation...crummy soil like on the way to Cedar Key. We walked by a farm with cows running to be fed or milked, and through one with newborn heifers. We saw farmers hoeing fields.

The trail was clay and dry, full of pilgrims. We were never alone. Irish pilgrims shared their figs and a German his crackers...we shared our apricots. Lots of potassium in them!

In the morning we had a slow start because I left all our needed and possibly needed medicines at the Tio Pepe. We got a taxi to take us to reteive them...25 euros and half an hour to go round trip what we walked in 4 hours one way the day before.

The route was hilly...good practice for the coming mountains. We went up to 2500 feet, down to 2400, up to 2700, down to 2500, and up to 2700 again. We arrived in Astorga weary and foot sore...glad to be in better shape than several of the pilgrims we passed who seemed to be favoring blistered feet or pulled muscles.

We are staying here www.hotelgaudiastorga.com not yet being willing to do the bunk bed thing.

Arriving in Astorga was not very pretty...industrial on the way in. But the city is lovely. (One minute to go eeeeks.) Signing off for now so I don´t lose this.

Photos another day when we are not working on a black box, euro fed computer.

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