Astorga - Foncebadon    27 kms (Tuesday)

Last night we were in a room with 10 bunk beds. Les got the snorer below her. Kept her up all night. She was not a happy peregrina this morning. Not until her second cafe con leche did she liven up.
Today was a slow climb up the mountain. The terrain is changing - much greener, among other things. We took a side path through a very picturesque and recently preserved Magarato village - the local peoples of this area. No other peregrino took this route ( or so it seemed) because it was not marked and we had to ask a local hospitalero for directions. It was worth the detour.
    The villages of the Magarato on the Camino are mostly in ruin - as is the isolated hamlet we are in this evening. We are almost to the top of the mountain and except for the four albergues there is nothing here. But our albergue is cool, with a definite hippie vibe to it. There is no wifi up here so will have to wait till tomorrow to post. No internet for one day - when is the last time that happened?.....Fabulous!

San Martin - Astorga   24 kms

After yesterday, today's walk was a dream. No rain. Cool, mostly in the countryside and away from road walking. Crossed a bridge where a love scorned knight in the early 15th Century fended off some 300 knights in jousting matches over 30 days.   Honor restored, he became famous. Really?....He should just have gotten over it and found a new girlfriend.
It's a national holiday so most everything is closed in this lovely small city. Fortunately, a bib gourmand Michelin restaurant was open and we had a very nice lunch. Started with a warm garbanzo salad with bits of cold bacalao in a vinagraite. Something new for both of us. Superb. Followed by a perfectly made trout and a bottle of Galician white. The trade off is that we both have upper bunk beds for the evening....
Tomorrow we start the slow ascent up the mountains toward Galicia. Pulpo and Caldo Gallego awaits. 11 days of walking until Santiago.

Leon - San Martin     26 kms (Sunday)

The camera never came out of the backpack today. Five straight hours of rain to start the day. My feet and legs were soaked within the hour. Les' shortly afterward. It was decidedly not pleasant. Not that there was anything scenic to photograph.
It was also cold - Les' hands were so stiff she couldn't unsnap her backpack when we arrived at our non-descript albergue. In fact, I couldn't find my private parts when I wanted to pee....The town also has seen better days. Did I mention it was a miserable day? Did you still want to walk the Camino?
But at least we have our own room.....but no heat.

Leon

What a difference a day makes...We really needed to take a day off and recuperate a bit after 18 straight days of walking. And it's kinda fun acting like a tourist... Went out to a fabulous lunch at an upscale restaurant that cost four times the cost per person of the bunk bed I am currently writing this from. Not your typical peregrino meal, but we have our priorities.There was not a pilgrim in sight other than Spaniards out for a Saturday lunch. And it was still a deal.
Leon is a great city with a beautiful old section with lots of narrow streets and pretty plazas.
Visited the cathedral - one of the best examples of classic a Gothic architecture. It was beautiful. The stain glass windows were amazing.
Back on the road again tomorrow. I think we have 13 more days of walking.  More rain in the forecast. One day at a time.

  Burgos del Ranero - Leon    38km

     Yes, you read correctly. Almost 24 miles of walking today because "we " decided to push on to Leon. I had suggested last night that we should take the bus for the last 16 kms because we wanted to spend two nights in Leon and 38 kms was a bit much. Also, Mssr Brierly - who has written the definitive guide on the Camino, said it was perfectly permissible to skip the "ugly" industrial entrance to Leon and take the bus. However, I felt quite good in the morning and asked Les if she wanted to carry on. Of course, Les has never turned down an additional stroll, so on we went.......
     Dos mio! That was a long, bloody walk! The first part went on  and on and on along the side of a road (@18 kms); the rest was less interesting.
     But we made it go our Pension after 8 hours of walking. Our own room for the evening. Tomorrow we will go stay with the nuns in the albergue in Leon. But tonight a bit of luxury with our own bathroom ...Oh, but it aches a plenty...
    And we needed a bit of quiet because Les got stinking drunk tonight. In Leon, you order a drink and one gets at tapa. After 4 tapa bars, with 4 glasses of very good Mencia wines and only a bit to eat, Les was stumbling back to our room.
    We did have a couple of those copas de vino with an Italian couple we have chatted with along the Camino. Turns out they own a vacation home in Sicily as well as Piemonte. They live in Milano. We now have an invite to any of those places...the Camino always provides.....

Moratinos- Burgos del Ranero   26kms  (Day 17)

Last night that sleepy albergue turned out to be great fun. Three of our Camino family showed up and then 5 women from Malta arrived at @ 6:30pm. Most of them spoke English, and as best I could figure out they were all nurses. The eldest (in her 40's) had a sailor's mouth - I haven't laughed so hard for a long time..... I hope one of them picked up my cap that I left it behind.
Today was glorious weather. What a relief after yesterday. While not a particularly inspiring walk - much of it along a road, albeit a nice path shaded by trees - it was still pleasant.
We have met up with most of our gang. Eight of us spent the night at the municipal albergue. Les and I cooked the communal dinner - a very good lentil soup. Picture of group attached.
By far the best part of this walk are the friendships made. There are about 12-15 members of our clan. While we don't necessarily see each other every day, there is definitely a bond amongst us. We all hope to meet on Friday the 24th in Santiago to attend the Noon pilgrim Mass at the cathedral. No, neither of us are converting, but on Friday's the priests swing the botafiero - the incense filled thingy that swings from one side of the cathedral to the other. It's quite cool - we have seen it done on a previous trip to Santiago.
We are headed to Leon tomorrow for two nights - one rest day. Hope to eat and drink well in the big city.

Carrion de Los Condes - Moratinos    30.5 kms

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the Meseta. That's my version of the song. Not a lot of pictures today because it was wet, windy and cold. The last 2 kilometers on a road with the rain coming right at us. It was miserable. Suffice to say the rain gear was not fully effective. We are in a very basic albergue in a "town" that does not even have a cafe. A few of our Camino friends have showed up so at least we will have a good chat and some vino.