Camino de Santiago - Week 4 - Astorga to Villafranca

Week 4 was a physically rough week for me.  The cold that had been chasing me during the last half of Week 3 definitely found me.  Aside from dealing with the sickness, I enjoyed most of the walking and the views from the mountains.  The weather was much more agreeable and we had definitely entered fall in Spain!  Pumpkin patches sprung up everywhere and the weather was much cooler in the mornings and afternoons.

Sep 22 - Astorga (Rest Day)
Sep 23 - Rabanal
Sep 24 - Molinaseca
Sep 25 - Molinaseca (Rest Day)
Sep 26 - Ponferrada
Sep 27 - Ponferrada (Rest Day)
Sep 28 - Villafranca

Campell and I took the day off in Astorga.  For a town that had gotten such a bad reputation (being near where the American woman disappeared off the Camino) it sure was a cute place!  The main attractions are the cathedral and Gaudi's Palace which sit adjacent to one another.  Instead of resting (like I was supposed to do), we went out into the city to see it and enjoy the nice weather.  First we came upon a market selling everything from garlic to clothes to candies.

Then we sauntered over to the cathedral to get a better look inside.  It was another beautiful church filled with art and a few history lessons.  There was an art museum in one wing of the church filled with religious art, and unlike other art museums, this one had some very interesting pictures...

Afterwards we wandered over to the Gaudi Palace where we took in tons of Camino art - statues, paintings, and sculptures of Santiago, or St. James.  The stained glass work and the shape of the building itself were also pretty incredible to take in.  Very different than the Sagrada Familia, but every now and again you would see a doorway or a staircase that looked Gaudi.

After the cathedral and palace, we went in search of food and most importantly chocolate, because it's a specialty in Astorga.  They did have a Chocolate Museum here, but unfortunately we didn't make it this go-round.

In the morning I set out with Campbell and Janine (from Germany).  It was a beautiful day and I really enjoyed the walk (especially with the new insoles I bought in Astorga).  I could see the scenery change from Meseta to Galicia - trees started popping up everywhere and the grass and brush was still alive and a deep green.  

We stopped at this amazing breakfast place with a kooky woman screaming out orders and disappearing for fifteen minutes at a time.  She kept making up new prices for her items and proclaiming them to "be the best in Spain!"  She might be right, but the prices surely compensated her.  I also ran into my friend Eva from Denmark who continues to call me Purple instead of Sarah, quite fitting I think!

On the way to Rabanal we found the Cowboy Bar!  This place cracked me up, filled with saddles, horseshoes, and cowboy paraphernalia.  

Campbell and I arrived in Rabanal and headed straight for the albergue run by the London Pilgrim's Society.  We tried to make reservations the night before, but they didn't take reservations (which was pretty cool in my opinion).  They only allowed twenty pilgrims per evening, so we wanted to get there in time to get a spot.  The albergue was amazing, so relaxing, and because there weren't many people we all had plenty of room to spread out.  They even had an herb garden next to the washing area.  At 4pm the volunteers set out tea and cookies for the pilgrims, so we all had a chance to meet one another and chat.

Before church, David from Canada picked up the guitar and sang and played for about an hour, songs that he had written himself.  Most everyone trickled in when they heard the music and we all sat around listening with our eyes closed.  I joined a group going to the monastary across the street from the albergue.  We listened to the monks chanting in Latin - I'd never heard anything like it.

The next morning we set out early and were rewarded with the most amazing views as we left Rabanal.  The sky just opened up as soon as we crested the hill.

Walked through the town of Fondebacion which had been rejuvenated by Camino traffic.  It was also on our minds because Shirley McLaine mentioned the "hounds of Fondebacion" in her memoir.  We did in fact see some hounds, whether or not they were Shirley's same hounds.  But frankly I was more excited to see the wild fox!

 The rest of the afternoon I walked with Jonathan from Perth.  We walked towards the Cruz de Ferro (the Iron Cross) which is an important part of the Camino.  Pilgrims carry rocks with them throughout the Camino and drop them at the Cruz de Ferro in this enormous rock pile.  Many people write names, dates, or prayers on their rocks.  I actually had a rock picked out and brought it with me through all my travels... and then accidentally mailed it to the end of the Camino with my other pack.  So I had picked up a new rock one of the first days I was on the Camino.  At first I was disappointed at this change in plans, but as I walked day by day, I came to realize it was a good thing.  My Camino had nothing to do with what I left behind and everything to do with what I had gained by this experience.  Another example of how the Camino changes you as you walk it.

After the Cruz de Ferro Jonathan and I reached Acebo where he decided to stop for the afternoon.  I felt like continuing my walk and spotted a group of women way down on the path (from my view on top of the mountain).  I hurried along to meet up with them, not wanting to walk alone a few days before and after Astorga just in case.  They were a lovely bunch from Nashville and Florida and we walked together all the way to Molinaseca.  We did have to stop a few motorists for directions since we took an alternate path, but luckily they reassured us we were on the right path.

Once in Molinaseca I was in pretty rough shape.  I knew my cold was taking a turn for the worse, so I had one of the ladies I walked with (who spoke fluent Spanish) write my symptoms down on a piece of paper for me to hand to the doctor.  I hobbled to my pension and up the stairs to my room and finally collapsed.  My knee was throbbing, my feet were screaming, and my chest was full of something evil and disturbing.  I was so grateful to be at a quiet pension and took a nap fully clothed on my bed.

Once I awoke and showered, I went downstairs for dinner with the only two other pilgrims at my pension - Mike and Jessica (both randomly from San Francisco).  We had a nice dinner together, talking about our Camino experiences.  I knew I was staying another day and so slept in the following morning.

The next morning I dragged myself to the doctor who inhabits an office at city hall a few days a week.  I was the first person in the waiting room which quickly filled up.  I did capture the moment... kind of looks like a mug shot.

After meeting the doctor (absolutely lovely woman) I went to the pharmacy and filled all of her prescriptions.  And then I met Campbell and Janine for lunch because they messaged me that they were just getting into Molinaseca.  After lunch Campbell decided to stay for a night and we took a walk around the city before coming back for dinner and then an early rest.

The next day Campbell convinced me to walk just 6 km to Ponferrada.  I was glad for the change of scenery and I really wanted to see the Castle of the Knight's Templar!  It was a pretty simple walk but my cold was reaching its peak, so I was pretty well spent.  The fever, chills, and body ache climaxed that evening and I drugged myself up enough to get through it and check myself into a hotel the following morning as I waved goodbye to Campbell.

In the morning I woke up very early, itching all over, worried I had bed bugs again.  I didn't even check my bed, I marched downstairs and threw my sleeping bag in the washing machine and dryer again.  Campbell was searching all over for me and I told her they had returned.  She was walking that day so we said goodbye.  Once my laundry was done I walked over to the hotel nearby and rested the entire day.  It was just what the doctor ordered because I was back on my feet the next morning, walking to Villafranca!

 I woke up in Ponferrada and felt loads better - I laced my boots and got to walking with a spring in my step.  The weather was gorgeous and I enjoyed walking out of Ponferrada - seeing more of the town than I had the last two days.  I walked through fields of vineyards, still full of grapes, but with leaves shriveling at the vine.

I walked by a winery that was giving free samples to pilgrims, along with a few tiny bites.  They let me use the bathroom in the back of the winery so I snuck through their fermenting rooms and took a peak at their bodega.

I passed through the town of Cacabelos - amazing murals all through the city.  The entire city smelled like fermenting wine which was mildly pleasant, but a little overpowering.  

Initially I had wanted to stay in the town before Villafranca, at a lovely little vegetarian albergue.  But when I arrived they were full of reservations, so I plodded on in the hot sun.  I met up with a group of three retired French folks - Francoise, Pierre, and Annemarie - who kindly made a reservation for me at their albergue in Villafranca.  We chatted the rest of the way, comparing their area of France with the Pacific Northwest, and agreeing French wine was pretty incredible.  The albergue in Villafranca was really neat, it reminded me of where Peter Pan's Lost Boys lived.  

After my shower I looked down at my arm and noticed how ridiculous my farmer's tan had grown.  As I sit writing this it is still pretty much there, and probably will be for quite some time.  Experiment = Success!

Most of the pilgrims in the albergue joined in the communal dinner.  We had our first taste of Galician soup!  It was delicious - green beans, white beans, collard greens, chorizo, and a few other veggies.  I joined my new French friends and Susan from Germany, Dennis from Cork (and his strange friend Norbert), and Theresa from Windsor, Canada. 

By this point in the walk I was feeling much better - between the medicine and having a few days of rest for my feet, I was back to normal walking.  The antibiotics did mess up my system the entire time I was instructed to take them, but I could feel my body getting stronger day by day.  I was also able to eat normal food again which helped a lot.  

I was sad to have lost my friends again, and missed walking with them.  But I also started to meet new groups of people and walk a lot more with Campbell and Janine.  Many pilgrims had started in Leon and were feeling the first effects of their walk, with blisters and getting used to the pack weight.  We still had about 200 kilometers to walk before Santiago and had not yet reached Galicia, although the terrain was much different than the flat Meseta.