We got up and going well before 7 today. We thought we might like to head up the road 2 or 3 miles before we eat breakfast, but that idea changed pretty quickly when we all realized how hungry we were. As usual, there are several beautiful churches and an amazing cathedral in Astorga. We wandered through town looking at all the architecture getting more hungry by the minute. On the edge of town, we saw Adrian and Edele come out of a corner cafe so we headed in.
Since we were up so early, we decided to reward ourselves with an extra long morning break including 2 coffees. We made sure we’ll never waste our time getting up early again after pissing away an hour at first breakfast.
It was a windy day and slightly chilly, but Shaun and I quickly stopped Pam from complaining because “hotter than hell” is the other alternative. We made great time out to Valdeviejas where we saw Rachael throwing trash in the street (or maybe a napkin blew off her plate). We hadn’t seen Pam, Mike, and Rachael since before Leon so it was nice to see they were still alive and kicking. Rachael was sick, but recovering, the last time we saw them. We decided to push on to Santa Catalina de Somoza before we stopped for second breakfast.
The path was level and pleasant, but we could see more hills ahead. We were looking forward to having terrain back into our daily hiking plan. While we were having a drink in Santa Catalina, the trio walked by us. We just had a short foot rest and then headed on.
It wasn’t too far out of town that we caught up with them again. Now we walked with them for about 3 miles catching up on trail gossip. We had heard that Maria went home which really surprised us considering how inseparable her and Anton were. Rachael set the story straight–Maria’s Camino is done, but she is staying in Spain and going to periodically bus to Anton until he finishes the trail. Her foot was just in too much pain to continue hiking.
We all stopped In El Gonso for lunch. Pam (mine, not Mike’s) wasn’t feeling good today so she didn’t want anything to eat. To show my sympathy, I forewent lunch and just had a Coke de Zero and an Ice Cream Bar (the sacrifices one makes for marriage).
The trail was fantastic after lunch. It was actually a trail in trees with dirt and loose rocks in the trees. It was great to smell the pine forest again. We had some upsy downsies but had a fairly steady climb of 350′ into Rabanal over the next 4.5 miles. I was so happy to be on a trail and not a road that I lost all track of time and everyone around me.
Rabanal was a charming town on the edge of the mountains and had a very alpine feel to it. Pam was feeling a little better now but was only craving French fries. I got us a couple of orders which we heavily salted (a necessity to replenish the salts we have been sweating out). We also took off our boots and socks to cool the feet down. I’ve started using the massage ball regularly that Marcia sent us after we did the West Highland Way. After 12-14 miles, my Achilles’ tendon is really starting to make itself aware.
It was only 4 more miles to Foncebadon. We all agreed to head there today rather than first thing in the morning. It was about an 800′ climb over the whole distance. In retrospect, we are very glad we did the hike today rather than start off with that climb first thing in the morning. The other thing it does is puts us a little over a mile from La Cruz de Ferro so we can get on the trail by 6a and make sunrise at the cross.
Getting into Foncebadon so late (only 4p) provided us with our first scare of the trip. The first 3 Albergues we went to were all full. When we got to the last one, they asked if Shaun and I were capable of climbing onto top bunks. Beds were available, but no lower bunks (damn biker and taxi crowds). For an extra 2 Euros each, they offered us our own room and bath. Being old and last has its advantages.
I showered first and headed out to the lounge to work on the blog. While I was sittting out there, Linda came in. We thought they were way ahead of us by now, but the two long days we just did allowed us to catch up. We decided to all head out to dinner together.
3 people can’t make a decision. 5 is impossible. We were sitting in the middle of the street trying to not make a commitment to anything when I finally said why don’t we try the medieval restaurant that was on the edge of town. I said I’d run ahead and see what it was like. There wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm for my idea because everyone thought it was part of a cafeteria. I went in and immediately liked it.
I went back and told everyone to come on in. It was an amazing space in an old building with soft lighting, tapestries in the wall, and candles with melted wax dripping off of them. It was a family run restaurant with dad working the bar, mom cooking, and daughter serving. Shaun said if they have beers in mugs, he was going to propose to the daughter.
It looks like Shaun will be developing new trade skills. There are plenty of houses that need rebuilding in town. The beer was in mugs and the portions were incredible in size. Shaun had ribs which were delicious (there were plenty for him to share). He was trying to imagine working on building houses and coming home for ribs every day for lunch. I was the only one able to clean my plate–my mom didn’t raise a quitter.
