32 miles, 1,300’ gain, 1,100’ loss, 10:00
Mind/Body
My shin still hurt in the morning, so I walked. I still have a long way to Santiago, so I would rather walk with a little pain than try to try to run and get myself into a lot of pain. Cool with a little rain, the landscape started to remind me of Minnesota: slightly rolling hills with farmland and trees.
I talked with more people today as I walked. Two women from Phoenix and another guy who was doing 50km as well after a rest day in Leon. I also get to walk through medieval towns like this.
When you run/walk this much, you burn a lot of calories. So I can try everything … or at least that’s what I tell myself! In Astorga, I got three of the local pastries and sat eating them while admiring a Gaudi building.
The cathedral in Astorga was also beautiful.
In a rural area, I came upon an oasis of peace and love. David has lived here for the last nine years with no electricity or running water providing food and drinks to pilgrims on a donation basis. He had grown beautiful roses and built shady areas for tired pilgrims. The watermelon was amazing! He had such a loving spirit. I left smiling and filled with an understanding of the goodness in humanity in my heart.
The first hostel I tried was full, but the second one had a bed. It’s amazing how things worked out. The hostel served a communal vegetarian meal. (Camino tip: regardless of whether you are vegetarian or not, places that serve vegetarian meals have the best food. On the Camino, it’s a difficult to get the amount of vegetables most people are used to. You can get it at veg. hostels. More importantly, they do a better job of preparing food with good ingredients. Instead of chicken strips and fries, you get pumpkin soup and penne pasta with a tomato/vegetable sauce.) The food was great and plentiful, which was needed after a long day. Ever wondered what a hostel room looks like?
Spirit
I was fine with walking today. The Camino is teaching me is to do a better job accepting things for what they are, knowing when I can change things, and the wisdom to know the difference. (Yup, the saying is nothing new, but I still haven’t fully learned it.)