Day 3, Part 1

We set out for our second day with sore legs and under gray skies. Fortunately, the weather cleared as our legs warmed up on the short first leg of the day´s hike to Hospital de Orbigo, a classic medieval town, noted for holding the last official jousting tournament in 1434. The story of the Passo Honroso reads as if it were striaght out of an arthurian romance. In short, Suero de Quiñones, a local Spanish knight desired freedom from his lady mistress, for whom he posessed an unrequited love. His task was to guard the Puene (bridge) de Orbigo and force all who wished to pass with honor to compete in a joust with either him or one of his ten companions. Sixty six knights, one hundred and sixty six spears and many injuries later, Suero and his companions stood bruised and battered (only one knight was able to compete the last day), but victorious.

The bridge itself was, in my opinion, the most striking site we have seen thus far. The river, the fields, the medieval flags and the tents set up for an upcoming rtecenactment truly brought us back to the thirteenth century and the last spectacular display of pageanetry that was medieval tournament jousting.

Leaving Orbigo, the Camino took us away from the highway for the first time. The small villages we passed through were truly charming and the hills, plateaus, light forests (and even a clay quarry) provided for some breathtaking scenery.Although our pace was slower than the first day and the weather was much colder than I expected, our trek to Astorga was infinitely more enjoyable than the prefvious days. I partially believe this was due to us leaving behind the mass transit and industrialization of the N-6 highway (along which we walked for almost the entire first day of hiking), and were able to observe more local farming of hops, cabbage, grapes (although they are not in season yet) and wheat. The mileage covered gives all of us an excellent sense of accomplishment, although it is for some rewason demoralizing to realize upon entereing astorga that our day long hike would have taken a mere 15 minutes in a car ride.


So we made it to Astorga, a beautiful, Roman-walled city situated on the top of a hill in the middle of a valley. Due to its placement, we could see the city from many kilometers away and arduously walked the last hour & a half trying to not constantly stare at our destination in the way that a student attempts to ignore the classroom clock that moves like molasses in the last five minutes of the period. In futre, keep in mind that cities on hills, for all that has been said about them in the political and religious realms, are not all that they´re cracked up to be. I sincerely doubt that the author of Revelation or Ronald Reagan have ever had to climb up said hill on the bruised feet and with the aching back of a pilgrim.

However painful the trek up the hill, Astorga was certainly worth the climb, with its breathtaking Cathedral of Santa Maria and its dubious relic of the holy cross, its Roman baths and mosaics, and its Epsicopal Bishop´s Palace designed by Gaudi in the style of a neo-gothic castle. (Not to mention its numerous choclate stores.)
In theCathedral´s museum and the Plaza Mayor, we finally leanred something concrete about the region´s elusive Maragato culture: They dress in a fashion that lies somewhere in between that of a sterotypical gypsy´s and that of a mariachi band member´s clothing. Thank god that no one seems to adhere to this dress code anymore because we stand out enough as it is.

Besides the main tourist attractions, we also got to experience a night in the pleasant Albergue de San Javier, complete with skylights and a Canadian (and therefore English speaking) staff member, which was a treat for us non-Spanish speakers. Unfortunately, this nice little albergue also came complete with some rather odiferous pilgrim roomates from various EU countries that seemd to enjoy snoring loudly and running about in speedos at odd hours of the morning. Not to worry though, it seems to be our group´s opinion that Astorga that Astorga has been our favorite city thus far, despite the lack of sleep that we found there.

In conclusion, we are enjoying our walking and learning a good deal about Roman and Medieval cities, as well as ourselves. (Sorry for the cliche.)

P.S. We woudln´t be upset if someone mailed us some snoring remedies for our peregrino companions or a space heater for our numb fingers...It´s freezing here!

- Freddy & Laura