Oncina to Murias Rechivaldo

Day 26 – Oncina to Hospital de Orbigo – 14.9 Miles

June 10

E: My pee cloth (Kulacloth.com) came in very handy today! 12 miles with no open cafe’s…i.e., no aseos (toilets). We went through two towns, about three miles apart, and there were no cafes or any businesses open and no public water fountains working at all, in the second town. Both towns were literally like old western ghost towns. After going to the end of the second village we finally realized that last night, there was a fiesta and there were beer bottles and debris all over a public parking lot area where they must have had a band etc. So, everyone must have been asleep because the fiestas don’t end until about 7:30 in the morning! It was 9:30AM when we rolled through. It is Saturday morning and not a soul was on the street.

Today we have done over 300 miles so far and a Camino marker we passed indicated that there were 300 km left to go. Kinda cool that they were the same number behind us in miles and the same distance in front of us in kilometers to Santiago.

Although Gary and I agreed we thought this walk, and unfortunate lack of services on the route we chose, made for probably the worst or most unpleasant day so far, we ended the day well. We enjoyed a light lunch at mile 12, got water, saw some cool ponds and rivers during the last 3 miles, the trail turned dirt rather than 12-15 inch path along a black top road and we love the hotel we chose in Hospital de Orbiga (population about 900). You enter the town on a medieval bridge with the annual set up for a Renaissance Fair set up beside the bridge. Our room overlooks the bridge and was an easy walk to a café a block away where we enjoyed a really nice 6pm meal. We sat amongst locals and chatted with the 38 year old Spanish restaurant owner who lived in Boston and Chicago so conversation in English was easy.

Tomorrow we walk to the city of Astorga (11,000 people) which I love. It will be a Sunday so many places might not be open but we plan to see the Gaudi building (1889) and cathedral (1471), a chocolate shop and then walk on.

G: A common question we get is “When is the busiest time to walk the Camino Frances?” There are a few answers to this question. If you are leaving from St Jean, the busiest time to start is May and early September to avoid the heat across the middle of Spain. So, we are part of the busy season.

Since 50% of the people start their Camino in Sarria (the last 100 km before Santiago), that stretch is obviously the busiest on the entire Camino. That busy season runs early July to late August. So, we will finish late June to avoid the big summer crowds at the end. We feel May is best, or mid-August to start in St Jean to balance the weather and crowds.

In past Caminos we have just walked into town and gotten lodging. This year, since we are doing private rooms instead of bunks, we are booking ahead. The municipal Albergues do not take reservations. It has surprised me how many people ship their luggage ahead each day now. This allows more people to walk, that do not want to, or can’t carry a backpack and it tends to be the private room users. We have favorite places scattered along the way, so we have stayed pretty much on our daily schedule I set up before we left. Last night and tonight we are off the typical schedule we have done in the past, but then we want to stay in Foncebadon so we end up back “on schedule”. Then we get off again, but then we love to stay in O Cebreiro, so back on again. There are typical stopping points (stages) that the guide books recommend stopping. We try and stay off these stopping points. There are fewer services, but fewer people as well. We love the small towns that have a Plaza Major (central plaza) where pilgrims tend to congregate in the evening.

Two changes Americans have brought to the Camino over the past 8 years. 1) We used to never get ice with our drinks automatically. Now it is standard. 2) Our second Camino Elizabeth carried her own black pepper since no one had it here. This trip it seems every restaurant has black pepper and you can ask for it.

Day 27 – Hospital de Orbigo to Murias de Rechivaldo – 13.7 miles

June 11, 2023

E: Today was soooo much better!

Yesterday I found wild spearmint so when we got to the hotel, I washed it off, soaked it in hot water (using my mug and emersion heater), poured the water out of the small sippy hole in the mug’s lid and when we went to dinner, I poured it over ice and had homemade spearmint ice tea!

In my travels today I found lavender bushes and enjoyed the fragrance for hours on my pack. Life is so much better now 😜

Shortly after leaving Hospital de Orbigo we found Senor Perez….

The back story on this gentleman is 4 years ago we met him at his wonderful donativo (donation) shop. I had stopped to play with a dog just outside his place. We saw that he had fruit and cookies along with many pictures and flags from different nations. He could not speak English and our Spanish is extremely limited but that conversation was wonderful. He showed us around and explained where everything came from, including all the monetary bills from many different countries. He indicated that he wanted to give us his address so that we could send him a shirt or hat with Arizona on it. After we finished our Camino and had returned home, Gary packed up in Arizona Cardinal’s T-shirt and I made photo copies of pictures that we had taken with him. We never knew, four years ago, if he had received them or not. Before leaving home this year, Gary bought a Grand Canyon postcard and has been carrying it for the entire trip so far. When we saw Senor Perez, I noticed a picture of myself and the dog up on the wall.. I pointed to the photo and senior Perez says,  “Arizona, si!”. He remembered us.

He grabbed Gary and pulled him over to a picture of himself in the Arizona Cardinal’s T-shirt with some pilgrims. Above that picture was a second photo, that we had sent him, of him and myself again, four years ago. 

We were glad to know that he was still there and Gary gave him the postcard. We made a donation and he gave us some orange juice and fabulous stories. Even though we did not speak each other’s language, the gestures and his sharing special items in a Hope chest of his own travels, as well as showing us all of the additional photos and postcards he has been mailed from other pilgrims around the world, made the reunion one we will never forget. I asked him about the dog and was worried about the answer but he smiled and I believe he said that the dog he would come around when he is hungry. 

At a coffee stop we met a German who heard us say that some of our Camino friends had stopped in Leon and we are separated from them for now. He said that we were orphans on the Camino but that we would soon find another family. I like that description.

The list of things that I brought, that I do not use, is very small. One reason is that we have done the Camino before and we travel a lot, so we pack quite efficiently. I have mentioned previously some items I love and would add my pee cloth and my sticks which I use every day. I brought 3 pairs of socks, which I probably could have done with two. I brought the third pair just in case I lost or got a hole in them, etc. I’m particular about my socks and didn’t want to look for more along The Way. Your feet are the most important part of you on the Camino. We have found that when you try on your shoes at a shoe store before you leave for the Camino, you should always try them on after your feet have swollen for the day. The best time would be after a good long hike later in the day.  I know we have mentioned this before, but if you’re shoes are not wide enough or large enough to accommodate your ongoing expanding feet as you walk, you have a very high percentage of getting blisters.

One of our “hippy stops” was there again. The gentleman said he’s been there for 14 years! He only takes donations. Whatever he gets he gives to pilgrims that cannot afford to donate or pay for a bunk that night somewhere. I had leftovers from last night’s dinner and shared with many people at this stop. Pimienta Padron’s! Roasted peppers with sea salt. I love them!! There was Nutella at the stop so I certainly benefited by putting that on my banana as we all chatted a while before moving on.

We were following the Camino into Astorga and noticed there was an entire plaza roped off. As we continued walking, I heard music playing, so we veered off the Camino by one block and there it was a procession of marching bands, children in very traditional church attire and priests fully garbed heading to the plaza where we just were. We were told it was celebrating The Feast of Corpus Christi.

www.astorgadigital.com/tag/corpus-christi 

We love the many unexpected things that can happen on the Camino.

We found a cafe to enjoy a late lunch, across from the Gaudi building. Then we made our way to the next town about 3 miles West of the Astorga. 

“…You must leave a little space and time for the serendipitous events that happen on the Camino at the darndest times and very frequently…”

Keith Duke Scott