Day 28 - Roman Roads and Chocolate Museums : Villar de Mazarife to Astorga

The  warmth of the early morning had us up and out by 5:30 this morning.  With no breakfast offered at our albergue, we trekked with our friends through Mazarife to one of the town bars where we enjoyed a chocolate croissant and cafe con leche.  By now I think our morning routines are perhaps my favourite part of the day.  Getting up, being ready to move onward, enjoying fresh warm coffee and pastry before heading out to watch the sunrise is the best way to start any day.

This morning we walked along dirt trails and beside irrigation canals to the town of Villavante, where we enjoyed our second breakfast and were amazed by the size of the stork nests on top of the local church bell tower. Sadly, given the time of year we won't have the chance to see any storks, but that would have been really cool.

As the day progressed the pathway brought us to Hospital del Orbigo, whose brick water tower dominated the urban landscape, and where we rejoined the main Camino route.  By noon we arrived at the incredible historical stone bridge, La Puente del Passo Honroso which spanned the Rio Orbigo and local parkland.

 

Unfortunately despite the beauty of the town, it was far too early to stop and so after a brief refreshment, we continued onward.  Outside of Orbigo we were given an option to trek yet another alternative route through nature or to continue along the main trail and follow the road.  Given our preference to avoid road walking, we decided to continue on through the open fields and farmland of the region.

 

 

 

With the heat of the day continuing to rise, we enjoyed an early afternoon refreshment at La Casa de los Diores en route.  Today we were again surprised when the local police drove up the trail checking in on the pilgrims.  Indeed, since leaving Leon we are often surprised when the Civil Guardia or the police drive down the Camino pathway.  Admittedly, they are always friendly and offer advice or assistance to any in need, yet the presence of the police in remote locations can often be unsettling.  It also serves as a stark reminder that while we feel very safe and comfortable on the Camino, there were always rumours and tales of people being attacked or hurt on the trail.

 

                 

As the pathway continued it became clear from the increasing number of gentle rises, that the flat landscape of the Meseta was changing into the foothills of Galacia.  In addition, parts of the pathway today were tree lined or edged with shrubs and bushes, providing another indication that we were gradually leaving the open farmland of the Meseta behind.  This gave us a sense of progress that was both satisfying and a little sad. Neither of us want this hike to end, and both of us will miss the simplicity, peace, and beauty of the vast open landscapes of the Meseta.  Rarely are we given the opportunity to just let ourselves roam and think which this stretch of the Camino provides.

 

 

 

By mid-afternoon we arrived in a public park, in which a large cross the Cruceiro de Santo Toribio  sits on the edge of a hill top overlooking the town of San Justo de la Vega and the city of Astorga.

 

After taking a few moments to enjoy the view we began our descent along the concrete and pebbled pathway towards our day's destination.  First however, we stopped to refill our water bottles at a fountain set in the shape of thirsty pilgrim, with whom we could sympathize.  

Trekking onward the Camino passed family bodegas along the roadway and then continued through the quiet streets of the beautiful town of San Justo de la Vega.  Here we walked past beautiful churches, over a Roman bridge, and soon came to a massive walkway system which aided pilgrims in going over a series of train tracks and towards the city of Astorga.

 

 

After enduring a brutal uphill march to reach the old quarter of Astorga, we were amazed to find old Roman walls, museums, and a beautiful town plaza.  We soon located our destination, the Albergue de Peregrinos San Javier, located just down the street from the central church,  checked in, received our stamps, and were given spots in an upper and lower bunk on the second floor.  This residence, situated in a wonderfully central location, is beautiful and clean, though with two or three dozen bunks as well as over a dozen single beds in the large room, things are a little cramped. Regardless, we soon settled in, unpacked, enjoyed cool showers, washed our laundry, hung it from lines spanning over the courtyard two floors below, set our shoes to air.......and.... and..... and......the usual routines of the pilgrim's evening continued.

 

             
Refreshed, we headed out into Astorga to visit some of the noted sites in the town.  However, due to a private event the Cathedral de Santa Maria - the wonderfully two toned brick structure,  and the nearby museum were both closed.

 

Similarly, Gaudi’s Palacio Episcopal was closed for renovations, and its exterior was covered in scaffolding.  A bit frustrated we nonetheless found that there was still much to see in Astorga, including the main town square, the beautiful Town Hall known as the Ayuntamiento, and the local archaeology dig of Roman ruins.

 

 

We also walked along the city walls and found a couple benches with a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside on which to relax.

Afterwards we headed towards the main town square to find a late lunch and ended up with the default tourist options, either paella or pizza.  We nevertheless enjoyed our meal, and as we were finishing, a Canadian doctor and his wife joined us, mentioning that there was a chocolate museum in town.  With this new discovery we headed off with a number of our hiking companions to find the Museo del Chocolate Astorga.  It took us a while to find it, but with the assistance of a very helpful young boy we eventually located it.

 

There we found displays on the history of Chocolate, the process for chocolate making, related printing industries, chocolate advertising, and even got to sample the local chocolate.  This wonderful museum also has a gift shop in which you can buy a range of chocolates!  As a result, we ended up purchasing several bars of chocolate to sustain us in the coming week's hike and to mail home to family.  My particular favourite flavour was the Chocolate con Leche y Avellanas de Astorga.

   

 

This evening, after returning our purchases to our bunks we discovered that the pilgrim menu no longer had a vegetarian option and so we returned to the main square for dinner of nachos and bottles of water.  While we enjoyed our meal and some time photographing the town at night, we are again in an albergue with a curfew, and so soon were back in our bunks, finishing our daily journals, and updating the blog.

 

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Practical information:

Distance: 31.2 km

Max Temperature: 22°C

Accommodations:Albergue de Peregrinos San Javier