We left Hospital de Orbigo before the sun came up and walked towards the mountains. Even though I loved the Meseto I will be happy for the cooler temperatures that I hope the mountains offer!
There were so many beautiful and interesting sights along the way today that it is impossible to fit them all into the traditional 3 grids. I have decided to give our end destination it's own. Below shows some of what we observed along the way to Castrillo de los Polvazares. Both the first two pilgrims (Laurel and the bronze pilgrim) are taken on the approach to villages we passed through. Laurel's lavender is on the outskirts of Murias de Rechivaldo and the bronze pilgrim is in Astroga's mayor square. The next photo is of the Ayuntamiento in the same square and has two Maragatos who mark each hour by striking a bell in the tower.
The photo of the castle was built and designed by Gaudi for the local Bishop in 1915. It is called the Episcopal Palace and is located just across the road from the cathedral, pictured next.
The last two photos are of today's flowers observed along the way. The Spanish really love their flowers and we are always reminded to 'stop and smell the roses' as their fragrance is a constant reminder.
These were some of the highlights of the day for me. We always eat our first breakfast in our room but at about 10 km today we unexpectedly came upon a food stand where we ate a second breakfast. These kind individuals have set up this stand free of charge for all pilgrims! Third breakfast occurred in Astorga where we had a traditional English breakfast in a very beautiful square. I could not forget to include a much needed Aqua con gas (sparkling water), the road sign indicating that we had arrived at our destination and Jacko tran who transports Laurel and my bag to our hostel daily! I have included a third grid to show you some of the incredible sights of today's walk, but I wanted you to be aware that on Hot walks it is sometimes the breaks that make the list of my day's highlights.
