Thoughts from my Camino Frances Journey- Day 17

Date: April 26, 2025 Saturday

Where did I begin today?

Villar de Mazarife -> walk Hospital del Órbigo -> taxi to Astorga

Where will I stay this evening?

Astorga (Só Por Hoje)

How far have I come?

15km (9.32 miles) walking; 15km (9.32 miles) by taxi

Curious calf, protective mom

I woke up and ate breakfast at 7am, but was a bit slow getting ready. Ended up getting a later start than I wanted and left the Albergue just before 8am. The Camino began as a flat, paved road for about 6km before switching to a dirt path through farmland, so I expected a relatively easy walk. I also sent my pack ahead because I knew I’d be walking 30kms which is longer than most days I’ve walked so far.

Similar landscape for the first 10km

Nowhere to sit so made do with a sign by the side of the road

However, something unexpected happened. Within the first 5km I felt a sharp pain/rubbing on my right inside heel (in the exact spot as the large blister on my left foot). Today I was wearing my Hokas in case of mud from last night’s rain. Recognizing this as a probable hot spot, I stopped immediately on the side of the road to add some Compeed and hiker’s wool for more cushion. This had no effect. I walked a bit further, then stopped at bench. I removed the hastily applied Compeed that was already peeling off, and added even more wool; still no effect. I hadn’t even noticed my first blister forming, so I hoped that with this early warning, I could prevent getting a new blister.

Paved road changed to dirt path

Railroad overpass

Walked beside tracks for a while

As a last resort, I changed my right foot into one Teva sandal and immediately there was no more rubbing. The balls of my feet still ached from walking on so much asphalt yesterday, so I continued to wear my left Hoka since it provided more cushion to that part of my foot. I continued to walk with one shoe and one sandal until I reached the first town (10km from Villar de Mazarife). This probably looked ridiculous, but plenty of pilgrims have done stranger things on the Camino. No one I passed seemed to notice anyway. Luckily, the dirt roads remained mostly dry so I didn’t have to deal with any mud at least.

Stopped at a bench to deal with my foot

Church in Villavante

When I reached Villavante, I inspected my foot again and there were several tiny white blisters in a clump, so my preventative measures hadn’t worked well enough. I applied a new, bigger Compeed and kept the sandal/shoe combo with hiker’s wool. Beyond that, there was nothing more I could do but keep walking and hope that the pain would stop.

Puente de Órbigo, a 13th century bridge built over an earlier Roman bridge

This bridge witnessed both a famous jousting tournament and a battle between Christians and the Moors

Entering Hospital de Órbigo

Not pictured: my unusual shoe combo

I reached the halfway point of Hospital del Órbigo and crossed the longest, best preserved medieval bridge in Spain. It was a magnificent sight. At this point, I wanted to sit in a café and think through my limited options. My foot was still hurting (the first time I experienced pain beyond muscle fatigue on the Camino so far) and I still had 15km left to go. Beyond that, I had already sent my stuff sack ahead to Astorga so I couldn’t alter my end location either. I wasn’t sure what the best option was. While looking for a café, I passed right next to a taxi and took that as some kind of divine providence or sign to take that to Astorga. The driver, Carlos, was very nice and I used my incredibly limited Spanish to exchange pleasantries on the short drive.

Found a door with a sign for a taxi on this street with the car parked in front of it

Carlos drove me to my Albergue in Astorga, but it didn’t open for several hours

I reached my Albergue in Astorga around noon, which was too early to check in. So, I decided to take an audio guided tour of the cathedral since it was close. More Gothic architecture but it felt very different from the one in León.

Catedral de Santa María, begun in 1471 but built on top of earlier Romanesque church

Magnificent entryway

Main alterpiece

The towers were finished in the 18th century

Neo-Gothic/Baroque interior

choir and organ

After checking into Só Por Hoje, I took a quick shower, changed, then ate lunch in nearby Plaza Mayor at a restaurant the host (Patricia) recommended. Patricia is also the first person I met who uses the same Galaxy Z flip phone and we talked about how much both of us love it. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon at the Albergue resting and keeping my right foot elevated. The beds were super comfortable which was a big reason I chose to stay here. I also tried to book a horse ride up to O’Cebreiro on May 1, but the guide said he was full that day. He told me I could book on April 30 and I said yes, but that means I need to take another bus/taxi to get there a day earlier. Unexpectedly, Joe walked in and we had a laugh about how I was able to “beat him” to Astorga, and the fact he happened to randomly choose the same Albergue since he never books anything ahead.

Iglesia de Santa Marta

Window to Celda de las Emparedadas

Women who chose voluntary seclusion were sealed inside

Ate another communal dinner at 7pm. Patricia cooked us some amazing Brazilian food (rice and beans) and told us how she started this Albergue in honor of her late father. It was a touching story. I also met some cyclists who started in St. Jean about a week after me, and they showed pictures of them pushing their bikes over the Pyrenees in the snow! April weather in Spain really is unpredictable. So glad I didn’t have to deal with that, the first two days were hard enough in good weather.

Só Por Hoje

(Front to Back L to R): Joe (UK), John (UK), me, Evan (Taiwan), 2 cyclists (Brazil), Linda & Bill (Canada)

After dinner, stayed up late talking to Joe and Evan (Taiwan, 44y.o.) about why we are each walking the Camino. We all shared some personal things and it’s just another example of how easy it is on the Camino to have deep conversations about life with relative strangers. Evan also shared some wisdom from a Taiwanese philosopher about what you gain at certain ages in your life: 30- independence, 40- identity, 50- destiny, 60- accept others’ opinions, 70- do what you like (lawfully). I wish I remembered his name to look up later because I just know that I butchered that already.

Patricia created such a welcoming space for pilgrims to hang out and talk

Most comfortable beds on the Camino yet!