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Friday, July 17, 2015

Finding Burritos in Astorga

Any change from the typical Spanish meal is a welcome change,  but finding a burrito,  is heavenly.  Astorga vaulted to the top of my favorite cities in Spain.   It's relatively small at a population of 20,000, yet has everything,  including burritos.
We arrived just after 12pm and were tempted to keep going after only 15 miles, but I had heard too many nice things about Astorga snd we had promised Marion that we would visit the museum of chocolate.  Astorga is the chocolate capital of Spain.
After settling in to the albergue that serves 160 pilgrims,  we were ready for lunch.  As we walked toward the main plaza, Gisela saw a fellow Mexican that we had met earlier on the Camino.   She pointed us ti thd burrito restaurant.   Granted, it wasn't quite California style,  but it sure tasted good after so many days of similar flavors.
Like all Spanish towns, all the shops close between 2 and 5pm in the afternoon.   Marion and I had scheduled free foot massages at the albergue at 5:00, so we would hit the museum and errands after the massages.   As it turned out, we had signed up for only one massage and they were running late.
I found a priest from Lafayette,  Louisiana who I had spoken with earlier in the day on the trail.   He was really struggling and had just started in Leon a couple days prior and was still trying to get his Camino legs.  I offered for him to take my place for the massage and he was elated.
We dropped Juliana and Marion at the chocolate museum and left to find a shoe repair shop to sew up and fix Marion's that were starting to deteriorate rapidly.   For 8 Euros, the boots looked like the start of the trip with holes sewn and new inserts.  Spain has sone excellent craftsmen.
The girls enjoyed the chocolate museum that had an informative video on how to make chocolate from scratch.   They had a new appreciation for chocolate after learning the multi step process involved in making a simple bar.  The highlight was the free tasting at the end of the tour.
We finished the day with stocking up on much needed supplies.   We go through sunscreen,  vasoline, and snacks for the trail at a furious pace.  In all, it was a fantastic day in Astorga.
The next morning,  we were up early and out the door by 5:30, the earliest we were allowed to leave.   We had a big decision to make, an easy 13 miles with 1,000 feet of climb or 16 miles with 2,000 feet of climb.  We would make our decision at the 13 mile town.
Just outside of Astorga,  a restaurant was advertising gluten free and organic breakfast.   Since Marion cannot eat gluten or dairy, it seemed like the perfect place for us.  There were giant sandwiches premade on the counter.   Marion asked which were gluten free.  None were replied the owner,  we don't have any gluten free items today.
Marion reluctantly ordered tortilla - Spanish for Eggs and potatoes and a rice milk mocha.   The owner refused to open the chocolate rice milk for Marion and would only prepare a rice latte.   Juliana ordered meatballs, which she would regret shortly.
The meatballs sat like a rock in Juliana's stomach and she would suffer for the rest of the day.  The trail was nice with a gradual uphill for most of the day.  We were back in the wilderness,  away from busy highways that connect Burgos to Astorga.   It was nice scenery and pleasant walking.  Now, we are starting to see a lot more pilgrims on the trail as many start in Leon or Astorga.
Despite Juliana's trouble and the uphill,  we made good time arriving at the 13 mile mark by 11am.  We rested for 30 minutes and decided to continue.   It was relatively cool for us at around 80 degrees.   It took another 2 hours for the additional 3.5 miles and climb, but we made it, earlier than most pilgrims.   We had a real sense of accomplishment as this was probably our hardest day yet between the distance and climb.
Tomorrow we look forward to the Iron Cross.

Cathedral in Astorga before sunrise


Pilgrim Statue


Free food  and drink (donation) for pilgrims in the middle of nowhere.  The Camino provides.


Marion getting her coffee.


Marion, Julie and Gisela ready for the day


Marion in a Spanish version of Medieval Times.  A giant steak followed. 

2 comments:

  1. Darling picture, Marion...Love the shaded path and little food stand...so colorful.
    Hope Julie gets better and doesn't suffer too much. Mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like you're desperate. Should I FedEx a few Freebirds?

    ReplyDelete