We got an early start this morning from the hostel in Villavante under sunny skies.
We were soon back on a roadway.
Our first stop was Hospital del Orbigo. Here is a church on the outskirts of the village.
Here is the bridge that the village is famous for. It goes over the rio Orbigo into Hospital Orbigo:
We followed a wide dirt track out of Hospital Orbigo that led to two nearby villages, Villares de Orbigo and Santibanez de Valdeinglesia.
We got to Santibaez around noon. We were tired and a hungry. There are no restaurants or cafes in Santibaez, so we went into an aulbergue. A young woman working there said that she could help us and invited us into a courtyard behind the aulbergue. She brought us coffee and milk and sweet bread.
When we left, Anne mentioned that the young woman helping us had been very kind, as had others working at the aulbergue, who clearly were dedicated to serving pilgrims. There are many people all along the Camino who are dedicated to the pilgrims. Some people help because it’s their job, and some people help because they are part of the long tradition of serving pilgrims. It’s always easy to tell the two apart because of the kindness of those dedicated to serving.
After leaving Santibanez, we climbed a hill into a woods.
Along the way, Anne met some new friends.
At the top of the hill, there was a rest area for pilgrims. A man had set up a stand and was giving away slices of fruit and drinks. He had a box on a counter for donations.
This type of service to the pilgrims is rare but it does occur on the Camino.
When we left the stand, it started to rain. We walked in a cold, driving rain for the rest of our two-hour walk to Astorga.
On one of the last stretches into town, we went down a long dirt road scattered with cow manure. Both Anne and I wondered whether someone had put the manure out intentionally. Anne had read a book by a nun who had encountered a similar situation and had assumed that it was intentional. Another kind of “service” altogether to the pilgrims.
Anne and I were cold, wet, and tired when we got to our hotel. Anne’s rash is much better, and my leg is no longer swollen. We hope tomorrow is warmer and drier.
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