Progress

Santibanez to Santa Catalina (Friday, June 18th)

The beautiful, crystal blue skies continued today, and with a little added warmth. We left our rustic surroundings this morning and headed towards the old city of Astorga. Our route took us through more countryside. People here do not live out in the country. And a lot of what we saw wasn´t even cultivated, except a vineyard here, an acre or two there of wheat or corn or barley. It would seem like lonely countryside except that you feel the fullness of creation so present.

Not long after we started, there was some folk art along the trail that seemed like pilgrims themselves had created - which would mean folks had very intentionally brought along materials to create, and maybe others had added to over time. A little ways after this artwork, we went down into a hollow where there was a little lake with the mist still rising in the early morning sun. It was beautiful, with some waterbirds sitting on the lake and others rising up from it. A very tranquil scene with which to start the day.

We had about 10 km to Astorga this morning and stopped about half way for our break. This break location was much better than yesterday's! And we found yet another interesting way of marking the Camino along the way - and a little way to use some of the zillion rocks around here!

We got to Astorga (notice the name, Augusta - another reminder of home!), another city on a hill, and climbed up into the old part. We followed the guide book´s suggested route through the old, walled part of the city which meanders through a series of plazas.


Off of the first plaza was a lovely garden, with views over the city walls into the new parts of the city below, and far off into the distance towards the mountains that we will be crossing in the next couple of days. There was also a church which St. Francis reputedly stopped in on his way to Santiago (think: George Washington slept here, because there are a number of places that claim this).

Next to the church were archealogical ruins from Roman times complete with mosaic floor tiles intact. A street sweeper, in his orange jumpsuit (they are very fastidious about keeping the streets clean) stopped to tell us about the ruins. Stella got his picture. She is much better about taking pictures of people than I am. We will run into him twice more before we leave the city. He will tell us about the animated clock on the city hall and also help us find a tobacco shop which is where they sell postage stamps. He is our little 'guardian angel' for Astorga.


We wound our way up the street which serves as the spine of the old city. We stopped in the Plaza Mayor, where the City Hall and the clock are and waited a few minutes for the woman and man characters to do their thing and strike the big bells on the hour. We checked out the Museum of Chocolate, but decide it was not worth the price of admission (which is saying a lot, considering Stella's passion for chocolate!). We got a few postcards, wrote them, got stamps at the tobacco store, and put them in the round, bright yellow "Correo" mailbox and then went to find the Cathedral. I liked the cathedral more than the one in Leon. It, too is Gothic, but somehow seems lighter, airier. There are a variety of stained glass window styles within the cathedral from several centuries old to very modern. .



Next to the Cathedral is another Gaudi building. This one is his palace for the Bishop of Astorga. Built in 1887, it is a rather grand parady of the Gothic style, emphasizing horizontal rather than vertical, but with spires and turrets and gargoyles enough to make any Gothic-o-phile happy. We didn't take the tour, but the inside was supposed to be designed to be spectacularly ornate, with sumptuously appointed salons. Hmmm..."even the birds of the air have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head..." What Would Jesus Think? Just sayin... The bishop died only six years after the building was begun and so construction was halted, and it was considered a church scandal. Astorga was a poor region and this was outrageous. The building was eventually finished in 1909, but succeeding bishops were embarrassed (and rightfully so) to live there. Finally, in the 1960's, it became the museum it is today. Outside of the Gaudi building, there is a garden area, again overlooking the newer sections of the city below, with three larger-than-life statues, of which this is one.



We have a somewhat pricey, but tasty open-air lunch of salads, good bread and beer in the Cathedral plaza before we say goodbye to Astorga. As we are walking through the outskirts of Astorga, we see a much more modern church and this relief, which says "Camino" over and over again both horizontally and vertically, is a piece of art on the side of it.




It´s another 10 km to Santa Catalina. Halfway there, we stop in a little town to take a brief break. It´s one of the prettiest little bars we have found. The lady who runs it is a character. She asks where we are from and we say "USA". Before we even say "Georgia", guess what she puts on the CD player? Yep, Ray Charles singing "Georgia." (Remember a Spanish version of "Dixie" coming out of someone´s window in Castrojeriz? Hmmmm) Anyway, we got her picture and she wants us to send it back to her via email so she can post it on her wall.

Another 5 km to our home for the night. I thought it flew by and I got here in about 45 minutes - I was trying to beat the rainclouds. I couldn´t believe this was the right town already. Stella, who was walking separately and listening to her MP3 player, thought she would never get here, though she was only about 15 minutes behind me. Sometimes it´s all a matter of perspective. Anyway, it seems like a much more comfortable place than last night. USA just tied with Slovenia (I think) in the World Cup. It´s time to sign off and go explore the town a bit.

Back again for a final closing. Stella and I explored the length and breadth of Santa Catalina. Didn´t take too long. It is apparently a typical town of the Maragota culture. I am not quite sure what that means except it is a subculture that goes back to the 7th or 8th century. There is debate as to whether it has Moorish origins or is named for a former king. It is in pockets up in the mountains of Spain, very isolated. There is traditional dress and food. Other than that, I´m not sure what makes it different, perhaps life customs such as weddings. I don´t see much difference in architecture or layout of towns. Stella and I both get into phazes of picture taking. We´re now into doors. People have interesting old (and sometimes new) doors that are often painted bright colors. Sometimes they were painted bright colors in the past and have washed out. Blue and green seem to be favorites. Some doors have ornate carving or really interesting hardware. Others are arched. Some of these doors are large, double doors that simply open to garages or places where farm equipment is stored on the ground level and living quarters are above. This town has a number of pretty doors.

This alburgue, El Caminante, which must mean something like "the walk" or "the hiker" or something to do with walking, is pretty, with a central courtyard filled with a fountain and pretty flowers. And they have invited swallows to build nests up on the second level. Their chirping fills the courtyard with cheerfulness. Out behind the courtyard is the tendedero, the washline and a utilitarian courtyard. In that courtyard is a black cat and a family of siamese looking cats. There are a momma and daddy and three blue-eyed nursing kitties that are perhaps three months or so old, all living in a plastic soda crate. They are very cute and help my craving for a fix of my own kitties.

There are no other businesses in town beyond the two alburgues, so we have dinner at ours. It consists of the required red wine and water, a sopa verde that is creamed green something and very tasty with the thin sliced crusty bread, and then, once again, fried fish. There is so much fish, that I leave a good portion behind along with all the fries and the slice of tomato. Dessert is real, homemade flan, a little granular, but sure beats the commercial stuff in a cup!