Day 22-27: From Plains to Mountains
- Zach Prior
- Dec 18, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 27, 2024
This phase of my Camino Journey has been incredible! Seriously, what an adventure. So much has happened since my last entry. I’ve experienced so much. I’ve walked a couple hundred kilometers through wind, rain, and even a little snow. I’ve made some new friends, seen numerous cities and villages, eaten at least 20 kilograms worth of bread, and talked with countless interesting characters on my journey. I already only have 150 kilometers remaining until Santiago.
Due to the primitive capabilities of the cell service in the area I’m writing in, I cannot upload any pictures besides the title picture at the moment. I will have to come back and add them later.
Contents:
Day 22: Astorga
Day 23-26: Adventure
Day 27: The Return of the Mountains
Day 22: Astorga
I walked with Eduardo from Villar de Mazarife to the city of Astorga. We spent the majority of the day in deep conversation about religion, the nature of humans, the delicate balance between all opposites, and so much more. I discovered we have similar views, despite him being 50 years older than me. He is a very kind man. He constantly shares food and treats with me or anyone else in our party.
The scenery on the way transformed from flat plains to forested hills. The earth had a red tint to it as well. In the middle of this calm wilderness, me and Eduardo came to this isolared rest stop for pilgrims. It had a large food table, fire, shelter, and a garden! For being in the middle of nowhere, it was quite impressive.
Upon further investigation, we met a man who was fixing the walls of the shack. He had radiant blue eyes and super long hair. For at least the past 10 years, this mysterious man has spent a lot of his time working on the shelter.
Other pilgrims were there as well. I met Mattaeas and Segöh (if that’s how you even spell their names). After we finished resting at the shelter, I got to talk to Mattaeas and get to know him more. Turns out he’s been walking for 3 months since Belgium! That’s even more than Kevin! But unlike Kevin, Mattaeas is taking it slower to enjoy the Camino. I also discovered that he and Segöh are planning on arriving at Santiago de Compostela the same time as me, as well as going onwards to Fisterra on New Year’s Eve! It seems our pathways have aligned for the time being.
We finally arrived at the city of Astorga after much walking. This city has been one of my favorites. It was big, but not Burgos big or Leon big. Christmas decorations were everywhere; lights overhead between the balconies, little toys and sets in the shop windows, as well as a massive metal Christmas tree with lights right in the middle of the plaza! Astorga apparently was famous for its hot chocolate, so me, Mattaeas, and Segöh went to a local bar to try some out. The bar was filled with locals playing cards with each other. The way they would toss the cards down on the table displayed a lot of skill. The hot chocolate was amazing, but I enjoyed being in the atmosphere more.
But the best part? There also happened to be a pilgrim’s shop with sturdy, metal-tipped wooden walking sticks available for purchase! I ditched my old pair of natural walking sticks and got an upgrade for €15. So worth it! These have been very handy. I would trust them to fend off a hostile dog or two if the situation ever arose.
Day 23-26: Adventure
So much has happened in the last 5 days of my Camino. I’d have enough stories to fill a book. I’ve traversed through the ever-changing landscape, stayed in some low-quality-but-authentic pilgrim hostels, ascended and descended mountains, learned how to spin my walking sticks around my hands, and picked up some important local information about new places to visit after the Camino.
The most noteworthy place I can mention is a certain albergue in the city of Villafranca del Bierzo. It was the kind of place that belonged in a movie. Its name was Albergue Ave Fenix. The hosts were very intriguing and vibrant characters, each unique in their own way. By far the most memorable of all of them was an old hunchback Spanish man in a yellow jumpsuit and cap. They fed us a large, delicious dinner with soup, salad, and meat I wish I could name. Quality would not be a good word to describe this place. Authentic would be a better fit. I’d certainly stay another night, but if you’re looking for a quiet, relaxing suite, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
I’ve become part of another group of pilgrims for the time being. I absolutely love the social energy. We enjoy each other’s company but aren’t afraid to split up or be independent. We all understand our pathways unite and split. It’s a big group, but all of us usually only come together at the end of the day in the pilgrim hostels. Sometimes we walk in small groups of 2-5 or sometimes on our own. After all, at the end of the day, most of us started this Camino by ourselves and aren’t afraid to be independent. I suppose I’m the newbie at this whole thing, but I think I’m doing pretty good so far!
There are 3 pilgrims I know I’m going to see a lot until Finesterre. It’s Leo, Mattaeas and Segöh. I’m very glad these are good people. They’ve trusted me to watch their backpacks and I with them multiple times.
There are two types of pilgrims on the Camino this time of year. Those who are rushing to complete the Camino before Christmas and return home, and those who plan to arrive in Santiago on Christmas. I’m in the second group.
Now that Santiago is getting close, I’ve noticed that the nearer I get to it, the more pilgrims there are. I wonder how many there will be in Santiago?
Day 27: Return of the mountains
Today was the first day I spent in the province of Galicia. I crossed its border yesterday. This is the final province; the one that is home to Santiago de Compostela. It is known for being very mountainous, windy, cloudy, and rainy. Today affirmed those rumors. I woke up to see thick fog and rain outside the window.
The Camino led me down the tiny mountain village I slept in through woods and winding roads. The scenery was spectacular. I’ll have to add pictures later, because it was breathtaking. It reminded me a lot of Day 1, way back in France. It was interesting to think about how much time had gone by since then.
With having nothing to eat for breakfast, I could feel my stomach rumbling. I decided to pull out the sizable chorizo stick I had in my backpack and snack on it while I walked. I ended up eating the whole sausage.
All 20km of today’s stage was all downhill except for one short, very steep section. Upon reaching the summit, I discovered a small local bar sitting at the top. I started to walk past it, thinking I would simply rest later, but a familiar voice caught my attention from the door.
Zach! Venga adentro! Café! Toma! Toma!
Ah, yes. In the doorway with arms inviting me inside stood the very social and like-able pilgrim Emmanuel. He loves to talk a lot and make plenty of jokes. It’s very entertaining to spend time around him. So I went inside to discover a cosy bar with other pilgrims like Eduardo resting inside. It was a great place! The pilgrims all gave me their leftover food that they didn’t eat. I happily devoured all of it. I swear, with every day that passes by on the Camino, my stomach seems to grow bigger and bigger.
I left the bar with Eduardo and Emmanuel. We walked the rest of the remaining 14 kilometers together down the mountain. We pushed through intense wind, the highest I’ve ever experienced on the Camino. I tried to teach Eduardo how to say the word pig in English. For some reason, he simply cannot pronounce the “g” sound at the end. It sounds like Pih, Pill, or Pick. Me and Emmanuel were, of course, making fun of him for it. We all shared jokes the whole way down the Camino with the towering green mountains to provide the amazing scenery.
In time, we arrived at the destination village of Triacastela and found a nice-looking albergue for a solid €10. It landed pretty high up on the list in comparison to other albergues! There was a nice indoor balcony, with windows on 3 walls facing the outside, proving a beautiful view of the scenery. I played a game of chess with Mattaeas, and after a tight game he ended up beating me.
Oh yeah. Me, Mattaeas, and Eduardo all like to play chess. We’ve been playing each other in most of the albergues. So far it’s USA-1, Spain-3, Belgium-1. Eduardo is Spain and Mattaeas is Belgium. I’ll need to take it up a notch if I want to pull ahead in the competition!
Tomorrow we will arrive in the city of Sarria. It marks the final phase of the Camino de Santiago. I can still remember reading about this phase from the guidebook I lost back around day 3.
Sarria is also among the most popular starting place for pilgrims, since it is the closest big city farther than 100km away from Santiago. You see, there is something pilgrims can obtain called a Compostela. It basically proves you a pilgrim. The requirement is to walk to Santiago from at least 100km away, so lots of people who don’t have enough time to start from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port start from Sarria.
It’s very likely I will meet a lot of new pilgrims tomorrow. It’s interesting to think that now I’ll be the one who’s been walking for almost a month. Can’t wait to find out what awaits me tomorrow!
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