“On the Camino again, on the Camino again,” with due respect, admiration and apologies to Willie Nelson, “I just couldn’t wait to get on the Camino again.”
This is my 3rd time on the Camino Frances.
On my first Camino in Oct. 2017, I walked Stages 18-26 on foot from Sahagún to O’cebreiro (8 days, 230 kms), rode Stages 27-31 from Ocebreiro to Samos to Arzua, astride a fine horse named Picaro, (5 days, 140 kms) and on my last day, starting before day break, I walked the final 2 stages from Arzua to Santiago, over 44 kms arriving in time to attend the afternoon Pilgrim’s Mass at the Cathedral.
The next year, in June 2018, in celebration of her graduation from SMU, Hannah and I walked the Camino together. We walked the final 10 stages (24-33) from Rabinal del Camino to Santiago de Compostela, one stage each day for 10 days, about 260 kms.
And now I’m back, I love walking the Camino!
But even more I love to ride a fine horse all day long, day after day, through the Spanish countryside and through these ancient Spanish villages.
And I love riding Lucera who reminds me so much of my horse Colleen who I loved and rode for 20 years until her passing 2 years ago at the age of 27.
https://jeffstravelsandthoughts.blog/category/colleen-2021/
And I’m really fond of Rafa too. We first met in 2017 on my first Camino when he worked with his cousin Marcelino on my tour.
Rafa reminds me very much of my departed Vermont friend Paul Kendal who provided trail rides and Inn to Inn rides from his stables in South Woodstock. Paul introduced me to trail riding and to the Vermont One Day 100 Mile Endurance Ride in which I competed with Coco (Colleen) several years running in the early 2000’s.
As Paul did in Vermont, Rafa offers trail rides and runs horseback tours from his families ancestral homeland, in this case Galicia. Rafa is a natural and talented horseman and a wonderful tour guide and host.
As with Paul, Rafa is not only a wonderful horseman and guide but an educator and naturalist who with great pride introduces you to the geography, history, culture, food, wine, fauna and flora of Galicia, the region and country that he loves and with a wonderful fun sense of humor to boot.
Should you have an interest in a Galician riding holiday, I highly recommend him, his website is:
http://www.asantiagoacaballo.com
This time I’m starting my Camino in Leon. I have 4 days to cover the 5 stages (21-25) from Leon to Villafranca del Bierzo on foot and then I join Rafa’s group to ride the final 7 stages from Villafranca del Bierzo to Santiago.
But this time, as has been Rafa’s custom since he took charge of the business, we’re riding into the heart of Santiago, to the Praza Obradoiro where I and Lucera will have our picture taken standing at Kilometer Zero in front of the Catedral.
My plan had been to head directly to the Charmartin train station after my early morning arrival in Madrid, catch the 11:00 AM train, be in Leon early enough to enjoy the town, purchase my credencial (Pilgrims Passpprt) and have it stamped at the Catedral.
Since I had 5 stages to cover in 4 days, I had planned to be on the Camino by 7:00 in the morning and to walk both Stages 21 and 22 to Astorga where I had a room reserved at the Hotel Gaudí.
I had decided to take the scenic route through Villar de Mazarife, more remote and isolated and a few extra kilometers but more scenic.
Unfortunately the hydraulics on the plane for my United flight from Washington needed attention and the plane left more than 6 hours
late and I had to take a late afternoon train. I didn’t get to Leon until after the Catedral had closed so I had to wait for it to open at 9:30 in the morning and it was almost 10:00 before I took my first step on the Camino.
But it was still a great day, especially the first few hours to Mazarife where I stopped for lunch. And then it got brutally hot and the scenic route while quite scenic offered no shade of any kind, very little cloud cover and I hardly saw another pilgrim or local for that matter the entire afternoon.
In hindsight choosing the scenic route like the paella I chose for lunch might not have been the best idea with temperatures reaching 37 degrees centigrade.
I was spent by the time I crossed the ancient Roman bridge at Hospital de Obrigo and my stomach was wrestling with the chorizo, calamari, peppers and mussels from the 2 ponds of Paella I had eaten so I threw in the towel. I stopped at a bar for a cana and called a taxi to transport me the last 12 kilometers to my hotel in Astorga.
Astorga has been a center of commerce since the Romans due to its prominent location at the juncture of several important trade routes. They say the population of Astorga today is the same as in the Middle Ages.
It’s also known as the capital of the Maragatos who royalty and businessmen have entrusted to transport valuable and priceless cargoes since the 8th Century. Their origin is obscure but some attribute the name to the fact they started carrying fish and other products from the seas around Galicia through Astorga to the populace of Madrid who at that time were known as “gatos” hence “mar-a-gato” but who knows?
My room at the Hotel Gaudí had a view of his episcopal palace, which along with Botines in Leon and El Capicho in Comillas (which I’ve also seen) are some of Gaudi’s few creations outside of Barcelona.
Astorga is a delightful town, intact city walls and gates, lovely Plaza Mayor and an Ayuntamento (city hall) with a unique mechanical clock displaying a man and woman in traditional Maragato dress who appear on the hour, march out to the clock face and strike the bell to announce the time.
And for dinner I had one of my favorites, chuletillas lechal. The word “lechal” is derived from the word “leche” because the baby lambs are only months old. Each tiny baby lamb chop is one or at most two modest but delicious sweet tender bites!
Of course I’m sensitive to the plight of the baby lambs. I really am. I feel bad for them. But Spanish farmers don’t have big acreages to raise lambs to maturity like farms in the Midwest or ranches in New Zealand. So the farmers here have to raise and sell and make money from baby lambs, money they need to feed their human families.
So while I feel badly for the baby lambs, I’m also sensitive to the plight of the struggling Spanish farmer and to my intense affection for this Spanish delicacy. They are very delicious and I’ve never seen them in the US.
On my way back to the hotel, I was lucky to encounter a marching band of Maragatos in traditional dress.
And then back at the hotel I stopped in the bar for a decaf espresso and a desert of arroz con leche while I enjoyed the view of Gaudis Episcopal Palace.
Tomorrow it’s Stage 23 to Rabanal del Camino where Hannah and I began our Camino in 2018 and the next day Stage 24 to Ponferrada!
Buen Camino!
