06 October 2017
Walking day 23:
21 kilometers
27,676 steps

Today we walked up hill, and while it was not steep, it was gradually up hill all of today’s walk from Astorga (elevation 850 meters, 2800 feet) to Rabanal del Camino (elevation 1160 meters, 3810 feet). Tomorrow we shall cross over the highest point on the Camino Frances, Alto Altar Mayor at elevation 1515 meters (4970 feet), a few kilometers after Cruz de Ferro at elevation 1505 meters (4940 feet). We then descend from the highest point down the fairly steep decline to Molinaseca at 610 meters (2000 feet), then on another 6 kilometers to Ponferrada at 540 meters (1771 feet). It will be a long day tomorrow.

Cruz de Ferro (The Iron Cross) is a large pile of stones with a tall wooden pole in the middle on which an iron cross has been placed. The tradition is that pilgrim bring with them a stone from home representing a worry, a fear, a sadness, a loss, or something similar, and leave that stone on the pile representing the leaving behind of that emotion or burden. I brought a stone from the Del Mar beach last year, and this year I am only metaphorically leaving a stone.

We left the ancient Roman regional capital city of Astorga early today and walked by the main cathedral in Astorga, standing proud in the early morning sunlight:

And then we headed out-of-town and back into farmland. The change from the meseta farmland is much more evident today: we are no longer on the meseta and our shadows are long as we walk away from the morning sunrise.

The fields are much more obviously brush and small trees, at times today we are walking alongside a forest. In the distant hills you can barely make out wind turbines. There are many wind turbines in northern Spain…makes me ponder how much of their power is from wind.

Here is my long shadow as I am photographing a Camino way marker in the street in a very small town of Santa Catalina de Somoza where we stopped for a Zumo de Narajana:

The landscape continues to change, as the trees are getting bigger and more dense.

We soon get to the very small, almost dying village of El Ganso, famous for the “Cowboy Bar.” The proprietor is or was a cowboy and it was said he always wore a cowboy hat. We went in and got a sello (stamp in our credential), but were met by a not-too-happy man, with no cowboy hat in sight. (We may have interrupted his mid-morning beer with his friends.) Here I am outside the Cowboy Bar:

And the road continues, gradually up hill, into the fields and the upcoming forest.

The landscape and view are changing and getting more and more like forest in the distance.

We arrive at Rabanal del Camino in time for lunch. Tom and Julie are walking on to Foncebadón another 5.5 kilometers up the hill to reduce the walking distance tomorrow. I do not have that option as I have a hotel reservation in Rabanal del Camino. And I am happy with that – it is a good afternoon to rest a bit.

Rabanal del Camino is a town of 50 dominated by a church in which Gregorian chanting is done many nights at 7 for pilgrims. The town itself is a Camino town, with a couple of hotels, several albergues, and few bar/cafes for meals. Above is a view of the church.

And right across the street is my hotel:

Here is the stone entrance. I see this style of stone floors fairly often in Spain. Looks pretty, but it is hard on the feet, and almost impossible to roll a bag across.

I did go to the church at 7 for the chanting. It was packed – standing room only. And the chanting, much of it call-and-response, was quite nice to her. It was all Latin, and there were many pilgrims participating.

Next: Cruz de Ferro and the long walk to Ponferrada