Tuesday 25 June 2013

Day 25: Villar de Mazarife - Astorga

Having had a couple of easier days, today we did 32km under the roasting sun. It really was a rather long day, broken up by Kim finding a bakery that did breakfast pastries filled with sweet Spanish cream. The spring-shaped thing was particularly tasty!


Afterwards Kurt's (14yo) son Connor decided he was going to walk the slightly shorter alternative route that followed the back roads on his own, and we waved him off, hoping to see him again in a dozen or so kilometres. We took the slightly longer route through the back country - at one point we stopped to put in sunscreen and drink water under some trees, and we could hear a swarm of bees not too far away. 

[Connor - the dot on the left - disappearing into the distance]

I've had to patch up my right shoe, as the sole is coming away from the upper. Kurt's gaffer tape is holding things together, and I might be able to make it to Santiago without having to buy replacement shoes... 



Astorga is a lovely little town, with a huge number of sweetshops that I managed to resist. We had a delicious supper (€10 pilgrims' menu) at a modern restaurant, and crashed to sleep in the albergue opposite the town's cathedral.