Francine Takes a Walk

20 April 2013

After breakfasting in the Benedictine hotel, we walked to the bus station – maybe 1.5 km – and caught the 9:30 bus to Hospital de Orbigo.

We walked back across the town to Puente de Orbigo and walked across (and back across) the astonishing medieval bridge there.

There´s a jousting field next to the bridge. Jousting is something of a local tradition (during fiestas), to commemorate an actual event.

Seems a local knight was wronged by a lady, and he decided that to satisfy his honour, he must break 300 lances against any and all challengers.

So he held the bridge, and knights came from all over Europe to challenge him. He defeated them all. Once he had broken his 300th lance, he took up the pilgrim´s robe and set off for Santiago with his friends.

An easy walk today, over undulating ground with some new friends from Indiana, Smith and Terra.

The hills got larger as we went, and farmland gradually gave way to vinyards, and then to olive groves, and then to forest and lavender fields.

Arrived in Astorga, a city famous for its chocolate, and more or less immediately found a chocolatier. The city is full of them.