A Relatively Easy Day

The weather was once again cool when we left Astorga in the morning. We had turned in early, no late evening for us on this day. We had toured the Bishop's
Palace, the Cathedral and the Museum of Chocolate. In the morning we felt well-rested and ready to take on our first major climb, a 6 kilometer climb that I remember as being quite daunting on our last trip. Whether it was the extra rest or perhaps better preparation, the long-anticipated climb did not turn out to be as difficult as expected. I made the climb on my own power. I would pedal for awhile and then take a break by the side of the road, taking in the stunning scenery. As we climbed, the area became very arid with lots of vibrant purple heather, sage and other scrub brush dominating the landscape. I made my way up the mountain slowly but I made it nonetheless. I met Paul at the Cruz de Hierro (The Iron Cross). It has become somewhat of a Mount Everest. Pilgrims leave all kinds of momentos at the base of the cross which soars some 20 feet high. Stones carried by pilgrims signifying sins or memories of loved ones are left as are other items such as worn shoes, flags, pictures and notes of importance and personal meaning. We climbed up to the very top and then began the most exhilirating ride down the mountain. The two-lane hairpin road led us down a hair-raising descent of nearly 45 kilometers an hour. Fear of death kept me pumping my brakes all the way down. Paul said the experience was like a great downhill ski run. We were rewarded for our morning efforts with a stop at Molinaseca, a quaint little town at the bottom of the mountain. You cross over a stone bridge. Underneath is a small pool where pilgrims can clean off after a long climb down. Since the wind did it for us, we chose to get a beer and bite instead. However, after watching and listening to the continual splashing of the pilgrims, we walked over to dip our toes in the pool. Pretty soon, Paul decided to take his shirt off and jump in. The water was pretty brisk but refreshing. His gusto convinced a young Italian girl who had been on the fence to ahead and jump in. Her screams let everyone know how cold the water was.
We headed off to our destination of the day: Ponferrada. A Templar castle indicated our arrival. We walked our bikes into the antigua casco (the old town) and began a search for a hotel as we did not have any reservations. The first two places were full but the third had an available room. We cleaned up quickly as there was an exhibit that we wanted to see. The cathedral was hosting an exhibit called "Yo Camino". Art collections from around Spain have been put together to explain the religious significance that is the Camino de Santiago. The exhibit was amazing. We listened to a guided tour that described the art through the centuries depicting the history of the Church and the Camino de Santiago and how that art was used to teach. The curators of the exhibit did an amazing job. We did our usual routine of drinks and dinner in the plaza and then headed off to bed.

Another Day, Another Plaza

The end of today's ride is the town of Astorga. It should have been a 45 kilometer ride, but it turned out to be more like 60.
After breakfast at the hotel, our first stop before leaving Leon was the post office. We of course had to mail ahead to Santiago Paul's four new pairs of shoes which weighed would have added 5 pounds of weight just as we are reaching our point of true climbing. With the shoes off, we left Leon. It is always a tricky endeavor leaving big cities by bike. The streets are very narrow, cars going to fast for safety. The sidewalks are on option but you are usually confronted by people who stop dead in their tracks to greet that long lost friend they haven't seen since the night before. It makes for a wild ride of dodge-em.Once out of the confines of the city, riding gets easier. However, I have been starting my morning rides with a belly full of butterflies. As I start my riding, I feel much like a student who has passed a test but has to take it again and not sure if they've prepared enough (I haven't). Once I get going I start to feel better. That is until the first incline. As I put my legs into pedaling my bike up the hill, it is almost meditative. However, the words I say over and over again have absolutely nothing to do with prayer. There is a cleansing effect that happens as I emit toxins from my body and my spirit so I guess I am achieving the intent of a true pilgrim.
We went a little out of our way today following a recommended route taken by previous bike riders of the Camino.However, it did not add much in the way of enjoyment and just made our day longer than expected. The day's weather is much cooler than expected making it downright chilly in the evening as we sit having a beer outside the Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace designed by Antonio Gaudi (origin of the word gaudy). As I write, Paul is being thoroughly entertained by several older gentlemen talking with other. Every time the church bells chime, they all check their watches. We plan to head to our room to warm up as it feels more like a late fall evening than the middle of August and we shipped ahead most of heavier clothing. Tomorrow we have our first really big climb which. Will take us into Galicia.

Rest Day Comes To An End

Paul and I sit at an outdoor bar enjoying a glass of tinto under a decidedly cooler Spanish evening. While people are out strolling, it is not the crowds we experienced last night. Outdoor tables were at a premium. People circled like vultures waiting to pounce as soon as a table even looked as if it were going to be free. With a cool chill in the night air, outdoor tables are an open selection.
Today's rest day included a lot of shopping. But if you assume that it was I partaking, you would be incredibly mistaken. As what can only be described as Paul doing his best Carrie Bradshaw imitation, we hit up shoe store after shoe store, where after the spree was over, Paul had four new pairs to add to the ones he purchased in Logrono. On sale no less! Said shoes are .Paul's favorite comfort wear. They are worn by just about all the older Spanish gentleman who look forward to comfort over fashion. They are lightweight and and definitely more comfortable than the heavy leather shoes worn in business. Paul now has enough to last him should we not return to Spain for the next several years. (He did get them in several colors too!)
Today was not all about shopping. We also took a tour of the Cathedral, which is absolutely magnificent. The amazing height of the ceiling which soars straight to heaven is matched only by the stunning stained glass windows which are made of such glorious vivid design and color as to be absolutely breathe-taking. We ended our evening as always: with a fabulous dinner and wonderful bottle of wine. We strolled past the Cathedral, lit up most magnificently. We decided an ice cream was in order and then we called it a night to our well-deserved rest day.

The Longest Day!

Today was our longest day of biking yet. Paul and I rode nearly one hundred kilometers (98 to be exact). The good news is that the day was much cooler than yesterday. The bad news: the reason for a break in the weather was the wind blowing directly in our face and bringing possible thunderstorms. For the most part the wind was not too bad and the road relatively flat. That enabled us to make our longest ride to date. We arrived in Leon where we are going to enjoy a well-earned rest day.
We continue to enjoy great meals and fine wines at dinner.
Some general impressions of our trip so far: we have met a lot of friendly people on this trip. A few spaniards are making the camino. But the majority of people we have met so far are Italian. It seems as if the whole of Italy is in Spain, especially those from Milan. Nearly everyone we chat with us from Italy.
We'll have to take a trip there sometime to meet some of the wonderful people we have met on our trip.
Other impressions about this trip: the change in technology. This blog is being written on Paul's blackberry. Last time I had to hunt for a ciber cafe to make posts. Now I do them while we are waiting for drinks or dinner. Another marvel is my Ipod. Aside from listening to music which gets me pedalling faster, we are using the Ipod to download the photos from our digital cameras. What a great inovation. On our last trip, we had to hunt down local photo stores to download the pictures and then burn a CD that we could mail home. It was a time-consuming process. What hasn't changed is that the trip to Santiago is hard, always has been, always will.