Camino de Santiago – Day 18
Walked from: Hospital de Órbigo
Walked to: Santa Catalina de Somoza
Date: 20 October 2017
Distance: 27km

Another day, another late afternoon which has wound up in a sunny, pretty, tiny village in northern Spain. The day started a little differently though, as I headed out from Hospital de Órbigo at 8am and into what was still darkness outside (these dudes need to turn their clocks back ASAP). The night eventually lifted to reveal a fine mist, which cloaked everything around me in a mysterious ambiance… and made the hood on my not-at-all-mysterious-looking walking fleece a tad damp in places…

I have had a largely sugar-based food crawl so far today, cheese and ham panini style toastie as a late lunch aside. Started with a Kit Kat and apple breakfast, followed by my Camino breakfast of choice (fresh OJ, hot chocolate, tortilla) 5km in, in the splendidly named village of Santibanez de Valdeiglesia. Some 11km after that, and several viewpoints where there was no view cos’ of the mist (and one guitar playing singer) later, I hit Astorga. AKA the chocolate capital of Spain. Where I consumed two of the most chocolatey hot chocolates ever experienced in this universe and made my way out of the city largely by bouncing off the walls on my sugar high.

That was when things got really exciting. In the hour I was in the cafe, the mist had been replaced with glorious sunshine and blue skies AND, as I passed the Cathedral in Astorga, I entered unknown territory… Yes! I’m finally on a bit of the Camino I haven’t walked before, and am thrilled to report that after a week and a half of relative flatness I’m heading towards some pretty bumpy looking hills and the landscape has gone all green (instead of yellow and brown) on me. Watch this space people 🙂