ASTORGA, AND THE ROMANS

29/7 I’m in Astorga now and its been another leap (50km) by bus. I think if I do another jump tomorrow to a place called Ponferrada, and then I’ll start walking again with a chance of reaching Santiago on foot. About 200 km. The bus ride of about 40km cost me just over 3 euros. Unfortunately, I had to lose the company of Earnest Hemmingway (Lyle) this morning because he’s gone to Sarria which is exactly 100km from Santiago. As I mentioned in the last blog, pilgrims have to do the last 100km to get a certificate which Lyle wants to show when he gets back home to the states. A local newspaper will do a feature about his trip. BTW He started walking way back in France on the Camino about 6 weeks ago.

The Gaudi Palace 

Astorga is a very pleasant little town of about 12,000 people and doesn’t seem to be as touristy as the recent places I’ve been in. The cathedral and Gaudi palace (late 19th century) are very impressive. One look at the palace and you can see Gaudi written all over it – so to speak. You might have noticed how blue the skies are in many photos. This is not a trick of the camera but due to the dryness of the air in these parts.




As usual the search for wifi almost turned into a major expedition and I only hope I can find the bar again tomorrow. The hostel is really nice but a little more expensive than most. (8 euros) It’s a far cry from that cattle shed I slept in last night. But as I have probably said before – what more can one expect for so little when the very cheapest hotels are 30 euros and whats more this hostel is about 100 mt from the historical centre.

Roman mosaic floor

Just been for a stroll around the city wall on a warm pleasant evening. Lots of rolling hills with some higher ones on the horizon where I think I will probably be walking soon. And I also stumbled on an archeological site where the remains of a Roman villa has been uncovered. Quite a large expanse of almost perfectly preserved mosaic floor is seen. Apparently Astorga was an important hub used for shipments of gold that was found in the hills nearby. I saw that bar with the wifi again. How can I forget it, its an Irish bar. They get everywhere, don’t they – the Romans too.