The Way

We left the small town of Mazarife at about 7, well behind the crazy Slovenians who were doing 40k each day and rising at 4 to walk in the dark for 2 hours. In addition to not knowing how these people were physically doing this with the size packs they had, it seemed to turn the Camino into a new level of endurance sport. I met a lass from Ireland later in the day who was doing 45k a day. To each his own.

One of the highlights of the day was an impressive medieval bridge in the town of Hospital de Orbigo. A local legend, which Janine mentioned in a Facebook post, tells of a knight that showed his love for a young women by fighting everyone who crossed the bridge for a month. It can all be spun in a very romantic and chilvarious manner, but the guy could also been a violent stalker unwilling to take no for an answer - no wonder the woman chose not to return his affections.

I'm currently reading a book about Isabella (Columbus's sponsor) and the motivations and back stories of all the characters in question can be seen through many lenses. Was Isabella's older brother really concerned that his daughter (possibly) Juana become the queen, or did he feel slighted by Isabella's opposition or was he being manipulated by his possible sexual abuser, Juan Pacheco. Even with the facts laid out clearly before us as to the events, the intents of those involved are often complicated.

street view of the way bridge maybe

On the lighter side, Janine also mentioned the bridge we crossed was probably the one where Martin Sheen lost his pack in the Movie, The Way. If you've not seen this, it's an enjoyable night-sea journey film that does a reasonable job of capturing the spirit of the Camino - unexpected friendships, loud and crowded albergues, long walks through endless fields dotted with small villages, and some resolve to the personal demons that plague each of the main characters. Some of the mundanities such as blisters, doing laundry, and trying to get directions in a foreign language are left out. I agreed the bridge looked similar but felt the river below was not fast enough and that, if they were attempting to stay true the progress along the way, the bridge would have to be in the first few stages - much closer to Pamplona. Strangely, the Internet did not immediately yield an answer. Eventually I found that in order to find a fast enough river to meet the criteria of the script, the film crew left the Camino and used an ancient bridge just below the Itioz reservoir. I pulled up a Street View from Google Earth on a nearby bridge - it seemed like it might be the one.

It's now a day later and we are still in Astorga - another town with a major Cathedral that we will check out later today. It's a day of rest for Janine who has been walking non-stop since I last saw her. Tomorrow, we attack the hill leading into Rabbanal, just short of the highest point of the walk.