Day 37: Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

"I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately
To breathe deep and to suck the marrow out of life
to put to rest all that was not life
and not, when I come to die, discover that I had not lived"
-Henry David Thoreau

The camino out of Astorga was a pretty little jaunt into the countryside, going steadily uphill. First stop along the way was Catalina de Somoza. It´s a quiet little Maragato village perched at the top of a hill. The mountains are just a few km away from here, and you can clearly make out the trees, roads, and that it´s going to be a hell of a climb tomorrow. While nominally still in the province of León, this part of it looks nothing like the rest of the province. The architecture is different, the weather and terrain are different, and even the people themselves are different. Astorga was the start of the Maragato region. The Maragatos are a mysterious people who have historically made their living by managing the mule trains that for so long were the only way to transport goods from point A to point B. No-one´s exactly sure where they come from. Some say they're descended from Phoenecian traders. Some say, no, they were descended from Roman slaves brought here to work in the many mines in the region. Still others say that they're the "original" inhabitants of the region. I say that between them, the basques and they gypsies in Andalucia, Spain needs to keep better track of the comings and goings (and stayings) of it's people.

The refugio here in Rabanal is extremely nice, if a bit chilly. The building itself has been around since the XII century, but was recently refurbished. I get the impression that the two volunteer hospitalaros really don´t like each other. Wonder what it would take to get them into an all-out brawl.

Short day tomorrow, only 18k over the mountain into El Acebo. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the trip will be the Cruz del Ferro, where I can (finally) deposit the rock I brought from home. It's a bit of a camino tradition, where pilgrims bring rocks from home to lay on the huge pile beneath the cross. Depending on who you ask, the act is meant to :
A) Bestow a blessing on the pilgrim's home
B) Represent the burden that pilgrims bear
C) Appease the mountain gods that guard the pass
D) See how many people can be fooled into carrying a rock for 550km.

That´s it for now...more updates to come.