An hour after leaving Astorga we had another brilliant sunrise. The best part of needing to look behind to see the sunrise is that when the sun does rise it is at our back.
Maybe the sunrise was the reason this staff was left on a way marker. Propped there so the owner could capture a brilliant sunrise shot and then forgotten.
Santa Catalina de Somoza once a large town now reduced to a permanent population of 50. The village is typical for the area and has a real beauty with its many, many stone fences…
…and stone buildings in different styles from different eras..
and incredible views.
Before reaching El Ganso one of the more famous monuments on the way and the most elaborate. The wayside cross for Trudy Boukas. She was an avid volunteer along the Camino and her untimely demise has been commemorated.
Just as we were entering El Ganso the rain that had been promised began to fall lightly. We made for the Cowboy Bar and after a cafe con leche and a chocolate croissant we donned rain gear, took a deep breath and headed out.
Trendy Dave looked around to see that amidst the rainbow of coloured ponchos the man standing next to him was wearing exactly the same one. We’re making a fashion here the man told Trendy Dave.
A little off track between El Ganso and Rabanal del Camino are the remnants the Roman gold mine La Fucarona which is one of the oldest farms from the Roman era. The Romans extracted approximately 6 tons of gold a year from this mine. In pre Roman times the Castira peoples of the Maragata region also mined the area but removed only small quantities of gold. There is a delapidated rest area with an information board that gives general directions to the area of which water pools used in the extraction of the gold can still be seen.
The path to Rabanal del Camino was a small indicator of what lay ahead.
We passed fences of crosses and walked along roads. The rain gods were kind to us today and the rain remained light as we enjoyed our walk to Rabanal del Camino.
Another beautiful old village that has been caring for pilgrims for many centuries. The Knights Templar are reputed to have been here since the 12th century and to have built the parish church of Santa Maria.
We ended our rainy day with a nice meal and complementary liquors made from the seeds and skins left over in the production of wine. So, so nice.
