Day 15 - Peace, Love, and Kitty Cats

We left our excellent albergue, Camino Frances, in Santibanez de Valdeglesia in the morning and started a slow ascent. We walked most of the morning with a Canadian woman. One of the best parts of the Camino is striking up a conversation with a complete stranger and learning part of their story. The shared experience of the Camino allows people to open up in a much more vulnerable way than if you just strike up a conversation on the street.

About halfway through our morning walk, we came upon a snack shack in the middle of nowhere. There is a couple who live there completely off the grid - no electricity, no running water. They operate the snack shack on a donation only basis (donativo) and will also “read your essence” if you desire. Their home is an old sheep shed which is basically a lean-to. They had planted a garden and had a litter of kittens running around. We weren't interested in having our essence read, but we were grateful for the slices of watermelon and juice.

We then continued on our journey into Astorga. We visited the Bishop’s Palace which was designed by Gaudi. We also visited the cathedral and the Chocolate Museum. Astorga was known for its chocolatiers, and we learned about the process of making chocolate and saw some of the molds and wrappers used in handmade chocolates. The tour ended with samples from various regions.

Next we headed to the bus station where we would board a bus to Ponferrada and another bus to Villafranca. While we waited, we went into the bus station cafeteria to find something to eat. We ordered an ensalada de casa and got this beautiful salad with tuna, shrimp, red peppers, green and black olives, lettuce and olive oil. It was amazing! And from a bus station cafeteria!
We weren't exactly sure of our plan as we knew we needed to cut out parts of the Camino to finish in time, but we didn't have an exact plan. These two bus trips to Ponferrada and then on to Villafranca came about so easily and smoothly that we truly felt we were being led by God to the destination he had planned for us. Once we reached Villafranca, we walked the main drag looking for an albergue.

As we stood in front of a huge building looking for an albergue sign, a man came up to us and led us around the corner. He told us that this albergue was beautiful and we should stay here. It turns out we were standing in front of San Nicholas monastery that had been converted into an albergue. The rooms had four twin beds and a private bathroom. We shared our room with a woman named Mary Ann from South Africa. We ate dinner in the cloisters downstairs overlooking the inner garden. We had a mountain view from our room, and all for 8.5 Euro each.
We learned a little more of our roommate Mary Ann’s story later that evening. Her daughter (now 25) was born profoundly deaf. South Africa does not offer support services for deaf students, so Mary Ann had spent the last 20 years attending school with her daughter to serve as her interpreter. Her daughter had just graduated from university, and Mary Ann’s husband sent her to do the Camino (a life long dream) as her “graduation” gift. What an example of love and service!