Today I walked to Astorga. After just 3.5 km I rejoined the regular Camino. It was nice to see a few more pilgrims today. The Camino is still very empty. I am staying at the Franciscan Parochial albergue and so far am the only pilgrim here. The albergue gets very high marks from me. There are only two beds to a room and they are regular twin beds. The bathrooms have a tub shower so technically you could take a bath and they are private bathrooms. Very nice, I would stay here again.
This albergue was the first to ask for my pilgrim registration called a pilgrim pass. These days most albergues are required to scan your QR code. To get the code you need to preregister. https://cms-pilgrim-pass.web.app/preregistration
It is actually pretty cool as you don’t need to show your passport or id anymore.
My walk today was about 14 miles. Today I began to gain elevation. It is a lot of ups and downs but more ups than downs. I walked primarily along dirt farm roads. Today was a very nice walk. I met several pilgrims which was nice. By arriving in Astorga early I will have time to go to the Cathedral and visit the town. I have walked through many times bet really never stopped. This is the first time I have spent the night in Astorga so it will be fun to explore.
Tomorrow I begin the Climb to the Cruz de Fero. I will stay in Foncebadon which is about 1.5km before it. My goal is to have fresh legs for the full day of decent on Monday.