Next stop is Astorga, a particularly long 30 km (19 mi) hike.

I woke up with a cold, headache, fever, congestion, aches and pains, etc.

I don’t remember the last time I had a cold, but I gather that they are common on the Camino. Someone I met stayed back a day in her hotel to recover, then took a bus to the next stop to stay on track.

Unlike most years, you can’t be too flexible with your schedule. The Camino is busy, and beds are booking up weeks in advance. So the idea of keeping to a schedule is important.

A woman from Ireland I walked with in the morning said she had also taken the “alternative route” the day before and ended up in the city 10 km away from her hotel. She seemed relieved that I had done the exact same thing. (Upon re-reading the Brierly guide later, the mistake was avoidable but understandable).

Today’s long hike included the transition from the long, flat Meseta “the plain in Spain” to the more varied landscape of Galicia.

Things I am thankful for so far on this trip:

Gear. Shoes and backpack are the two most important pieces of gear for the Camino, and both have been perfect. Thank you REI.

Weather. I’m sure I will have some hiking days in the rain as I make my way through Galicia, but so far, so good.

Layering. It’s been cold the last few days, 40s and 50s F. My light fleece plus my rain jacket have been perfect.

Technical fabrics. Shirts, socks, and skivvies are holding up well between washings.

Apple Watch Ultra. A gift from Victoria, the bigger battery lasts all day (unlike my phone) meaning she can track me from day to day.

I was feeling pretty sick by the time I got to Astorga, and went to the first pharmacy I could find. After some back and forth, the pharmacist gave me a powder for treating colds and flu (gripe, like the Old English grippe). Not a miracle remedy, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to get some sleep.

The Town Hall near my hotel is from the 17th century, and has bizarre, life-sized animatronic people who swing mallets at the bell to mark the hour.

I visited the cathedral and adjacent Palacio Gaudí. Yet another Gaudí masterpiece outside of Catalonia. The inside was even more impressive than the outside, with stained glass that rivals examples I have seen from Chagall and Matisse in France.

Mother’s Day in the US today, so of course I called Mom. It was two weeks ago in Spain!