Tag 22 - Villadangos del Paramo nach Astorga

The accommodation tonight was a disaster. There are four-person rooms, but all the rooms and the bathrooms are completely open above 2m. As soon as someone got up, the motion detectors switched on all the lights in the accommodation. If someone went to the toilet or shower, you could of course hear everything. I was awake more often and slept worse than I have ever slept in any other night. The first people started getting ready at 4am. I got up at 6:30am, had a quick breakfast and then set off. I prepared myself for the rain today. The new rain pants are very good. The first half hour on the way, it is still fairly dry. It is only drizzling a little and not too cold today. The rain has gotten heavier and the wind is blowing pretty strongly in the morning, so after 2.5 hours I take a short break in Hospital de Obrigo. When I go into the bar, I meet Giuliano. The "Mr. Camino" from Italy. He greets me very warmly and although he already wanted to leave, he waits until I have had my coffee and eaten a little something. When we then set off together, we catch 5 minutes with only a light drizzle. After we leave the village, it is about 20 minutes along a muddy track to the country road, on or next to which we will be walking for the next few hours. The rain is now very heavy and it is no fun walking today. But we make fun of the emptiness a little, as there are really only a few pilgrims on the way. Most of them are probably already sitting in a restaurant with a beer because they don't keep walking in this weather. At a gas station we fortify ourselves with a quick coffee. My jacket and new trousers are great. But the clothes underneath still get a little wet on the sleeves and face. And I don't even need to start with the shoes.... After we continue walking, we come into a dangerous situation. Suddenly a pack of wild dogs crosses the country road and blocks our way. At first we weren't sure if they were dogs or wolves, but they were too big and too strong to be wolves. We could see that for sure from about 100m away. Single dogs wouldn't be a problem, but this pack seemed aggressive and posed a real danger, as they are known to attack people in the area. We considered turning around and walking back to the gas station. I would definitely be back alone. But then after 1-2 minutes they crossed to the other side of the country road. Giuliano had his stick in his hand. I held mine in such a way that I could use it against the dogs if in doubt. We approached relatively slowly at first, watching the dogs out of the corner of our eyes to avoid direct eye contact. 2 of the dogs were watching us directly. The rest were behind them in the bushes. When we were level with them, we sped up considerably. Still being watched by the dogs... When we looked back after 100-150m, we were relieved that they were still watching us but not following us. We looked back two or three more times and then relaxed again. The path continued in heavy rain. Flooded paths. Mud when they were dirt roads... It was more of a journey of suffering. We arrived in Astorga completely soaked. I booked a hotel at the entrance to the town because I had to get my things dry again by tomorrow and I was sure that the things in my backpack would be wet even with the rain cover. Giuliano said goodbye because he was going another 6km. When I got to the hotel, I got a suite. The last room that was still available. I then undressed in the shower, emptied my backpack completely and then spent ages in the massage shower. Then I put everything on heaters and/or dried it. I still have a bit of work to do today until all my things are dry again. Later I'll go somewhere to eat when I have dry clothes again and otherwise it's just relaxation on the agenda. I haven't had this much luxury in a long time. It's warm, I have a lot of space, the shower is amazing. I think I'll go and take another shower later 🤣Sleep alone and in peace 🙏🙏🙏
Tomorrow I would prefer to just stay here. But I will continue. The actual route tomorrow goes to Rabanal del Camino, 20 km away. We'll see what I do. There are supposed to be thunderstorms today, it's the change in the weather before it's sunny for the next few days from tomorrow and the temperatures will rise significantly.
Cost of the day:
Accommodation 86€Breakfast included in donation Food along the way 6€ Dinner ??