The TRIFECTA!!!

That´s right folks...the trifecta is complete! Two evenings ago, our third member arrived safe and sound via train from Madrid. We were so happy that everything went off without a hitch in terms of us all connecting. Following her arrival, we walked to the cathedral, had a nice dinner and enjoyed the crowds in the Plaza Mayor. Then it was early to bed for our weary traveler because we had to rise early the next morning. And, at 530, we awoke, hit snooze, awoke again at 545 and headed out on the second half of our journey. Getting out of Leon took us quite awhile...we stopped in Virgen del Camino for our traditional cafe con leche and were even able to talk Julia into getting one...first coffee she has ever ordered! And in Spanish nonetheless! The walk yesterday flew by. It was only about 14 miles and our new member brought a breath of fresh air to our walking time. There was an optional route, which we decided to take the one that kept us more in nature. We arrived in Mazarife around noon (so early...tell that to the Korean!) and settled into a great albergue. The afternoon was spent sleeping and eating...and having our laundry done in a machine for us...SO EXCITING!!! We decided to partake in the pelegrino dinner, which wasn´t until 700, so to kill time we decided to walk down to the local bar and have a cerveza. We invited Tony, a new friend who was starting his first day along with Julia, to join us. Tony is from Sidney, will turn 75 on the day he arrives in Santiago, and is a priest. He was able to fill us in on the history behind Saint James, including new and exciting findings! He was pretty interesting to talk to and we enjoyed our time with him. Our dinner last night was phenomenal! We´ve realized we haven´t dedicated nearly enough time to the food over here, so lets get a little more into that...

Last night we had a salad with carrots, beets, corn and tomatoes (oil and vinegar dressing) for the first course. The main course was paella, which is a traditional Spanish dish. It consists of either rice or a very tiny pasta and then a bunch of spices and either veggies, fish or meat. It is fabulous and very filling as well. Last night´s was the best we have had so far. Each meal comes with a baskets of bread, a bottle of wine and a bottle of water. Dessert consisted of apple chunks with cinnamon on them. To quote Julia ¨The one thing America has going for them is their desserts¨. We kept waiting for the cheesecake, but it never came. Other foods that we have enjoyed are the tortata, which is basically thick tortillas made with chunks of potatoes. Then they throw cheese, ham or something of the like in between two slices. It is a wonderful breakfast food. The pastries have been our (especially Michaels!) favorite. They are the perfect amount of sweetness and go great with our morning coffee. For most of our meals, we buy a fresh loaf of beautiful bread, add meat (usually cured ham or chorizo) and some cheese. Very simple and oh so good! The beer of choice here is San Miguel and it is the Spanish equivalent of Bud, but much better. The wine is fabulous and without nitrates, so hangovers are rare (though we wouldn´t know, cause 1 1/2 glasses makes us loopy...all this walking has made us lightweights!)

Today was a huge day and Julia hung in like a trooper! We walked almost 19 miles to Astorga, which is a quaint smaller city on a hill. We had to walk 14 km to ¨earn¨our morning coffee. It was well worth it though. The town we stopped in was having a medieval festival and we had to pull Michael away from the armored helmets and swords. We got poured on again today, though this time was much less intense. Upon arriving in Astorga, we found our albergue to be fabulous! It is an old building (300 years) and has a fireplace, kitchen, is made of stone and deep woods...beautiful! May be our favorite place yet! We are looking forward to exploring the city. From our walk in we think it may be the chocolate capital of spain...definitely worth partaking! Life´s tough.

Anyway, hope you are all well! Thanks for the message Dianne! We talk about all of you (good things!) while walking and are excited to see you!

Buen Camino!