Today is the first day I get to take it easy for the entire trip. There's a convergence of factors that allow this. Firstly, there's no "beat the heat" early start, as the temperature in the hottest part of the day is early twenties. Secondly, I'm not racing to get a place in a municipal albergue. My French walking companion and I have a date with a mother/son from Utah to watch the sunrise from the mountain in O Cebreiro.
Today I slept in. For some reason, I've been waking up really early almost as long as I've been doing this. Three times now. We go to bed early.
After yesterday's intense climb and descent, today's walk is a relatively easier 31km, but mostly on flat. After walking along a road for an hour or so, I enter one of the many Camino scenic route "diversions". It's pleasant enough, with a view over Ponferrada as the sun is coming up. After another hour or so, my French friend catches up with me, and we spend the rest of the day walking together. We stop for evening primrose, cat cuddles, stork nests, mimosa flowers, cottonwood groves, run down houses, broken balconies, scarred grey poplar.
Today I crest the hill I started climbing up yesterday. It might not seem like much of a climb, 400m, but when I start walking up it at just after 6am, the conditions are hard going. 7 degrees, and some extra from the wind chill. My head torch guides me up the hill. I'm not prepared for these conditions, so every layer I have is on me, including my rain jacket.
The bus journey to Astorga takes me past pilgrims walking along the road. There's a lot of that on the Meseta, particularly the second half. Maybe I'll come back and check that box, for now, let's skip ahead to the good bits. Leaving Astorga, a pretty town centre with a cathedral and Gaudi designed building in the centre, I see the countryside start to transform.
My 'rest' day involves only a 13 km walk to the next town to catch the 921 bus to Leon. I wake at 4am, and due to the nighttime chorus, only drift for an hour. I walk in the dark, mostly with the torch off, when the path is wide and straight. It's exhilarating, being alone in the dark.