There were thirty pilgrims in San Javier in Astorga Saturday night. Yesterday, 18 bicycles passed me. Today 27 bicycles passed me.
Murias de Rechivaldo is open.
Two albergues in Santa Catalina de Somoze are open. I stayed in the second one on the left. The hospitalero, drunk for most of Sunday evening, caters to locals, and the service to pilgrims was less than indifferent. Two primero choices and three secundo choices, one of which ran out. He grabbed the pot of lentejas before everyone was done eating them. When postres orders were too slow, he simply left the table. With a blond Costa Rican and Japanese woman who has lived in Barcelona for six years at the table, both speaking fluent Spanish, he was called to task. He thought he had a bunch of non-Spanish speakers, I suppose.
The albergue entering town, on the right rather than the left as
Brierley describes it, Caminante has better food and service. The people running it seem to care. I had breakfast there because no one showed up to open the place on the left (name escapes me). A late rising pilgrim passed me later and said the woman showed at 8 am, and apologized; she did not hear her alarm...
El Ganso albergue open. Cowboy bar closed for morning coffee, but open evenings for food.
All Rabanal albergues seemed to be open.
Three albergues open in Foncebadon. The new one to the right of the parrochial is still closed. The parrochial opens after 1500.
Crowds have grown after Astorga, but there is plenty of space.
