Astorga
The town is very busy this weekend because of an annual festival. However, the San Javier albergue is only about 1/3 full. The Hotel Gaudi has suspended the Pilgrim Menu for the week to accommodate diners who will pay the full fare, which is 21 Euro. There are plenty of other places with lower prices, though.
The weather is cool and dry. My nylon sleeping bag liner was warm enough, but there are boxes of blankets for those who need them. No apparent bed bug problems. The hospitalera is a permanent pilgrim, volunteering at various albergues. She can speak six languages, so there is no language barrier here this week.
I was hoping for a SIM chip that would connect my smart phone to the internet, but both Orange and Vodafone closed at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, and will not reopen until Monday morning. The next possibility is Ponferrada. There are many WiFi signals around the city, but they all are locked. The albergue has only one internet connection working, but there are so few pilgrims that it is not hard to find it open.
Santa Catalina or El Ganso tonight depending on leg strength. I am getting worse about training, so the first week is a training week!
The Atlantic crossing took 7 hours. The bus from Madrid airport (T-4 terminal) to Astorga with a bus change in Valledeloid took about 8 hours. It went through very scenic but dry country. There were signs regularly that pointed to places along the
Camino Frances, but it did not go to any, including Leon. It was a parallel track of mostly country roads.
Desayuno then walking. Buen Camino.