Day 26, Tuesday , September 17th, 2019: Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

Sep 17

Sep 17 Day 26, Tuesday , September 17th, 2019: Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

Left Astorga before sunrise and almost took a turn towards the north coast in the dark. However, God sent us an angel who had earlier taken the same wrong turn. She insisted we go back a few hundred meters and she was correct! A split in the path was hard to see in the dark and we quickly corrected course and were on our way.

We stopped for breakfast at a lovely Albergue in Santa Catalina de Somoza and had bacon, eggs, and salad (?!?) for breakfast with a nice cafe con leche. We met a couple of Americans from Indianapolis, Terry and Kaye, who were on their second Camino. They had started in León this time and were hoping for Santiago if the legs and knees and feet cooperated! We also met Annalise from Austria who was quietly making her way to Santiago as well.

A little further down the road, in the small town of El Ganso, we met an artisan who made jewelry, mostly from polished stone. We bought a couple of very nice gifts we hope will make some loved ones smile! We also met a charming young Peregrino there named Mya, who is from Sweden.

We arrived early (11:30 am) into Rabanal del Camino to our Albergue El Tesin, and had a wonderful lunch after our shower. Terri has showered first and went downstairs and ordered lunch. When I joined her, Mya, our friend from earlier in the day, had also decided to stop here for lunch before heading on up to Majarin. We chatted and learned she has done some wonderful work on a church exchange in Ecuador and that she was looking for answers to the challenges in her life. It was so nice to learn a little about her life and her challenges. She was very tired and had been trying to get stronger on The Camino. We wished her well and said a little prayer as she headed on to continue her Camino.

Today’s “Camino Lesson:” God sends us Angels even when we don’t know we need them.

Sometimes we recognize a lifeline thrown by an Angel, and sometime we don’t. This morning, I started off convinced that our Colombian Angel was going the wrong way. As we chatted for a few moments, I re-checked our course and found out she was correct!

Try not to miss the Angels you encounter!