Day 35 – Villadangos del Páramo to Hospital de Órbigo

Walked today: 7.1 miles

Walked Camino 2019: 254.4 miles

Today was a continuation of walk-along-the-road Camino.

We stopped for breakfast at a familiar albergue in San Martian del Camino, known for frequents visits from extraterrestrials, so we were not concerned when we observed an alien spacecraft hovering over a village building, but walked, hurriedly through the village (pop. constantly changing).

After nearly 7 miles, we walked by an impressive looking water tower (we think) on the outskirts of Hospital de Órbigo (pop. 1031)

A water tower ?

We walked directly onto the landmark bridge for this medieval town.

El Paso Honrosa #1

El Paso Honroso #2

El Paso Honroso #3

El Paso Honroso #4

El Paso Honroso #5

The impressive Gothic bridge over the Río Órbigo is the site of a legendary medieval jousting competition. Don Suero de Quiñones, a wealthy Leonese knight, was rejected by the woman he loved. In his heartbreak, he locked his neck in an iron collar and swore he would not take it off until he had defeated 300 knights in jousting. The call went out, and knights from all over the kingdom came in the Holy Year of 1434. Quiñones succeeded in his quest, freeing him from the torment of love. He took off the collar and made a pilgrimage to Santiago where he left a bejeweled bracelet, which can still be seen in the cathedral museum. The bridge became known as El Paso Honroso “the Honorable Pass.”

We stopped for fresh squeezed orange juice at a restaurant/hostal at the opposite end of the bridge in Hospital de Órbigo before walking a few hundred more yards to our room in Albergue Encina.

We had lunch today at a nice local restaurant and think its time for you to join our culinary experience.

Here is the menu we were presented with. No one speaks English and none of the items in the menu show up in itranslate.

What did we order and who got what?

That should keep you busy until our next post.

Buen Camino!