I walked quietly out of Astorga this morning as children were on their way to school. The day was quite overcast and the mountains I had seen a day earlier had completely disapeared. There were a few more hills today and slowly the clouds opened up just above my head and I had a ray of sunshine which followed me for the entire day. At times I thought I could have been in Ireland with the dark clouds and the lush green colours and it was a very nice walk.

I arrived early in Rabanal and debated going further, but it was a steep climb with few albergues so I thought it wisest to stay. The store in the town has been closed since October, so I had no option to but to eat in the restaurant and I took the occasion to try the Cocido Maragato which is typical of the region. I am not quite clear on who the Maragato are,+ but it is a culture unique to this area of Spain. Surprisingly Spain is incredibly multicultural and it seems every region or province has a certain interest in independance. Right now in the province in Leon I often see grafitti that reads ´Leon solo´, but the movement is no where near the basque interest. So for the dish that was more like a meal it started with an enormous plate of meat, mostly pig and then I didn´t ask too many questions about what parts. Next came an enormous plate of chickpeas and cabbage that was almost like sauerkraut, but with a different sauce. Third there was a big bowl of what looked like chicken noodle soup, but tasted like the meat I had eaten earlier. I thought it was over and then they brought me a plate with a bowl of blended rice pudding with a small piece of cake. While I ate other pilgrims trickled in. There were three from the Catalan region of Spain, a couple from France and my Japanese friend. I am done eating for the day and ready for bed.
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