Villadangos del Paramo to Hospital de Orbigo

Total distance today = 6.8 miles

Total ascent = level

Cumulative distance = 314.5 miles

Compared to yesterday, today was better weather-wise, and somewhat better path-wise. We are still on what is called a senda - a man made gravel path. And we were still walking next to N-120. However, the irrigation canals are back, and the farm fields looked much more productive. 

The bicycle crowd was out in force this morning. 

One lonely snail was found on the path. 

Lonely, because of the carnage all around him. Smashed snails all over! I think it was the bikers. 

We stopped in San Martin for a late morning coffee. 

That's it for the walk. Pretty uneventful, so our destination is the highlight of our short day. 

Hospital de Orbigo is home to the Puente de Orbigo, a 13th century bridge built over an earlier Roman bridge. It's the longest and best preserved bridge on the Camino. 

Our hotel is immediately at the other end of the bridge.

We arrived early enough to have a nice pollo (chicken) bogadillo and cerveza lunch at a cafe just next to the bridge. 

View from our room. It's early evening and raining. 

This bridge was the site of a famous jousting tournament in 1434. Don Suero (name of our hotel), a knight from Leon, spurned by a beautiful lady, decided to defend his honor by guarding the bridge from any who dared to challenge him. He jousted and broke the lances of 300 knights.  Then he and his comrades proceeded to Santiago where he gave thanks for his "freedom from the bonds of love and for his honor now restored".  So the bridge is now nicknamed "Passo Honorosso."

Well good for him, but what about those poor horses running over those hard cobblestones with men in heavy armor on their backs?

This evening we heard fireworks just outside our window, and guess what? Another fiesta!  Spaniards love a party and it seems that we find one every few days on the Camino.  Today is the fiesta de San Juan. We have no idea what that's about, but before dinner we heard some commotion and a band coming from the town square, so strolled over to see a parade:

We have no idea why these floats are in the parade, but everyone was having a lot of fun.

Tomorrow's hike is longer but still relatively short fir the Camino, just over 10 miles. Thankfully,  most of it will be on paths that are further from busy roads.