Astroga to Molinaseca

Molinaseca's Romanesque spans

Tuesday 19 June: Astorga to El Ganso - 9 miles (14km). Today's the start of the mountains again and I opt for another short hop to the small windswept village of El Ganzo.
Albergue Gabino (€8) B&B.
Wednesday 20: El Ganso to Foncebadon 8 miles (13km). More hills and at Foncebadon I bump into Natcho again. We have a beer together as I'm celebrating three years of travelling today. I'm standing on the albergue balcony when a pretty girl waves to me from the garden, I wave back, but I'm sure we have not met on the camino. After dinner we talk, she's from Utrecht where she works in the organ museum when she's not sailing on the IJsselmeer or around the Frisian Islands. Her name is Mechteld (I can write it but the pronunciation is beyond me). She seems to enjoy my head massage before we are ushered to bed.
Monte Irago albergue (€20), enjoyable communal dinner, B&B. 
Thursday 21: Foncebadon to Molinaseca 12 miles (20km). Walking with Mechteld we reach Punto Alto (1,505m) marked by a pile of stones and other items left by pilgrims - sounds spiritual, looks like a garbage dump. It's raining so I'm walking fast and when Mechteld stops to rest, I carry on (I don't have an adequate waterproof). Descending out of the mountains the weather begins to clear and I pass through the pretty villages of El Acebo and Riego de Ambros to reach the attractive riverside town of Molinaseca. Below the Romanesque bridge a dam provides a pool for swimmers, it's a pretty place. Erin, minus Cameron who has gone back to Ireland, cooks a dinner of chorizo stew with rice for myself, Paul, Gary and Natasha who now seem to be hooked-up together. Briefly glimpse Mechteld and give her a wave.
Albergue Municipal (€5), converted church with sunken kitchen below and, beds above and outside under the porch.
Photos of the Camino de Santiago: Astroga to Molinaseca. I've now walked  353 miles (569km).