After a few days of fighting what I thought was a cold, I had been feeling much better. Walked 10 miles with my pack, had a good appetite (some decent paella) and a good nights sleep. So I didn’t think much of it when I felt kinda tired this morning starting out from Hospital de Óbrigo. The weather was a bit damp and chilly and I had my poncho on.

The morning light was lovely, as usual. After about 2 miles I came to Villares de Óbrigo. Nothing was open yet, but I did pass a little place where a man was giving out water and snacks.

I continued through the town and as I came to the beginning of the dirt path, I suddenly was hit with an absolute wave of weakness, far more than normal tiredness. It was like I simply could not keep walking. I turned around and went back to ask that man if I could get a taxi to Astorga. He drove me himself and let me out right near the Cathedral. (I gave him €20 for gas.)

I contacted my reserved Albergue and asked if I could come early. When I got there, I explained that I had suddenly become ill. The proprietor (who was very kind) wisely advised me to get a COVID test before checking in.

So I did. And it was positive. Damn.

So now…I am holed up in a private the Gaudi Hotel, a fairly posh place. The room is comfortable with real towels and an actual bathtub. There’s a restaurant on site with decent food. I have TV, internet and there are even a few English novels in one of the lounges.

The guy at the desk has been very nice and told me not to worry because “COVID right now is very mild.” I hope he’s right.

So far, I have very mild symptoms, like a cold but with extra tiredness. I’ll sleep, drink fluids, watch bad TV and see how I feel in a few days. I’m booked here through Sunday. Nothing I can do but wait it out. And at least this is right across the street: