Amarante and Astorga
On the way north watching the charge in our battery we headed for a quiet little spot called Amarante, still in Portugal, a small traditional community. Our Airbnb was very restful so there was time to get some washing done and to sit out in the sun.
We wandered alongside the river and walked across the steppingstones which form a lovely feature for the area.
Strolling through the village we wandered up and down the attractive streets. One item we observed on sale were phallic shaped biscuits. These are apparently a deeply valued local custom most likely going back to pagan times but incorporated into the Christian iconography around the 13th century. They are given and received as a fertility symbol and there are two festivals in June and January which celebrate the tradition. Apparently during the Portuguese dictatorship which began in 1926, the tradition was outlawed, but the people of Amarante continued to make and exchange them.
Travelling on from there were crossed back into Spain and had to stop for fuel. We decided to have a quick snack and found ourselves sitting in a very 'redneck' space completely surrounded by all types of rifles on display, it all felt a little intimidating. On to Astorga another quiet and pretty town in Spain along the Spanish Camino. For a small town it had a lot to offer. 
The place was teeming with pilgrims, and it was very much a part of their culture. We stayed in a unique little hotel it was operated by an extremely friendly husband and wife who had lovingly created this space in what seemed to be an old farmhouse. They had styled the rooms each with an individual theme, we were in the Arabic room but there was the Medieval room, the Roman room and African room, each uniquely decorated, ours was swathed in scarves and veils.
The town itself hosts an impressive cathedral, ruins of early Roman settlement a Chocolate museum and the Bishops Palace designed by Gaudi.
One thing I noticed as we admired the renaissance artwork in the Cathedral were the number of statues of Madonna and child (this was in the era where the 'child' still looked like a small adult) in almost everyone the 'child' held up his middle and index finger, this apparently represented the duality of Christ, both human and divine at the same time. The Cathedral was also a centre of honor St James the pilgrim saint who is depicted with a long walking staff with a water gourd hanging from it. The Bishops' Palace looks quite reminiscent of a Disney 'Fairy Castle' but inside was so full of light and delicate Gaudi inspired arches.
We enjoyed a lovely couple of days wandering through this town and celebrated John's birthday with an excellent dinner of barbeque ribs and Seabass.
This featured blog entry was written by Seniorcitizens from the blog Destination ....Iberia.
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