Astorga: The Cathedral

From Las Medulas we drove on, in ever increasing heat, to Astorga and its aire de camping-cars, which happily provided a bit of desperately-needed shade. Initially, our interest in Astorga was to see the Gaudi palace there, an episcopal palace whose design he worked on from 1889, very early in his career; before he was Gaudi, you might say. But there was much more of interest as it all unfolded and tied so many things together.

Over the years we have camped in aires and campgrounds by racetracks, olympic
sites, futbol stadia, piscinae, alpine ski jumps, and more; Astorga was our first bull
ring, however

City walls, Gaudi's episcopal palace, and behind it the cathedral

Roman bits uncovered by the walls

Astorga is on the Frances Camino Santiago, so we felt right at home, except that
my blister is now nearly healed

Inside the very late Gothic 

As with most Spanish cathedrals, any view of the thing is obscured/prohibited
by the choir, an actual large building smack in the middle, and the screen,
which prevented us knaves in the nave from seeing all the hocus-pocus the
priests were up to; but this is the 21st century, and CCTV screen lets us see all

Elevation

The choir building; plus men in black now shooing us tourists out; it was
Annuniciation,  or Assumption, or the Inquisition or something, and major
festivities were about to begin

So we went outside to admire all the sandstone carving

And watch the Caminantes arriving

Fun was about to begin

Arrival of the town band

Really tying things together: as a former oboist I was
astounded to see the band had not one but two marching 
oboists, who cheerfully posed; I have seen marching
bassoonists, but never marching oboists; notice their reeds
are removed and carefully protected

Arrival of the colors

Arrival of military types; we think the very interesting head-gear worn by the
general on the right is actually the summer version of a Darth Vader helmet

Arrival of the bishop/cardinal/whatever

The Holy Mobile that was to be paraded about town after
the Mass

Exterior view of cathedral

Caminante atop the tower