Today was a long day  but the sun never showed up so we have no complaints. I saw my shadow only once today and that was due to the sun.  Since we started at 7:15am, about an hour before sunrise, we had to use my little torchlight to avoid the puddles on the trail.  One pair of Chinese women who passed us had headlamps that were previously mounted on the roo chasers that Aussies drive when hunting kangaroos. I believe they run about at 800 watts and 50 thousand lumens.  

The walk today was mostly along the same road as the past two days, then very urban into and out of León. Other than the view of the city from the hill next to the highway, the León cathedral, and the other old architecture in León, the trail is unremarkable. Therefore, I won’t remark about it.

Of the experiences and observations along the way, there were many.  For example, despite the obvious “big city” vibe of León, many people young and old wished us a “buen Camino” as we passed.  It happened much more frequently than in Pamplona, Logroño or Burgos. That was nice. Most people, I just thank them but when older people say it, I respond “En Santiago, rezaré por ti” (“In Santiago, I will pray for you” – and I do). I said that to one old man just as as American woman we know and a  Spanish man who walks with her were passing us.  That Spanish guy then said to me in very bad English “there is no way he will understand your accent.” Swine!

In León, we had about 7km to go and we were hungry.  after getting a stamp for our credencials from the cathedral , we looked for a bar or cafe to get some food quickly.  We passed dozens of places that were too fancy or too expensive and some places that only had pinchos but the first one that we could get a nice salad from was a Brazilian bar. Inside, as we talked to the barman, we heard a gasp and a shriek “Hola!”.  Sitting there having a drink was Polish Monika and her husband who we shared a meal with nine days ago.  We occasionally saw them on the trail but we haven’t seen them for a week or so.  They had arrived in León yesterday and decided not to walk today due to the rain that was forecasted to be heavy most of the day. They are enjoying their rest day in a private room so I reckon they won’t be too upset to find out it didn’t actually rain today.  There was a little drizzle but never enough to make us put on our raincoats.

A lot of the pilgrims we have been walking with over the past few days have talked excitedly about their planned rest day (or days) in León.  They may have taken other rest days too, such as in Logroño or Burgos.  They often had said they planned the day for rest but would enjoy and explore the cities while they are there. Melanie and I have a different view on rest days.  If we were to stop walking for a day or two, we would have great difficulty getting back into the walking.  We would rest for more serious health reasons but for us, a rest day means walking about 10km and doing the whole “new accommodations” things, shower up, wash clothes, etc.  we will come back to Spain someday when we are old to explore the city. That’s our strategy and it works for us.  Everyone else can walk their own Camino but this is just a suggestion.

Blisters!  I arrived in Spain with one blister under my big toe. It’s slowly getting smaller but it hasn’t bothered me at all.  I developed another one on my left heel about four days ago.  It hurts a good bit but it’s my fault for not fixing the problem earlier.  Today, I got another blister on the heel of my right foot for balance.  They slow me down for the first kilometer or so but after that, I don’t really notice them until I take off my boots.  I am hoping they disappear soon.

We were passing in front of the famous Parador Hotel just as we were heading out of the city when we met an older female pilgrim. We chatted with her for a few minutes and found out she was staying in León and also taking a rest day tomorrow (she doesn’t read my blog, obviously). We asked he if she has a room or a bed booked yet and she blushed. She sheepishly pointed over her shoulder to the Paraddor. She’s slumming it at 200€ per night. You only live once. We asked if we could stop by later like they did in the movie “The Way” but she told us she would be asleep soon, just after her spa treatment.

And it’s bedtime.  Peace y’all. 

Good night George, Leo❤️ and Stella