Sally and Becky slept in a bit today. I was up at 5:50am and out the door but 6:10am. Sally is taking the bus to Leòn today. Becky and I are walking, but on different time schedules.
It was 50° and clear when I stepped into the streets of Mansilla. The birds were loud and raucous. The sun not up yet, but lighting the horizon. No wind. I felt good and started off about 3+ mph. The route was right next to a two lane highway and absolutely straight and flat for the first three miles. I took a break at 6 miles in a little pilgrim picnic shelter built in the memory of someone. Had a couple mouthfuls of bread washed down with Propel. Soon I was walking alongside freeways and traffic exchanges as I entered the city of Leòn. I came upon a permanent booth set up to welcome pilgrims. I stopped and got my Credential stamped and a sucker, then continued into the city.
Sally called to tell me she had caught an earlier bus, the 8:25 instead of the 9:20. She called later to say she was at our room in Leòn and it was great. Also, I got a text from Carole and Christine saying they could meet us in the plaza at the cathedral. I walked the last mile or so into the heart of the city. I was in familiar territory now and recognized the hotel and square we stayed at last time as I approached the cathedral. I passed by the Gaudí building on my way. I got to the room about 10:30am, washed up a bit, had a cheese sandwich and headed out the door with Sally to meet C & C. We found them at a cafe having coffee. They are such a joy. Lyle and Lori came by and sat at the adjoining table. We had a nice visit with lots of laughter. When Lucky Luke from Germany showed up we asked him to take a group picture of the six of us, but he misunderstood and thought we wanted him in the picture and sat down next to Christine. Lori took a couple photos, then we had Luke take a couple of the six of us. He never did figure out his misunderstanding, which tickled us all. Shortly, C & C we’re on there way. Sally and I walked back to the room, shed our sweaters and walked to the restored pilgrim hostel, now a swanky luxury hotel. Last time we were here it was being renovated and we anxious to see the finished product. It is one of the Paradors-a historic building that is refurbished by the government and then sold to a hotel company. They have done this all over Spain to preserve historic buildings.
This one was started in 1152 as a hospital and way station for pilgrims on their way to Santiago. It was torn down and rebuilt in its present form in the 1500’s.
Now it is amazing. The outside is magnificent, the inside modern with the old showing tastefully throughout. Sally and I walked in as if we were staying there and wandered freely. The old cloister is now a stylish sitting room and bar open to the art adorned ceiling 4 stories up. On each floor the walls are graced with large art pieces.
The adjoining cloister is still open to the sky with gardens. The church is well preserved and attached. We enjoyed walking through the complex and saw no one on our journey.
Back on the street we headed to our room, stopping for groceries on the way. As we approached the hostel we saw Becky entering the door. We found her with the clerk registering for the room. Her shin splints got worse on the walk today and she was obviously in pain and limping. Sally had thought to buy ice when we were at the store and helped her ice on/ice off every 20 minutes throughout the afternoon. I sat in our bay window and read and wrote while the thunderstorm passed over, booming, flashing and dropping rain.
We cooked tortellini and vegetables for dinner in the sparsely furnished kitchen, then walked to the cathedral for evening lighting and a chance to see the city again before we called it a day. We ran into about 6 people we knew as we walked the streets. Sally bought another scarf to replace the one she lost a week ago.
What a great day. Leòn is such a clean and beautiful city. Tomorrow we take the day off from walking-a zero day. We will tour the cathedral, but mostly lie around letting body parts heal.
Amazing bridge just outside León
Cool graphic on a building I passed while walking into Leòn
The trail parallels the freeway for a bit
If you look closely, you can see the cathedral of León peeking over the hill to the right
More storks and stork nests
Kiosk for pilgrims just as you enter León
Lori, Lyle(Alberta Canada), Christine, Carol(Australia), Sally and I
Sally and Parricia(France) and the León cathedral
Us and the historic pilgrim hospital and hostel, now a parador hotel.
The inside of the parador. This is the old cloister.
Roof of the cloister.
Outdoor cloister
Library between outdoor cloister and church
The church from a balcony of the library
Another monument to us pilgrims. 😀
St. James is the patron saint of Spain and pilgrimages and the moor slayer. I don’t think until this trip I realized how important this pilgrimage was to the development of Spain and the Christian’s efforts to expel the Muslims. This route is a major player in Spain’s history. Now it is a major financial element in the small towns across the north, with more than 600,000 people making this trek each year.
A Kodak moment in the evening
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