Today was a big day, heading into one of the biggest cities on the Camino: León. This meant some ugly areas heading into the city, but it actually wasn't as bad as the other big cities. Still, heading into big cities means much less nature and much more suburbs, so it was less of a quiet, peaceful day.
I woke up at 7:00 and got up, getting dressed and packing my bag. I talked a bit with Sam, Dan, and Margaret as we all put our bags together. Then I waited outside for everyone to be ready. Dan and Sam left first, followed by Kate and Joe, and then finally Margaret and I.
It's interesting how the landscape and towns have changed over time. In the beginning, you're crossing the Pyrenees mountains, so there are a lot more grand views with uphill and downhill. There's also a lot more forest to walk through. The towns are spaced pretty perfectly to have a mid sized walking day every day, and you don't really have a choice as to which town to stop at, since each of those towns only have one albergue open and none of the towns between have any open, if there even are any towns between. As you leave the Pyrenees, there are still a few smaller mountains and large hills. About one third of the way in, everything becomes very flat and the towns start becoming more plentiful, with more of an option as to where you want to stop for the night. I'm about to reach the end of the flat section, which I'm glad for. I'd like to see the mountains again. Still, the landscape is never boring and there's always something to stimulate you visually, even when it's flat.
Margaret and I walked and reflected on the time we got to spend with Wolfgang. He was a very unique and interesting person. More unique than any other person I've met, really. We started to try to figure out why that was. I had assumed it was just because he was German, but there was just too much that was diffferent about him for that to be it. We figured he much be some sort of genius. Who else would get their PHD for fun? He did it just because he wanted to, recognizing that it would have no effect on his career. I thought that was funny.
The scenery heading out of Reliegos was nice, mostly farmland with some industrial sections here and there. Margaret and I soon passed Sam, who was cooking up some noodles and coffee with his backpacking burner. We talked with him for a bit, then headed on. We then hit the first town of the day. As we walked in, we saw a funny sight. There was a huge guard dog with a tiny little dog standing on top of it. Once the guard dog saw us, he lazily got up, throwing the little dog off, and started barking. It was quite the scene.
Once in town, Margaret and I joined up with Dan, Joe, and Kate for pastries and coffee. We spent good amount of time there, talking and enjoying some refreshments. I got a hot cocoa, cafe con leche, and a custard pastry. It was great, and nice to sit for a while. We chatted about a crazy story Margaret had heard on a podcast about a 1970s plane crash in the Andes where over 30 people survived and had to live in the winter for two months. After a nice rest, we all headed out together.
We talked for a while about different slang between Americans, Aussies, and the British. Since they watch tons of American TV, they know almost all of our slang. But since I never watch British or Aussie TV, I know none of their slang, so it's funny to get to hear a whole ton of slang that is brand new to me. We also talked about TV shows and singers that we like.
One thing I've found interesting is that Castille and León have a rivalry. It's clear when you're passing through the region of Castille y León, because on the signage, one or the other will be crossed out depending on the region you're in. In the East, you're in Castille, so León is crossed out most of the time. But once you get more west, you pass into the León region, and on every sign, Castille is crossed out. I just found that interesting. Aapparently these regions were joined together under a ruling king a few hundred years ago and have always had an uneasy relationship.
We walked through more farmland, always following a road, as is typical of the days heading into big cities. We walked through another town or two, just passing through. I started hanging back, spending some time alone to pray and reflect. I didn't reflect on anything in particular, more so the whole trip in general.
I stopped for a quick trip into a grocery store for a small lunch, then continued on. I talked for a bit with Kate and Margaret and got to retell the story of how Mikayla and I met and our relationship since then. I love telling that story. Then, I spent the rest of the walk alone, still praying.
Soon, we came upon León in the distance. We followed the freeway heading into the city, slowly getting closer. It didn't take too long to enter the city from there, and soon enough we were in the city center and at our destination, the Benedictine Sisters Albergue. We had been recommended this Albergue due to the "singing nuns". I don't know what that means but I'm excited to find out! The timing worked perfectly, because as soon as we arrived, it started raining and there was even small hail.
Upon further inspection, we realized that the albergue actually opens tomorrow. We decided to just take a break and have some refreshments from the vending machine for a few minutes. We watched some funny Australian videos and laughed together for a while. Then, once the rain stopped, we headed to the only open albergue, the St Francis of Asisi albergue, which was close by.
We checked into the albergue, which was super fancy. It was modern style and even had an elevator! Also, one of the biggest differences is that they had 6 beds per room instead of all beds in one room. So Sam, Margaret, Kate, Joe, and I all got to share one room with our own bathroom, which felt luxurious. I got my bed situated and my bag off, then headed to the basement kitchen to make my lunch. I ate with Sam, Joe, and Kate, talking about Mt Everest and stories they've heard about it.
After lunch, I headed to the church attached to the albergue at 6:00. It was a gorgeous church with the full gold scene above the altar, a great statue of Jesus looking down at you if you knelt before it, and plenty of art and other statues around the rest of the church. I spent a good half hour praying and reflecting on my journey so far.
I spent some time kneeling in front of the statue of Jesus, which felt really special. It's so lifelike, which really helped with prayer. I realized yet again that I haven't spent enough time in prayer. I would like to take more time alone, praying and reflecting, on a daily basis. With the intention to do so, and great hope for the rest of my journey, I left the church and took a look at the cloister next to the church and the art some of the nuns had made. It was really beautiful! I couldn't go into the cloister garden or the cloister itself, but I still got a good view.
After some time checking out the cloister, I took a walk over to the Cathedral to verify their opening hours for tomorrow. You never really can trust the info you get online, so I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
The León Cathedral was magnificent. It's absolutely gigantic, and I can't wait to go inside and check it out tomorrow. I then looked around in some souvenir shops nearby before heading back to the albergue. On the walk, I called Mikayla, which was great. It was fun to talk to her while wandering through the city back to the albergue. I could almost imagine we were traveling together.
Once I got back to the albergue, it was time for Mass. I invited Dan, and he decided to come with me. Mass was at 7:30, and was all in Spanish of course, but it was really nice. I enjoyed the familiarity of it, and also the beautiful art.
At 8:20, Mass ended and Dan and I went to an Indian restaurant to get dinner with the rest of the group. It was Dan, Sam, Joe, Kate, Luis, Cedric (who is a French mountaineer), Joanna and Nana (the two Danish girls from a few days ago), and Margaret. The service was slow and the food wasn't fantastic but it was still great to spend time with friends. The guys were all at one end, and we talked about whatever random topics came up. It was a great time!
After dinner, it was about 10:30. We went to a bar for another hour. I didn't get anything, and sat at the end of the table with Cedric and Joanna. They asked how Mass was, which led to a discussion on religion and our experiences with it. Cedric believes in God, but not in the church. He prefers to seek God in his own way it seems like. Joanna was raised in a Protestant church where apparently both of her parents are priests. It was an interesting discussion. After a while, I headed out to call Mikayla before getting to bed. We talked abour our days and it was a nice way to wind down end the day. Then, I went to bed at 12:15. It was a good day, and I'm excited about my rest day tomorrow!