Rest day in León

I´m sort of getting used to this -- slog on for 37-40 kms on Day 1, and then take Day 2 to relax and enjoy! León is such a beautiful city, I´m always happy to spend time here. I had very little to accomplish today, other than wash a few pieces of clothing, so you could say I am enjoying the life of a lady of leisure.

This morning at breakfast, the room in the hotel was filled with eight English speaking pilgrims. A dad and two college aged kids from N. Carolina, two Canadian women (one of whom had walked her last step on the Camino and was limping terribly, the other who was off to buy a new backpack), an Austrian woman, a German young guy, and an American guy from Seattle. Yet another stark indication of how the traffic on the Camino Francés is increasing. We talked for a while, after I got up my courage to admit I had been eavesdropping and barged into the conversation. A couple of them are now considering the option of taking the Camino de Invierno with me, which would be nice. They too are tiring of the crowds and the rush for beds.


I spent a long time in the Cathedral during the late morning, as the strong sun burned through the stained glass window and made little jewel colored reflections all over the floor, it was amazing.

Then just wandering through the old town, I went to the covered market, where I went back to the same old fruit seller I remember from previous caminos. He started talking about how his business was declining, how people prefer to go get things wrapped in plastic in the supermarket, but how he wasn´t going to quit till he couldn´t make enough money to feed himself. He went on for some time about how it takes a professional to really know their fruits and vegetables -- the varieties, the regions, the soil, and in some cases, the growers themselves. He told me I would be very happy with every bite I took of the nectarines, apples, and cherries I bought from him. I left thinking he is a lucky man to be so proud of what he does every day from sun-up to sun-down.

So, I´m off for my last stroll in León, and am headed down to the parador, which is in the renaissance palace of San Marcos. It´s right at the tip of a long river walk, where in a while a large cross-section of León´s society will be linking arms and walking up and down along the tree-lined riverside promenade.

Weather so far has been fantastic, in fact for the last few days I´ve had to put socks on my hands till about 10:00 (WHY did I take out those little lambs wool gloves at the last minute?). But the forecast is calling for warming temperatures and rain. I´m hoping the rain keeps to its typical Castilla & León pattern of falling late in the afternoon after all peregrinos are inside washing clothes and napping.