Spent the day exploring Leon... What a treat it is to be here. A few things that came to my attention quickly. Leon is CLEAN! Seriously, they have cleaning crews constantly cleaning the place up. They are very pedestrian friendly and heavy. The old city is traffic controlled and very much pedestrian based, streets full of people walking that in another city would be full of vehicles. The new sections of town are well organized and laid out. And the people are friendly. In short, it was the perfect place for me to declare a rest day.
I visited all the relevant must-see locations and spent a bit of time just unwinding with my Peregrino friends exploring around town on our own.
The Pinnacle of the day was a nice gathering of Peregrino friends at a restaurant and enjoying each other's company. We did something special, going around the table we reach spoke about what special thing we got from the Camino. Responses include:
The Spanish people are so friendly and embracing of Peregrinos, particularly foreigners.
The comradery and friendships the quickly build and the level of Peregrino to Peregrino assistance constantly offered - AKA, the Peregrino family.
Many spoke of the Camino as an intelligent entity and how it has embraced us and guided us.
It was just a wonderful time, to think 25 days ago we were all complete strangers and now many of us are lifetime friends, brought together by a commonality and bond that seems to deny nationality and other distinguishing characteristics... A Peregrino is a Peregrino, all Peregrinos are family :).
Tomorrow, it's back on the trail. In a few daysi will submit to Cruz de Ferro (the iron cross) where I will place my burden stone on top of a massive pile of previously placed burden stones (thank you Tara for the perfect gift, I shall definitely leave my burdens behind). Relieved of my burdens, I shall then tackle the end stages of my journey to Santiago over the be few weeks and time permitting head to the ocean.
The next few weeks are sure to be exciting as I get ever closer to Santiago (currently 310km to go) and I enter the Galacia Provence with its unstable weather and challenging trails.
PHOTO DUMP :
https://goo.gl/photos/YKHkErPk7WJWyrf59
Until then,
Buen Camino!
Kevin
P.S., Yes, those are McCain French fries, made in Maine, cooked in Spain! That must explain their French fry addiction.
Ah Leon. Yes, a great place for an extra day. We spent an extra day as well in Leon. Loved the pedestrian feel and yes the cleanliness - many cities in Europe feel clean - it's all that socialistic employment. You are having such a wonderful Camino adventure with your Camino family. For me - Ross - Leon is where I fully felt and appreciated what the Camino family is all about. Buen Camino Kevin - Ross & Kathleen
ReplyDeleteI love you and am very proud of you, honey. I am glad to hear that you had a great time relaxing and hanging out with your Peregrino family. Speaking of French fries, I saw the golden arches off in the distance on one of your photos. I can't wait to hear about tomorrow's adventure.
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