Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon

Main Square in Leon

Written on June 10, 2009.....11.6 miles.

We slept in until 6:15 a.m......got ready and took off. Soon after we started walking our friend Nicky passed us and told us that he is moving so quickly that he will have to stay somewhere for a day. We will see him in a couple of days.

We had good cool walking weather, a couple of minutes of rain but not enough to put our ponchos on. We met a pilgrim today who has walked from Austria and one pilgrim walking east. I couldn´t believe it...he said he had walked to Santiago and was now going back to Burgos.

We have seen many stork nests today. We walked on a hill by a chapel and could see babies in the nest. There were alot less pilgrims in the Meseta and during the rain two days ago. More and more pilgrims now in Leon.

We had called ahead to get a room near the Correos, (Post Office). Another successful pick up of health supplements that I had mailed to myself on May 12th from Gasquet.

We are doing well, but even I can´t deny that taking a two hour nap after we find our bed each day is vital. We settled in today in Leon and walked around to see the beautiful Cathedrals and went inside a church.

Our room is across from a twenty foot Roman wall.

Before we went to dinner we walked through old town to find the Camino. We ran into our friends Lisa and Christine. They were having a snack at a bar at a sidewalk table. We have fun talking with them....always laughing.

Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas

Virgen Del Camino on the way to Mansilla de las Mulas

Written on June 9, 2009....16.3 miles.

As we left the monastery this morning a pilgrim couple looked confused. As we came along with our headlamps on, (unconsciously blinding them), we told them to follow us. We had checked out the way back to the Camino before going to bed. Although the village was very small all streets seemed to lead to a store or the bar. They followed us and then walked with us for awhile. Then off they went.

Alot of miles in between villages today.

When we arrived in Mansilla de las Mulas today we started to look for La Delicias, a hostal that was mentioned in our book. We saw the name of the hostal but it did not seem to be open. We went to the next building and tried that hostal. They had a room.

After Vern had taken his shower he was looking out our window onto the street. He happened to see Nicky on the street below. He yelled to Nicky. Nicky could see that Vern was wrapping himself with the curtain because he had just come out of the shower. In his very wonderful Irish accent Nicky said, ¨Come out onto the balcony Vern¨.

Nicky, Colby, and Shannon were all staying at the albergue next door. Vern had asked Nicky to let Colby and Shannon know that he wanted to take a picture of them.

Our room was not easy to find and they weren´t able to locate us.

We know that we will see them further down the Camino.

Before we had gone to dinner we found a panderia, (bakery with coffee) and saw Julia and Gregorio who we had been seeing the last few days. They are a friendly couple from Madrid who we converse with in our little bit of Spanish and their little bit of English.

Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos del Real Camino

Adobe wall ruins are a familiar sight along the camino.

Written on June 8, 2009.....14.8 miles.

Last night we had a good dinner at the albergue with three young people from Canada.....Colby, Shannon, and Liz. We met them at a pandareia in Carrion de los Condes.

Free internet at this albergue. They offered a private room with toliet and shower for 32 euros...we grabbed it.

At dinner I had mentioned the awesome labyrinth that we had seen at one of the previous summits. A couple of people at dinner had mentioned that they had not seen a labyrinth. We had not even walked 1 1-2 miles this morning when on the right of the path was a labyrinth...about 8 feet in diameter.

Today on our way into Sahagun we had to use our ponchos...so grateful to have them. It rained for about two hours. By the time we arrived in Sahagun we were ready for a coffee. We found a great cafe with many pilgrims coming in from the rain. As soon as we had our coffees and a good visit we went outside to find that the sun was coming out and we could put our ponchos away.

A short while later as we were entering a small village I saw what looked like a small mountain...which it was...it was also a house with four doors, a chimney, and a t.v. antenna, (a true hobbit house). Many houses in this providence, (Palencia), are made out of earth, or in a small hill, or made out of sod and straw.

There was a high wind today that took special effort and mantras. Today´s mantra was Thank you Spirit for the cleansing wind.

When we reached our destination, Bercianos del Real Camino we immediately followed the arrows to the albergue. We´re staying in a Parish hostel in a large room with twenty cots and several surrounding rooms with many bunk beds.

This albergue is truly authentic....very old...with handhewn wood staircase and logs. The village is very authentic as well. We walked into a bar thick with smoke. The only women in there were me and the two young women behind the counter. Many men were playing dominos and yelling out numbers....treinta, cuarenta...30 and 40....I assume those were winnings that they were racking up. I loved it.

Many times while travelling it is hard to really get in touch with the local flavor...this was definitely it.

The beds and dinner are donation in the tradition of the Medieval pilgrimages.

There were two large tables for a communal dinner. Some pilgrims were asked to help with preparing the meal and serving it.

It was a great time. Everyone introduced themselves and the country they are from. There was about four of us from the United States.

We heard about a pilgrim who has walked from Moscow. By the time he reaches Santiago he will have walked 4,000 kms. (2,400 miles).

Carrion de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios

The red poppies and various wild flowers have guided our way for weeks.

Written on June 7, 2009.....16.6 miles.

As of today we have been on the Camino for three weeks. Two days off...one in Pamplona and one in Fromista. We have walked 225 miles. All mileage is calculated from the book that we are using as a guide. I intentionally left my pedometer in Estella. It was taking up too much room in my pocket.

Today we walked eleven miles before we reached a village. We had food with us. Nick and Luke passed us on the Camino. Luke had bought new sandals to walk in to give his toes a break. So far he was doing well.

I am grateful for the cool weather to walk in. I seem to have much more stamina in the cooler weather. Today we walked many miles on rocks and dirt to asphalt and pavement. We´ve really hit a stride. We´re arriving in most villages earlier than we thought we would.....we do leave at 6 a.m. The book that we are using only showed one albergue in Terradillos de los Templarios. When we arrived we found a brand new one at the entrance of the village.

Many villages are busy building and opening albergues and bars in anticipation of 2010, a Holy year. The expected number of pilgrims is 250,000. Four million people are expected to go to Santiago to see the Pope on July 25, 2010.

Fromista to Carrion de los Condes

Monastery albergue that we stayed in..Carrion de los Condes.
Written on June 6, 2009.....12.5 miles.
Last night while Vern was watching the Perfect Storm in Spanish on t.v., there was a real storm going on the Fromista. This morning we left in perfect walking weather. We walked for about seven miles before coming to a small village. Vern spotted a sign for a bar...it was through a yard and out of sight. He must have smelled the coffee! It was a cool place with a Bob Marley poster.
Today was relatively flat. It was one of the first days that I walked all day without taking off my coat.
When we arrived in Carrion de los Condes a gentleman asked if we spoke English...we said yes...he told us that he had an albergue with microwave, handwash facilities, etc.
We ended up with a private room for fourteen euros....great deal! The best part of it was that St. Francis of Assisi allegedly stayed in its 13th century buildings.
As we were walking through town after checking into the albergue we saw a horsedrawn cart in front of a church. By the looks of the decoration the cart was there to pick up a bride and groom. As we were in a store picking up some snacks for tomorrow we heard one explosion after another...later to find out that those were the fireworks going off as the bride and groom came out of the church.
Tonight we had dinner in an actual restaurant, not bar. It was one of the best meals yet. For the first course I chose macaronis....for the second course I chose lasagna....wow, carboloading at its best.
We had dinner with Luke and Nick, two men we have seen for the last several days. We had a fun time.
Now it's time to rest our bodies and minds.

Photo Acknowledgement and Thanks

All pictures downloaded to this blog from May 17, 2009 will be possible due to the generosity of Piers Nicholson and the website: http://www.santiago-compostela.net/
*unless otherwise noted*

Thank you for the awesome website and for allowing pilgrims like myself and others to utilize the pictures that you have taken.

A Day in Fromista

Iglesia de San Martín

Written on June 5, 2009........Day of Rest.

This morning we slept in until 8:30 a.m. We went downstairs for desayunos, (breakfast), fresh orange juice, toast, and coffee. We walked around for awhile. The Iglesia de San Martin was open so we went in. It is as unique and beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.

What a great kick back day. We took a long nap. I spent quite awhile on the internet posting and exploring.

We just had a great pilgrim dinner around the corner. I had veal with potatoes, a chef´s salad and chocolate mousse. Vern had noodle soup, sausage and potatoes, and chocolate mousse. Just about every bar serves a pilgrim dinner.

Soon we´ll play cards. Alot of nights we have to wait to find a place for dinner until 8 p.m. Tonight we ate around 6 p.m.....plenty of time to get our backpacks together and play cards. We were only willing to carry one deck of cards so we usually play ¨pay me¨, a game we learned from our friends Bruce and Susie

A note about our friends from Ireland, ¨Mrs. O´Shea and the girls¨.

Marian wrote us a note to let us know that they continued much farther down the Camino before they had to return home. They hope to continue the adventure at another time.

Vern had first met Mrs. O´Shea while I was in the library across the street from the albergue in Obanos. He had been introduced to all four of the women.....Mrs. O´Shea and her friend Marian...and Mrs. O´Shea´s daughter and her friend. As a result I have never known their names, but we felt a strong connection with them. We enjoyed seeing them everytime that we did. In fact, after I returned from the library in Obanos we had dinner at a bar near the albergue. Sitting next to us were the four women from Ireland. And so it continued....we would pass them on the Camino or sit in a small village and have a break with them. On the way into Estella we all walked together to find an albergue. The next day we saw them in Villamayor de Monjardin as we waited to check into the Dutch run hostel.

Our thoughts are with them and we cherish the time that we spent with them.