León

I arrived today into León. Like my stay in Burgos, leaving the Camino of farmland and rural villages and entering a big bustling city is a jolt. But my impressions of Leon are very positive. I toured the cathedral today…no pilgrims discount, but I did get a reduced fee for being retired. I apparently am qualifying for more than one demographic group on the Camino. I’m in a small hotel in the old city. My room is small but clean. I’ll be here two nights before restart my walk on Sunday. I had dinner tonight with friends. A couple of them are leaving tomorrow morning…so they’ll end up being one day ahead of me. I’ll miss these friends. Some of them have been walking with me since the beginning. Of particular note is Jeff, from Long Island. He just graduated from Northwestern Med School and has to get back to the states to start his residency at Northwell Health on Long Island. He’s a great guy and I’ll miss his companionship. The street below my hotel room is packed with restaurants and tapis bars. Spain has a very prominent eat-and-drink on the sidewalk culture. Everyone is having a good time. I’m just as happy to good to bed.