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I left León this morning around 6:30. It took a while to get out of the urban León area. After León, Camino offered split route choices…the (shorter) traditional way which paralleled a highway the entire route, or, an alternative route that was a-little longer, but was rural. I took the alternative. It was a beautiful walk and I was alone the whole 12 mile walk, with a few exceptions. I ended up in the little village of Villar de Mazarife in a wonderful alberque. I met a young woman from Nepal, on her first day of her Camino, a retired Montreal policeman, an architect from The Netherlands and a Frenchman, Jean Marie, who (once he learned that I spoke and understood French) talked to me for 45 minutes about EVERYTHING. He’s invited Cindy and I to visit him when we go to Lyon in the fall. He says that he lives in an old nunnery, with plenty of room. He is a retired Greek and Latin professor. He was a wonderfully nice guy….but could this guy talk!!

About this alberque…Pepe, the owner, ran the alberque for 30 years until he died about 15 days ago. His two daughters, son-in-law and grandson, left their homes, professions and lives in Alacante, on the Mediterranean, south of Valencia, and moved north to keep the alberque running. They had no knowledge on how to run an alberque, or how to cook for 30+ people. They were the most gracious and accommodating hosts, especially given the circumstances that they were here. We had an amazing meal of salad, gazpacho, paella and desert. At dinner, at my end of table, we talked about architecture, tips of the Camino and Jean Marie’s participation in his classical choir group. This makes the Camino experience unparalleled. We probably had a dozen different citizens from countries around the world, laughing and telling stories and sharing experiences. It’s nights like this that we take on the task of walking the miles that we do. My Camino friend Clemens is still back in León, trying to recovery from a bad cold. I miss his companionship. He is (in my opinion) the perfect Camino companion. I hope he can rejoin me on the Camino when he feels better. As for me, my shin splints are still quite sore. Someone recommended that I get compression socks. I’m willing to try anything. I’ll be passing by a mid-sized town tomorrow. I’ll look for a Pharmacy. The internet suggested that I switch from walking to swimming for my exercise. Clearly, that’s not an option available to me now!

I had a real quiet day today. I’ve developed shin splints in my right leg, so I spent a good part of the day resting it. I got advice from Jim, and I got some cream to help it, from the pharmacy. I’m off early tomorrow morning. Today marked the beginning of my 4th week on the Camino. I’ve got 300 miles behind me and 200 more miles in front of me. Off we go!!

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.

April 24. I’m in the small village of Mansilla. I’m in a great alberque, with a fair number of Camino friends. I left this morning, on the road by 6:15. The picture below is of the sky pre-sunrise. I spent nearly the entire morning walking alone which was relaxing and enjoyable. I stopped at a cafe on the Camino around 10am for coffee and within 30 minutes, so many of my camino friends walked by. This is what the Camino life is. Everyone is so happy and glad to see a familiar face, share a laugh or recount a story. It makes whatever ache or pain you have fade away…. because they probably are experiencing the same thing. Eight of us went out to dinner tonight. As with other nights, we had a “United Nation” representation at the table. Another great evening. We have a short 10 mile walk into Leon tomorrow, where I’m taking an extra rest day. From Leon, it’s onto Santiago.