Day of in Leon

Christie arrived last night after 9pm on the Train from Madrid. The taxi line was long so she decided to walk the 20 minutes to our hostel. Bonnie and I met her halfway, sprinting after her when we saw her down the block. She is the perfect person to join our little band.

We grabbed a burger and fries to share between the three of us and then caught up on our trip over the Picos and her travel from the States. We hardly knew where to start. We had so much to share with each other.

She brought supplies from home, including a new shirt for me as my Hawaiian one is shot. It will be nice to wear something new. I loved the message on the last shirt, from the mountains to the ocean, and that is where it brought us. There were also cards from Kona and Jamie, which meant the world to us both. Jamie sent a replacement box of Peanut M&Ms and some extra rocks to leave at Cruz de Farro.

Our room is small for three pilgrims, but it is supposed to fit up to five. We have blended in nicely though, giving each other the space we need.

We woke up late, having slept above the Wet Neighborhood and all the noise of partying, even on a Sunday night. The breakfast cafe Bonnie and I wanted to return to was closed but we found another great one just a 15 minute walk away.

The Gaudi built Casa Bodines building was one of our big accomplishments today. It was an amazing building from top to bottom in architecture, design, symbolism, functionalism, and beauty. It was inspiring to see his work and learn more about his life and passion.

We did our last minute shopping at the grocery store for protein bars, the Camino shop for shells and a belt for me, and the pharmacy for a knee brace that Christie hopes she won’t need but will be prepared for just in case. We also hung out at the Correos station while Christie sorted out her baggage transfer. What we thought should be a pretty easy process sure had a lot of technical glitches today.

For lunch we took Christie back to Kamado. Even though we had told her about the flower mouth cleansing experience her reaction to it was priceless! I’m so glad I took some video!

In the afternoon light we took the tour of the Leon Cathedral, listening to an audio tour of the history, the design, the building and the restoration of this epic structure. It is my favorite cathedral and the light was epic.

We finished with a light dinner, sharing hopes for what we are building for the Breast Cancer Camino. It was emotional and hopeful. We retired early to pack our backpacks for tomorrow’s first walk together.

Here we go!

Ultreia et Suseia!Read more