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  • Phils TravelBlog SpainCamino de Santiago 2018
    Day23

    Castrojeriz to Leon

    May 12 in Spain

    Hey, from the city of Leon, Spain. So, today, reality took over. I woke up this morning in a small town on the meseta in central Spain. I knew as I have known for days that as much as I walked, I would not have enough days to get to Santiago. My choices were to ask for two more weeks off so I would have the time to complete this trip or to travel forward by bus or train. I decided that I cannot ask my coworkers to cover me for an additional two weeks and to be honest, I have no desire to be out here for an additional two weeks anyway. So, instead of slogging through the rain on the meseta with no realistic goal in sight, I decided to catch a bus to Leon. I have a difficult time with this as I set out to complete the whole 500 miles but will fall short of that goal. But, at the same time, I do realize that I set very difficult goals for myself. I thought I could bang out the 16 miles a day pace without rest days and complete this in 32 days. To the contrary, I have discovered that unless you are a marathoner, young and in shape, that is not a realistic goal. My son could do it in that time frame being 19 and in shape from a lacrosse season, but not I. Soooo...I will start again on the trail from Ponferrada on Monday morning. That is 128 miles from Santiago. I have been averaging 12 miles per day for the past 2 1/2 weeks. I will need to average 15 miles per day to get to Santiago, give myself time to get to Portugal and get my ass on a plane back home on the 25th of this month. But, at least this is an obtainable goal. I will settle for the 328 miles walking...short of my goal...but okay in my mind. I have already accomplished what I set out to do when I started this. Also, there are many ways to do this trek. Many people send there pack forward by courier....I have chosen to grind it out with my pack on my back the whole way...as I will continue to do till the end. Not many photos today as it was more a travel day and a logistical planning day for me. Goodnight from Leon.Read more

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de Santiago
    Day134

    Leon #2

    July 13 in Spain

    We toured the Cathedral de Santa Maria de Regla this morning and once again we were in awe. The stained glass!!!!! Wow 😮Almost all of the cathedral was built between 1205 - 1301, the north tower and cloister were built in 14th-century, and the south tower completed in 1472...majestic!

    We also indulged in fresh churros dipped in chocolate, bought me a new shirt to replace the one I forgot in the last town, and then found some Jif peanut butter for Alan at a store called Taste of America, but it was ridiculously expensive. So, Alan left it on the shelf and settled for a Baby Ruth bar. I also grabbed my first Diet Pepsi of this trip and some Bazooka bubble gum 😀.

    Now, our rest day is done, our packs are ready to go, and tomorrow we continue on. We only have two more weeks of walking to go, and we are excited to start seeing some different types of landscapes.    Read more

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de Santiago
    Day134

    Leon #1

    July 13 in Spain

    When I was putting together my video footage from today, I chose the song “Glorious” by MaMuse because that seemed to fit today. All of us had reservations in León, so we were able to take our time and enjoy a few more leisurely cafe stops along the way. Then we ended up hiking in and through a huge sheep 🐑 herd, we found some Camino friends we hadn’t seen since earlier, and ended our day with 16 of us enjoying a great dinner in León this evening.

    At the end of dinner, we had to say goodbye to Chamu, who is returning home to his family. He originally planned on walking for about eight days, but has now been walking for over 20. Once he met Paku, and heard his story of surviving cancer, they became fast friends, and were nicknamed the “Lavender Brothers” for always picking some wild lavender and attaching it to their backpacks 🎒. Chamu gave us all a copy of this quote by Eduardo Galeano as a parting gift:

    “Each person shines with his or her own light. No two flames are alike. There are big flames and little flames, flames of every color. Some people’s flames are so still they don’t even flicker in the wind, while others have wild flames that fill the air with sparks. Some foolish flames neither burn nor shed light, but others blaze with life so fiercely that you can’t look at them without blinking, and if you approach, you shine in the fire.”

    He told us that we were all flames of light and he has pieces of us that will always be with him, and we will have pieces of him, so only happy tears were allowed. 🙂💕

    Tomorrow, we get to explore León and tour the cathedral, AND word on the street from Emily and Andy is there is a Taste of America store that has Jif Peanut Butter. Alan is pretty pumped at the possibility. 😂😂    Read more

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  • Kamile JanulyteEl Camino
    Day15

    Thirteenth stop - Léon

    May 13 in Spain

    Teradillos -> 17km (+ 65km by train) -> Léon
    Lucky stop 13! Started the day out with FROST (not joking) but enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the way today. Got to Sahagún and caught a very delayed train to Léon - the lion city! Time for a little break and discovery in preparation for tomorrow's special guest joining my walk. Stay tuned!

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  • Thomas ReinekeJakobsweg 2018
    Day22

    León..... noch 1 Tag Pause

    June 11 in Spain

    Von Reliegos nach León waren es gerade einmal 24km, aber es war nicht anders zu erwarten..... Regen, Regen, Regen und gerade einmal 14 Grad. Unser Grüppchen ist an diesem Tag gewachsen, wir hatten einen Soldaten der US- Army dabei, der gerade seine Ausbildung in West Point absolviert..... Daniel, mit deutschen Wurzeln. Es war ziemlich interessant, sich mit ihm zu unterhalten.

    Irgendwie schlichen wir durch den Regen und sind erst gegen 17.00 im Hotel angekommen. Nochmal ein eigenes Zimmer mit Bad, es war ist herrlich.

    Am Abend dann mit Daniel gegessen und getrunken.... die US Soldaten vertragen ziemlich viel, so gab es relativ viel Sangria, was sich am nächsten Morgen bemerkbar machte.

    Der Montag dann war recht entspannt.... ausschlafen, Wäsche waschen (irgendwie ist das nach dem Laufen hier auf dem Jakobsweg die Hauptaufgabe), dann Sightseeing.

    León ist schön sehenswert, insbesondere die gothische Kathedrale.... Wahnsinn, was die Menschen damals so erbauten. Immerhin ist sie fasst 800 Jahre alt und so ziemlich alles noch orginal, inklusive der beeindruckenden Fenster....

    Dann gab's natürlich noch ein paar andere Dinge zu sehen und auch die ein oder andere Pause. Zudem hab ich ganz kurz Aaron und Samuel wieder getroffen.... es war eine Freude, wenn auch kurz.

    Was mir auffiel.... hier sieht man viel mehr alte und sehr alte Menschen auf der Straße, alle recht fit und adrett gekleidet.... es sind Einheimische, soviel ist sicher.
    Warum ist das so? Sind die Alten hier fitter? Nehmen Sie mehr am Leben teil als bei uns? Ich meine zumindest, sie erscheinen glücklicher und zufriedener als in Berlin.... auch sind sie freundlich und haben immer ein Lächeln und ein liebes Wort, auch wenn man sich oft nicht versteht. 😀    Read more

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  • Haley Camino 2018Haley Camino 2018
    Day32

    Leon

    May 19 in Spain

    Tonight and tomorrow we will stay in Leon, resting up for the last 200 miles. We’ll devote tomorrow to the magnificent Gothic Cathedral.

    The past few days have been easy walks with few climbs. We passed the halfway point at Sahagun, where we celebrated with KitKats!

    Each church steeple, and other high places, seems to have a resident stork. We can see the little ones in the nests and we often hear the parents clacking over their babies.

    We also passed a boot graveyard today, out in the middle of nowhere.

    We still see some of the same folks we’ve been walking with for several weeks, including a young photographer for the Miami Dolphins who’s here on special assignment.

    And we’ve eaten many of the French bread sandwiches, called bocadillos, a staple of the pilgrim diet, along with fried eggs and Spanish tortilla (a potato, egg and cheese pie).    Read more

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  • TMOLMM
    Day24

    That time we saw the Holy Grail...

    July 12 in Spain

    and didn’t really realize it...😂

    We started our day in the food court of El Corte Inglés with a cafe con leche and a palmera...coffee and a donut a la España. Headed out for the tourist office and on the way, found the tourist train/trolley and hopped on.

    After the train, it was siesta time, so we grabbed some lunch and then headed over to the Basilica of San Isidoro. The lady said that the tour was at 4, so we arrived then and took a tour.

    (Luckily we did...because the basilica closed early today. They never mentioned that when we asked about the hours after siesta. There are a few truths about Spain: 1) The stores, etc, will open later than expected and close earlier than expected. 2) Sometimes stores won’t open after siesta at all. 3) Dinners, drinks, and tapas will last longer than expected as the wait staff is trained to ignore you for hours. 4) If there is a potty available, it will lack paper, a toilet seat, or maybe a light. This ain’t Germany, people.)

    Our tour guide at the basilica was a marvel. She had the most monotone voice we’ve ever heard. Melinda said, “I missed some because her voice would drop off.” Maria laughed, “it was YOU dropping off...that was a great meditation class!”

    We toured the basilica starting with THE chalice. It turns out that a Spanish historian determined it to be the cup used by Jesus in the last supper...the Holy Grail! Our tour guide had absolutely no affect in her voice or manner, so although Melinda understood all of her words, she didn’t realize that this was THE chalice...THE Holy Grail.

    Zip it, non believers. According to us we have 1) hugged a Saint, 2) kissed the True Cross and 3) seen the Holy Grail. We are kind of big deals now.

    The rest of the basilica contains some of my the best preserved frescos from the 11th century and a 7th century Arabic weather vane. It was also the seat of the earliest parliamentary democracy...in the 12th century.

    We left the basilica and started tapas hopping. You buy a drink, you get a snack for free. We varied between sangria, martinis, and red wine. Now to bed😜. We threw some gelato in for good measure. This is the thing about being adults. We can do whatever we want. Ice cream and martinis for dinner it is!😂    Read more

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  • Haley Camino 2018Haley Camino 2018
    Day32

    How we navigate

    May 19 in Spain

    How do you find your way across 500 miles of Spain, through villages, fields and cities? You pay attention and look for these —

    (Or you look for other pilgrims who seem to know where they’re going).

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  • Haley Camino 2018Haley Camino 2018
    Day33

    Leon

    May 20 in Spain

    We’re enjoying our rest day in Leon, and this siesta thing is pretty nice! Our hotel is just outside the Cathedral, across the street from a hospital (good location?!).

    Leon Cathedral is so different from Burgos Cathedral, but beautiful in its own way. Burgos had more intimate spaces, while Leon is vast, airy, and alive with what seem like acres of stained glass.

    It was built in the 13th century and by the 1850s it was falling apart; sections of the vaulted roof collapsed. Repair work took 50 years, and all of the stained glass windows had to be removed, stored in boxes, and then replaced.

    These pics really don’t do it justice, but hope you enjoy them.    Read more

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You might also know this place by the following names:

León, Leon, Leyón, Llión, ليون, Горад Леон, Леон, Lleó, Λεόν, Leono, Lión, لئون, לאון, レオン, 레온, Legio, Leonas, Leona, Lhion, لیون, Leão, लीओं, لیون، ہسپانیہ, 莱昂

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