Walking Day 8 - Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon – 19 km – 12 miles

I was so happy to get up this morning and get out of that dreadful town.

I walked for the first 4 miles with Al from Sacramento – he and his wife Nora are walking together to celebrate their 50^th birthdays.  They are Jewish, and we had a great conversation about the roots of Jewish mysticism arising right here in Leon, the town where I have ended my day.

Leon is a large city, and after passing through 3 small villages, the urban edge appeared - more sidewalks, more frequent yellow arrows, and the opportunity to be a voyeur into the open doors of warehouses, factories and stores - real people doing real daily work, transacting business, walking their dogs, carrying bags home from the market.  

Most of them took no note of the pilgrims walking by.  I guess they are used to the endless stream of us.

Crossing the river and walking through the remnants of the old wall, I found myself in the maze of the city, and somehow managed to lose track of the arrows.  A few questions about which way is the cathedral, and I got my bearings again.

Arriving at the hotel, I am amazed to find myself in the same establishment from my solo trip to Leon 10 years ago.

We are staying in Leon for 2 nights and a bit of rest.  Mandi got her hair cut this afternoon.  Sami had left her eyeglasses behind in Burgos, and is getting a new pair made.

We have a new member of the group – Robert, a physician from Sydney, has joined us.

We all went to dinner together to a restaurant in a wine cave south of the city. 

Delicious food, and the wine, divine!