Distance: 17.3km, Steps: 23,667 Time total: 5.5 hrs.

We must of been so exhausted yesterday that we slept through to 7am! Mr D wasn’t too happy about starting late as the temperature was going to soar to 28 degrees. Our bunk room was only half full with many still in bed. So we went to breakfast first as it is a pain to pack up in the dark. Just a simple toast & hot drink was all we needed. John from Arizona came to join us & chat. He was planning on going 35kms today so I think that’s the last we see of him! He said if he comes to Perth he will catch up with us, now that Mr D & him a ‘Facebook buddies’. We ended up being the last ones out by 8.20am. Mr D was worried they would storm in & order us out as you are meant to be out by 8am. But luckily, they aren’t too strict with their rules.

When we left, the morning wasn’t really that cold. We continued on the white gravel road as the sun rose. Today it looked like a big round yellow ball rising – leering at us as if to say; “I’m going to burn you today suckers!” We stopped in the next town for a quick coffee break. Mr D was keen to get as many kms in as possible while it was still cool. This town was called El Ganso & the book describes it as a hauntingly crumbling village. I’m sure the population must be like 20. I found it to be more a quiet, deserted town with half the houses crumbling down. We had our stop at the Cowboy Bar – the only place to visit there with cowboy stuff hanging from the ceiling. A man setting up an outside stall selling Camino jewerally & staff sticks glared at us as we passed as we didn’t stop to check his merchandise.

Onwards we went continuing on the dirt path that ran alongside the road. I hadn’t seen Pilgrim cyclists in awhile, today they all came out in force as many rode past us shouting out ‘Buen Camino!’ We were headed to the next town of Rabanel del Camino. We momentarily moved off the track but stopped & went back after 50 meters. There wasn’t many other Pilgrims about which was nice to walk in peace. I could feel the day warming up as we arrived in town. We saw the Swedish lady from yesterday that was waiting for her American friend whom was behind us. However we never passsed her!

We stopped at an Albergue restaurant for a short break before tackling the climb up. We enjoyed pastry sweets & I indulged in a bar of white chocolate. The French pair came through as we were packing up. The town of Rabanel was quite nice looking & I had missed another great spot to stay overnight. The temperature had risen to 27 degrees as we ascended up & up, round & up along a proper bush track. There were large rocks & loose pebbles to negotiate. When there was wind, it was pleasant. When there was no wind, it felt quite warm as we sweated our way up. The views over the mountains as we climbed up were grand. It was 5.8kms to Foncebadon. We made very good time & arrived at 1.30pm.

Foncebadon is a pretty small village nestled in the mountain. Most houses have crumbled apart besides the Albergues & a hostal. The workers were busy all afternoon removing crumbled house walls with their machinery so there was no peace & quiet. They are busy renovating now & building new houses. In many years to come, this place will look totally different. The town is quickly turning into a tourist destination due to the Cruz de Ferro close by. Right now it looks like a demolition hole. One crumbling house still has a roof that interestingly is made out of mismatched sheets of corragrated iron & other materials. But I think even this building will be demolished soon.

We picked one of the Albergues but not the best one I found out later! The French pair were smarter than us. We are in a very small Albergue, traditional upstairs bunk room of 12 beds. There is 4 of us there. We had a simple lunch, nothing as nice as yesterday’s lunch however. Mr D had his afternoon siesta while I had a walk around the village, visiting the cows, horses, donkeys & dogs. We don’t know anyone here besides the French pair. The Swedish & American ladies passed through town later in the afternoon. They aren’t in any hurry! We enjoyed a Baileys & ice in the hostal bar to get away from the noise & have a little unwind before dinner.

We returned to our Albergue for a home cooked meal at 7pm. And on 7pm, the bell rang summoning us downstairs for dinner several times as we were too slow! We had a vegetarian paella, bread, cured meats, cheese, salad & ice cream for dessert. It was just the 4 of us. There was Brian from Ireland, Gonzale from northern Spain whom only spoke Spanish. It was a nice get together, communicating with Gonzale proved to be challenging but we all had some good laughs regardless. Brian was on his second Camino Frances after completing his first 2 years ago. We all drank so much wine, we will all snore happily in bed tonight! Both men walk fast so our encounter is a short one. We are quickly getting use to this! Tomorrow we have a date at sunrise at the Cruz de Ferro. And a very small, easy day in the mountains.

Distance: 22km, Steps: 30,897, Time total: 7.5hrs.

Our room got so hot I woke up 1am ish feeling like I was roasting in bed. I had to step out the room in the night chill while Mr D had to work out how to turn the heat down. After that we were fast asleep again. Breakfast was at 7am, but to our annoyance, the cafe was still closed. Two others were waiting in the cold with us & at 7.20am, a lady finally turned up & had to hurry opening up & serving us. It was all a bit stressful getting an order in, & the couple that came in after me got their breakfast before us as the frazzled lady worker confused herself & made only one toast not two for us. At least she made my toast more toasted then Mr D’s for the delay.

We left late after 8am unfortunately due to the breakfast delay. As we were leaving, Harrod & Sabina came down for a coffee. So we said goodbye hoping to see them down the road. The sun was rising as we left. The dirt road ahead was peaceful & quiet – well besides the sound of machinery in the distance breaking the quiet with its offensive noise. We came to David’s house & his rest area he had created for Pilgrims. It was all self service with biscuits, cakes, fruits, coffee, fruit & drinks on offer. Mr D wasn’t interested but I grabbed a glass of oat milk type drink. David was busy working on his house, singing away, a very happy & contented man. Harold came along as we left, Sabine taking a phone call from her daughter was not present. We again hoped to see them later and moved on.

We came to the look out spot overlooking the town of Astorga in the distance, there was another buster here, playing his guitar & looking for donations. We continued into San Justo & through to the big town of Astorga which has a population of 12,000. Walking on the dirt road on the outskirts of town, we had to watch our feet as the path was covered in bits of small poop for 2kms. It looked like cat type poop. Walking into town was a bit of steep uphill walking which caused Mr D to groan in dismay. It was close to midday & we were getting tired & hungry.

Mr D picked a nice spot for lunch. In the plaza cathedral next to the cathedral & in front of the grand Palacio Episcopal – the Bishops Palace 200 years old. The cafe across the road was brilliant & the waiter brought over our lunches across the road. I enjoyed tapas food & Mr D a pasta bolognese. With Coke & a lemon slice added to it! Very enjoyable lunch as I admired the Gaudi palace building. I wished I had the time to go inside the building! Mr D had the opportunity to go into a music store to find his instrument if he wanted….. All was needed was the sudden change of plans to stay in Astorga which was doable & wouldn’t change our plans much. Unfortunately, we decided to continue as planned.

As we were putting on our backpacks to leave, Harold & Sabine arrived from around the back of the Cathedral! What great timing as we got to say goodbye. What started in Sahagun as an awkward dinner of 4 of us ended in good company & new friendships. We hugged & exchanged emails & chatted. Then we hugged again our final goodbyes. They were setting off in 90 minutes on the train to Burgos. Then back to Germany.

The last almost 10kms were a hard slog in to Santa Catalina. On dirt track. Straight. Under the hot sun. I tried to chat with Mr D, but he told me to go ahead. Mr D hates the heat, the only way he can deal is to put his head down & go. Concentrate only on the end destination. We arrived & the first Albergue called us in. The guy is quite crafty & calls Pilgrims in before they go pass to the next Albergue. We decided to go cheap & stay in a 10 bed bunkhouse for 5€ each. We were buggered & tired. Had a shower & the bugger light switches were a pain turning off every 30 seconds. The shower turning off every minute.  Grrrrrrr!

Afterwards we chilled out the front, Mr D with a Beer, me a Sangria. Two ladies came by. One Swedish lady that started the Camino the same day as us. The other, an American lady that started 3 days before us & was going at a very slow pace & enjoying it. They started late today & only came from Astorga so were continuing on to the next town. What that American lady said rung true for me too. She said it took her a long time to get over not keeping up with her group of Pilgrim friends she started out with. She finally accepted her Camino, her way & now was enjoying herself. She also went on about the Gaudi Palacio in Astorga – they had a tour inside it this morning. Damn I felt so envious! She said how amazing it was. But they never went into the Leon Parador! She said, “That would of been amazing! Like sleeping in a museum!” Mr D had a Baileys on ice & me my second Sangria. Life’s good! We went for a walk & bumped into the two French people we shared dinner with last night. They were staying at the second albergue along.

We shared a bunkroom & dinner with two guys. John from Arizona & a guy from Latvia that looked a bit like an actor I can’t think the name of right now. And the French pair came in too from their Albergue. We had a fun chat. One question asked about what France is like, Mr D chirped in the answer, ‘French!’ Everyone laughed. The French lady said if I come to France, I’m welcomed at her house. The Camino is such a nice community at times. Mr D helped out John with relationship advice long after everyone had left as us three continued with another bottle of red wine.

Returning to our room after fumbling around in the dark for our wet clothes to bring in, everyone else was in bed. There was only 5 of us in the room. I was brushing my teeth at the sink when Mr D said ‘Where’s the tap?!’ Indeed I was slightly drunk & had not noticed the bathroom sink had no taps attached to it & no soap dispenser! I bloody well had a big laugh about it & went to use the sink in the other toilet WITH a tap! I eventfully crawled into bed to the sounds of Mr D snoring loudly underneath me, causing the walls to vibrate. Guess he had too much to drink as well!

So it would of been different if we stayed in Astorga. But the evening ended well regardless. Tomorrow we start our mountain climb. The views coming in to this quiet little town set on the side of a hill were very nice. I can only imagine the views tomorrow!

Distance: 21km, Steps: 28,989, Time total: 7 hrs.

The loud bunch of people at our Albergue partied on downstairs long after we crawled exhausted into our sleeping bags. The more they drunk, the louder they got. Despite this we got a good nights sleep, Mr D woke up with a dry itchy cough & couldn’t sleep for awhile in the wee small hours of the morning. But when he got up to get ready, he was feeling a lot better than yesterday. We made our way downstairs for breakfast after packing up. Four people from the noisy big group were sitting at the breakfast bar having their coffees. Two English women & two Irish men. The Irish men were the loud ones already creating a raucous. They call each other ‘Big Boy’ & one of them carries two big rocks – one of which he was showing to the group yesterday that it had broken in 2 pieces. He chugged down a shot of Brandy after his coffee to get him going which caused him to laugh & joke even louder. Thankfully they left soon after, the two ‘big boys’ with their ‘big rocks’ haha!

We enjoyed our simple toast, OJ & hot drink in peace & quiet. Mr D’s skin lumps were still present with more coming up. He is paranoid about it being bedbugs which can be a problem on the Camino. These look more contact allergy related. Upon leaving, the really nice Spanish lady working there wanted to take our photo. I guess our faces will be joining the collage of photos on the walls of past Pilgrims that have come through there. Leaving town just after 8am & it wasn’t too cold but still dark. The sun doesn’t rise until 8.45am ish. The temperature dropped quickly once we were out on the open country road. The first 5kms is walking on bitumen road totally straight with crops of cornfields on each side. As it got light, many workers came out in their big tractors to attend to the cornfields, creating noise & dirt especially when we moved onto dirt road for another 4kms. Old rotten cobs of corn were everywhere besides the road.

We came to a very small town called Villavante where we stopped at a cafe bar for morning tea. Just a simple hot drink & cake sweet to keep us going after our very small breakfast. Going over the bridge out of town, Mr D decided this was the end point of the Meseta as there were many tall trees ahead as the landscape was changing. The day was quickly warming up to a hot cloudless day. Heading into the town of Puente there were two options & both rejoin the original Camino Frances route. We didn’t choose the better one which would of taken us through the towns cobblestoned laneways. We ended up going around the noisy & smelly industrial part, across a busy highway to the end point of town where the impressive bridge connects Puente & the town on the other side called Hospital De Orbigo. This bridge is one of the longest & best preserved medieval bridges in Spain, dating back to the 13th Century.

So we arrived at the bridge & I was looking forward to lunch as it was almost 1pm already & we were taking our time today. Mr D refers to me as ‘Boss’ because I order him about! So I ordered him to take photos & who else should arrive at the bridge at the same time from the other route – Harold & Sabine! We caught up & chatted for a bit, walking into Orbigo. Then they were just continuing onwards while we stopped to find a place to eat. I ended up spotting a restaurant off the Camino street & we went in. The restaurant was empty. We went through it to the bar & they said no problems sit in the restaurant & we bring you menus. 1pm is too early for the Spanish people to have lunch. We had the restaurant all to ourselves & ordered a paella dish each. I had a glass of wine & Mr D held himself back & had a Coke.

The lunch was fantastic & I didn’t feel like walking anymore! There were nice looking Albergues in town that looked enticing. But it was only 5kms more to our end point so can’t be too bad?! Walking out of town one lady was looking confused as to where the Camino continued & had been searching around town for markers. Mr D pointed her in the right direction. Which may not of been correct! The sun was truly hot now with no shade. The track continued up to the highway & alongside it. It was noisy & unenjoyable & after some time I said to Mr D that a Camino marker from time to time would be nice. He got out his E-trex & goes ‘Well that’s because we are not on the Camino! It is further in, on our right!’ Boy o boy! Not what we needed. We continued along as I could see a road turnoff for our endpoint town. Then there were yellow arrows but they disappeared again! With Mr D’s tracker & cool headedness we found a back road entry into the town of Santibanez.

Afterwards I checked the book. We should of turned right before leaving town. We thought it was right to an Albergue. We went straight ahead on the second option along the highway which says it is shorter but bypasses our town. How frustrating! It was good to get into an Albergue & not walk anymore today! There is only two Albergues in town. One is a Donativo so we went into the other called Camino Frances. It is a nice enough comfy Albergue. Mr D asked if there was a double room. There was one left. So we took it. Own bathroom with 2 separate single beds in it. As soon as we opened the door we noticed it was toasty warm inside the room. They leave the heater on! I couldn’t find an off switch so just have to put up with our very warm room. At least we won’t be cold tonight! The first thing Mr D did was strip off his clothes for a shower. The next thing; someone opened the door to our room thinking it was their room & got a full view of Mr D standing stark naked in the middle of the room! He was taken by surprise & moved out of view grabbing his cap for modesty. The guy that opened the door quickly shut it & left. Mr D’s sympathetic wife was rolling about in hysterics, laughing so hard tears were rolling down her cheeks! ( Would I do that?!? No, not me!🤣 )

I took awhile attending to my blisters that were coming back again & washing my clothes. Mr D went down for a beer & found Harold & Sabine there. I joined in & had a Sangria for a change. Harold & Sabine were also staying at the same Albergue & had got in after us, so they missed getting our room. They sleep in a bunk room of 10 beds. They really must of taken their time as they continued when we stopped for lunch. And they went the right way! So we enjoyed what was left of the afternoon to drink, chat & have some laughs. The confused lady from earlier came in after 5pm & was looking frazzled & weary. I hope she didn’t get lost like we had!

Mr D went upstairs to our sauna for a late siesta before dinner. He was so peacefully asleep when the church bells close by suddenly went off, startling him awake! It was 6pm. They do BONGGGG! on time. I had assumed today was meant to be a short day. I don’t know how it ended up being such a long day! That John Brierley book is not always spot on. It gives one calculation of distance, my Fitbit gives another, & Mr D’s a total different number. So I just pick the one that sounds more accurate. Today was meant to be 17kms. Oh well, we survived it, all that matters!

We had another peregrino meal downstairs in the restaurant. We joined Harold, Sabine & two French Pilgrims. At least the menu was better, the food tasted good ( besides the beans & ham plate which was a whole lotta green beans, garlic & onion with a few tiny pieces of ham thrown in ). The French man sat quietly as he only spoke French. The French woman could speak a little English, there were no loud people so it was an enjoyable quiet evening. Mr D said if the German couple had not been here, it would of been a dull & boring evening. Harold & Sabine finish up tomorrow to head back home, they had become good company to have around. Upon leaving the restaurant, Mr D grabbed the portable clothes rack in the courtyard & quickly whisked it upstairs to our room. I grabbed our wet clothes & now they hang by our hot heater so have better chance of drying overnight. It has been too long a day today, time for zzzzzzzz…..

Distance: 20.8km, Steps: 28,192, Time total: 6hrs.

Mr D woke up feeling not too good. After 2 days rest, his cold had caught up with him again just when we are ready to set off! We couldn’t leave earlier as breakfast opened at 7.30am & I wanted my big breakfast before I started walking! So we filled ourselves up one last time – Mr D ordered an omelette to get him moving, then we set off leaving the key to our luxury bedroom with reception, walking out of this impressive building one last time. Leon had been an expensive stop for us & we had broken our budget 3 times!

It was 8.20am as we moved out of the city, the outer suburbs again looking shabby with broken windows, litter all around, a deceased cat with its insides on the outside which I didn’t really want to see. It took over an hour to finally be on the outskirts of the city. Mr D was not a happy chappy & was looking for an argument which I didn’t partake in. The Camino keeps testing us, but for it, our relationship is stronger – we haven’t divorced yet! I knew he had to put up with my grumpy moods when I wasn’t well in the earlier days, so I’ll put up with his while I prepare a wooden box….

So just pass La Virgen Del Camino, an outer town of Leon, there is two options to walk. The real Camino Frances to Villadangos which runs besides the highway. Or to Mazarife, a more scenic quieter alternative route. We had decided on the latter & veered to the left. We stayed along roads till the town of Oncina, the traffic noise fading away the further we walked. I tried to cheer up Mr D with some terrible singing. Luckily, other Pilgrims were sparse here. Someone had even left a message on a sign for our old Latvia friend Laura, reading ‘keep walking Laura 😛’ haha!

At Oncina I spotted a peregrino rest area which is off the Camino route but not too far. I was keen for a short break. Mr D feeling average was concentrating on getting to our end point so he continued along slowly to wait at the next town for me. He said today he was like Laura; ‘I’m JUST walking!’ I visited the Oncina en Camino rest point where a friendly man made me a cuppa & offered me a chair in the sun & brought over a basket with muffins & biscuits. You pay by donation, he even has a sort of tent enclosure with a proper toilet inside to use. Still full from breakfast I had a couple of biscuits to dip in my tea. The mans cute little dog called Tina was hanging around me wagging her tail & hoping for some biscuit crumbs. Afterward, he stamped my Pilgrim passport & asked me to dot in where I come from on the world map he had hanging up. That lovely spot & his kindness made my day. I brought the last remaining Camino shell necklace from him to remember the place.

It was over an hour walking on my own to the next town. Here I walked on dirt gravel road over a relatively flat terrain. Similar to the Aussie outback bush – brown grasses with lots of small trees around. The only difference were the mountains in the far distance. It was so quiet out there, just the sound of my boots crunching on the gravel, my poles hitting the ground & the birds chirping away in the sky. I came across the German couple again here – it really is funny how we keep running into each other at random places! They said Mr D was a kilometre up ahead & was constantly looking back to see where I was & looking anxious.

I didn’t see Mr D until I arrived at the town Chozas de Abajo. It was 12.30pm so lunch was in order. We had to veer slightly off track to a bar that was open. There wasn’t much on the menu & I don’t think the worker was too impressed with our arrival. She was smoking outside & chatting to a local & looked reluctant to serve me. We had Coke with ham & cheese toasted sandwiches. The Coke had no lemon slice added to it which Mr D picked up on. Then I annoyed the worker again when Mr D wanted a coffee to give himself an energy boost. I had to drag her away from her social banter outside again.

The German couple stopped for a break as well & asked to join us. So I got their names again as had forgotten them back in Sahagun. Harold & Sabine. We actually stayed longer than normal having a chat about our hobbies back home. Harrod it turns out has done a lot of boxing & teaches Tai Chi. I would never have guessed. We left for the final 3.9kms to Mazarife. I stopped for an impromptu photo next to one of the Camino markers while Mr D plodded on ahead & spotted the funniest little insect. It was a brown stick insect looking thing. I kept thinking it was a piece of grass weed. My interest gathered Harold & Sabine over as we all took photos of this grass weed looking insect walking around on its stick like 4 legs, its two feelers in front. That was another thing that made my day. How many Pilgrims would spot one of these critters on their Camino?! The insect blends in with the environment that most people would not know it exists.

Mr D was way ahead again as I caught up in the town of Mazarife. That last section looked like the Meseta all over again. Mr D even said the same afterwards. He was very happy to survive the Meseta as he thought it was going to break him. Mazarife I call ‘The spiderweb town’. Walking in I had a long piece of spider web attached to my arm. People had long pieces of spiderweb sticking to their hair, blowing around in the breeze. The trees are choked with spiderwebs…. Can do without spiderwebs! I had selected Tio Pepe, one of the three Albergues in town. For 7€ extra, we got the last room with a single bunk bed in it for 2 people. Our own private room again! After our usual showering, clothes hand washing & setting ourselves up, we headed out in the courtyard for beer & a snack. I asked for Patatas Bravos as I had been craving some for awhile. But they put a hot chilli sauce over it which was a downer. Mr D said, even for him it was too hot. Well, at least he made it here & deserved his two beers!

I went for my usual walk around town while Mr D had a siesta. In fact I think he spoke in his sleep asking me twice if there was a Farmacia. Downstairs at dinner he asked the question for the third time! You don’t want to be sick here – there is no Farmacia for 76kms! Dinner was a peregrino meal with limited options for 1st & 2nd courses – only two options each was the limitation. At least dinner was early at 6.30pm. I wasn’t too impressed with dinner. I think I had been spoilt in Leon with food choices & now have to get use to Pilgrim grub again. There was a new bunch of very loud Pilgrims in our Albergue & Mr D didn’t feel like being social with people. Poor Mr D – hopefully he sleeps well & feels better tomorrow!

Another wonderful sleep in, this time in a spacious deluxe room with a very comfortable firm double bed that actually seems more the size of a King size bed. We took our time heading downstairs into yet another separate big dining room for breakfast. And what a smorgasbord of food there was! Cereal, toast, hot foods like eggs, bacon, sausage, cheeses, cold meats, yogurt, juices, fruits, cakes, churros, crossiants…. it was too much to take in! And all included in the accommodation price. You could even order a cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs or omelette for no extra charge. So I ate till I was bursting. Mr D ate till his belly was below his knees again. The strange fellow was there getting his breakfast & had company of a lady friend whom he must of met on the Camino.

Mr D’s lumps were spreading & he was trying to work out what the cause is, he is getting quite worried about it. We scheduled a walk in the morning to run some errands, lunch then back to the Parador. Mr D got stronger cream from the Farmacia for his lumps. We went to the bank, found a replacement iPhone charger lead as one had stopped working. Then he found another pair of socks which brings his socks count to 6 pairs. He admits his ‘sexy socks’ are not so good & the Camino had thrown a test at him back then & he had failed. Lesson: Do not be sucked in by a pretty young lady with a sexy husky voice. I bought a pair of windproof gloves that I hope helps keep my fingers warm as the days are getting colder & Mr D needs his ski gloves back! Then I also stamped our Pilgrim passports with the stamp in the store.

Doing well, I followed Mr D around to the 3 music shops in the city. He had no luck finding what he was after. A Lute. Then we stopped in the main laneway again to people watch & eat. Only I was still full from breakfast. Mr D asked for pasta bolognese & coffee & I just wanted a coke. Well two plates of the pasta bolognese came out! Mr D said “I don’t know how that happened!” So I ate it but didn’t enjoy it as much,  it was pasta with sauce through it. Some meatballs added to the dish would have made it nicer! Unfamiliar Pilgrim faces started arriving in the city as now we will be joining a new batch of Pilgrims for our final journey. We were both tired by then so we headed back stopping at the supermercado for Mr D’s favourite salted almonds & another bottle of vino. lucky we had an extra day to get all organised then!

Then it was time to kick back at the Parador. Mr D had a siesta, I relaxed, massaged my poor tired feet & aching shoulders. Then I finished off the planning for our final stage into Santiago. So close yet still so far! We enjoyed our room with our glasses of vino before heading off for dinner.

Our last night in Leon, so we decided to return to the hub of tapas bars / restaurants. Walking down we were passing a unisex hairdressers shop & Mr D had been procrastinating about getting his hair cut. The Spanish hairdresser man inside saw us lingering & waved for us to come in. So it was a done deal & Mr D had his fuzzy hair cut short resulting in his new distinguished look! Mr D feels very self conscious with his new grey haired look but it matches his grey facial beard & moustache growth. Very becoming! We had the challenge of finding dinner early as the Spainish eat late. We bumped into the German couple also looking for a meal. We were like ‘You were supposed to have left today!’ But the woman still had shin splint pain so they delayed leaving until tomorrow. So we continued looking & spotted Irish Ray sitting & talking with another fellow. Mr D wasn’t keen to chat as the other night, Ray had been drinking & turned aggressive having a go about ‘us Aussies’ towards Mr D that turned him off chatting any more. So we kept looking & found a gem. We got served delicious steaks, Mr D’s steak he cooked on his own stone plate & was soooooo good! Even the chips passed the test, the first proper crunchy well cooked fries! Well we rolled out of there, our bellies now touching the ground, & all the way back to our little paradise room. Couldn’t have done any better!

It would be easy to spend a week here, but we gotta keep on moving! The third stage of the Camino is known as Spiritual awareness. Some say you die in the Meseta & are reborn in this stage. I’m looking forward to the amazing change of scenery as we head back into the mountains & further on into Galicia. This part is not going to be easy & I’m sure the Camino will throw more challenges our way…….

It was soooo nice to sleep in this morning. No hurry out of bed. The stupid auto lights in the hallway outside our room were broken & kept switching on off on off on off all night long! Breakfast was at lesiure through very simple hikers breakfast of toast & jam. Then we decided to take a leisurely stroll through the quiet city centre. Watching Pilgrims leaving the city. It was freezing cold again so we must of been nuts to be outside not in our warm hotel room. I had spurged on perfume & put some on before heading out. All the basics in normal life you don’t appreciate until you are a wandering sweaty, smelly Pilgrim. I felt part of society again just by smelling nice!

I had the best churros & white chocolate dipping sauce ever at a chocolatier cafe. The churros were fried & just delicious. Maybe someone in Perth could open up such a chocolatier shop then I’ll be very happy! Then we had to pack up & vacant the hotel which was a nice stay & the interior hallway walls were painted my favourite colour – green!

Then it was a 5 minute walk down the road looking for the Leon Parador. I saw a huge majestic building & then realised it was the Parador! You walk in & the entrance alone is spectacular. I’ve never stayed in such a place! We looked out of place in our Pilgrim clothes & backpacks. It is very expensive to stay, but as a Pilgrim you get a great discount.

5 star luxury is this great monastery building built in the 12th century & was used as a Pilgrims Hospital & the headquarters of the Knights of the Order of Santiago that protected the Pilgrims. In the 16th Century it was turned into a monastery building & has its own church attached. It became the Parador of today in 1928. Lots of history in these walls to be sure! Our room wasn’t ready yet so we went to leave our backpacks with the concierge, Mr D enquired about a vacancy for Monday night & they had the one room with the double bed available. So we had an impromptu moment to book a second night as well! We have pently of time left & we didn’t have a rest day in the Meseta so why not! John from Albany was there & was checking out. It took me a while to remember who he was as it felt a life time ago since we last saw him. Then I spotted the strange fellow also checking in his backpack.

So we walked back to the city centre for lunch & found one restaurant in the main laneway that was serving lunch at 1pm. Most others won’t start lunch till 2pm – WHAT!! There we could sit & people watch. The German couple walked by again & spotted us & we had a short change of pleasantries before they were on their way again. Tomorrow they walk on. I couldn’t help but feel slack for not walking on tomorrow – just for a minute!

Again we walked half the city back to the Parador. And once you are there – you don’t feel like going anywhere! We had a room up on the top floor. Very nice furnishings, very nice double bed! Very nice balcony overlooking the marvellous manicured gardens below. Very nice bathroom. It actually has a shower & a BATH! Mr D was saying he wished for a bath – the Camino was listening. There is a toilet & next to it – a butt washing station. Cool! We even get to parade around the room in our cool little Parador slippers. Another example of what you take for granted! There was even yummy milk body lotion which I rubbed all over – I feel & smell like a million bucks now!

But the laundry service was too expensive, one of those charge for each item so it ends up costing way too much, and so we did some hand washing & hung it all out on the balcony. What would they think! Hand washing in a Parador! The cokes are more expensive than beer as they come in thick as glass bottles. I reckon they taste better too in the glass bottle. So we indulged with a Coke 3€ each & put up our feet followed by drinking wine the afternoon away. We had a stroll around the Parador which is full of rooms for sitting in, splendid furniture, magnificent gardens, amazing paintings & sculptures. You have to do the place justice by staying 2 nights – definitely! Meanwhile Mr D is still getting his physical test – all through the Meseta & now today he is coming up in red lumps all over, a skin allergy reaction caused by something.

We decided to go to the awesome cosy bar downstairs & celebrated with a Baileys on ice each. Then we had booked into their restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was very fancy, with waiters so attentive, one would be pouring water, another pouring the wine & a third offering us a bread roll. And the food was gourmet. Mr D was highly impressed with his mains, an oven baked fish served as soup but more a solid round shaped dish with pawns & crayfish on top. He couldn’t praise it enough. Mr D ate till he said ‘My belly feels like it is hanging below my knees!’ At the end of the meal we get the bill – a bit expensive for Pilgrims! And we got these little chocolate treats that have the word Negro on the wrapper. Mr D having drunk more than enough was joking about his 4 chocolate treats but he says it is too PC to put his comment in as someone might be offended. So it has been edited out. But it was hilarious & we laughed our way back up to the 5th floor to our room. We were so exhausted from all our luxurious pampering & walking today that we need another rest day tomorrow for sure!

Distance: 18.1km, Steps: 27,053, Time total: 5.5hrs

It was a good nights sleep. I would wake up & hear snoring & go back to sleep. Woke up at 5.30am but fell back asleep to 6.30am. Mr D had a restless nights sleep & the snoring nearby kept him awake. All the late comers were the bunch of young people that partied on till late. They were in our bunk room & made a bit of noise when they returned to bed. So Mr D didn’t try too much to stay quiet when he packed up this morning & they were all still asleep. I had been coughing & sniffling for a while now & my cough was becoming more of a hacking cough. I feel fine besides this. Irish Ray goes, “Oh! You got the Camino hack!” Then he would demonstrate some breathing excerises I should do in the mornings that will help alleviate the coughing.

We left the Albergue at 7.30am & was there anyplace open for breakfast? No there wasn’t! So we took off to find breakfast down the road somewhere. We walked over an hour next to the busy highway until we came to Casablanca Albergue cafe in the town of Vilarente that was open for breakfast. It was super nice in there & we grabbed a couple of slices of fresh baked cake that was still warm from the oven. The two Amigos went by as we were leaving. We always seem to bump into each other!

If you follow the John Brierley book, it strongly recommends that maybe you consider catching the bus into the city as it’s unpleasant walking by the busy highway & through the streets of Leon. Mr D was like, “I’m walking the whole way by foot thank you!” I was so enthusiastic about getting to Leon I wanted to bounce and skip along with delight. But I coolly walked as it was going to be a long tedious walk but we had to stay focused as it is easy to get lost going in or out the cities.

We had the two Linda’s fly past us. We overtook the Amigos & John from America whom Mr D met at El Burgo & was keen to get way in front of to avoid talking to. ( They have a difference of opinion lets say. ) At one point before hitting the outer city we were going over a pedestrian overpass & one black & white cat came out of nowhere rushing up to Mr D meowing incessantly & desperately. Then it would run up to me & do the same as it smelt the cake in Mr D’s hands. So he gave it some but the cat didn’t like it & continued to meow for food. We left that cheeky little cat behind & maybe some other Pilgrim might chuck some food its way more appetitizing.

Heading into Leon the streets looked dirty with rubbish littered everywhere. The city centre is much nicer. But we had a difficult task; to find a room for the night. The Parador was booked up still so we wait till tomorrow to go there. Mr D started ringing places. They were all full. Things weren’t looking so good. Getting private accommodation on Saturday nights have always been painful for us. Mr D walked into the nearest hotel. They were full but the lady was most helpful in ringing a hostel that did have a vacancy. She remarked that for some reason this Saturday was very busy.

The hostal was 15 minutes out of the city centre but it would have to do. So we had to work out how to get there. Mr D did a fine job & we arrived by 1pm. Once settled in we went to find a local cafe for food. As per Mr D’s recommendation, I returned to a Farmacia for medication for my cough. Once that was achieved, the pharmacist recommended a cafe 1 minute walk further on! There we blew our lunch budget & had a big lunch with a couple of wines & beers. I also had a cream brûlée just coz I never turn down a cream brûlée! Mr D had a piece & managed to break a piece of the bowl! When the waitress came by & saw it, she looked at me & I pointed to Mr D “He did it!” Hahaha.

Mr D had his afternoon siesta while I relaxed, the room was so nice & warm, outside it was so cold! Our shower in the room is so tiny & useless, when you turn there’s no room so you bump into the shower handle turning the water off. The door doesn’t shut properly so the tiny bathroom gets soaked. We can’t complain, it only cost 42€ which is way more cheaper than Burgos was. And we got a bed for the night – make it two single beds pushed together!

We went for a walk in the early evening, I looked in shops & took photos. The city centre is a maze of laneways that you get lost in. And tapas bars galore all along them! One Pilgrim couple on their rest day stopped & chatted to us. They said they had gone around the bars, they get a free tapas dish with their drink. That sounded alright! We ordered drinks at one bar & I got a small bowl of nuts – super!?! And the German couple from Sahagun passed us saying a quick hello. It’s amazing to see anyone we might know  as the laneways were so congested with people. The place is so huge!

Mr D had Timo spot him & walk over for a chat. Timo was saying how he will write a book & not recommend walking into Leon. When we went looking for a nice bar restaurant for food, we spotted the two Amigos in quite a nice restaurant. The Englishman gave his cheery wave at us while the American was quiet as usual. We would of liked to have gone in but maybe they would think we were cramping their style so we moved on. We did find a simple little tapas bar restaurant & had two small dishes as we were still quite full from lunch.

Mr D decided to buy a bottle of vino & have a quiet drink in our hotel room. We were both feeling tired & cold. We went into this little shop that sells wine, meat, jams & cheese. The shop owner’s daughter was so sweet. Only around 8 years old, she is learning English so her mum let her talk to us about the wine prices & such & take our money. The mother cut us a cheese piece each. Then cut off two pieces of cured meat. Then they gave us hand towels to wipe our hands. It was such an unexpected niceness. The mother & daughter made our night.

We are thrilled to be in Leon, to have finished the Meseta & have one more big city to get to – Santiago!

Distance: 20.3km, Steps: 27,161, Time: 6 hours

The door to our bedroom bunk room squeaked terribly loudly whenever it was opened. I slept well regardless, however the Englishman in the morning said “You would think they would oil that thing!” He had not gotten much sleep. We had a late sleep in again, had breakfast across the road & didn’t leave town until 8am.

Certainly this donvativo Albergue was much better than the first. It goes to show each is different & some normal private Albergues aren’t so nice either. Mr D whom strongly objected to staying in another Donvativo ate his words later & said he don’t mind going to another Donvativo now…..

For the first 13kms I preferred to walk alone. The day was overcast & cool. The track simply continued by a quiet road all the way to the town of Reliegos. It was a long boring stretch as I reflected as you do in the Meseta & came to the same conclusions. I felt the Meseta had no effect on me. If I were to do the Camino Frances again ( highly unlikely ), I would skip the Meseta. And on a hot day, I could only imagine how unenjoyable it would be with very little shade. Linda passed me by speaking briefly as she was flying along. The strange fellow passed me then I passed him the same as yesterday as he stops & appears zoned out. The Meseta must really work for him. I had to attend to two more blisters last night; one on my heel that was causing some uncomfortableness rubbing against the inside of my boot with each step. The Compeed bandaid should hopefully fix it.

Mr D & I caught up on the way into Reliegos where we picked a bar to stop at for an early lunch. I simply had a mini pizza that took a bit of effort getting the waitress to reheat it. And cold churros – couldn’t be bothered by then with the request of reheating. She spoke no English but the Amigos guys had stopped for a bite to eat too & the American knew more Spanish than me. Mr D wanted another Paella which seemed to take a long time to cook.

We eventually were back on our way with only 7kms to go. It finally started warming up & the sun came out. We arrived in Mansilla, a population of 1,900. The town is interesting, it is enclosed by its medieval walls from the 12th century. Not much of the walls remains & only one gate archway remains intact – the entry from the Romana walk. The Camino Frances which we were on passes through two walls which is what remains of the gate archway there.

We agreed on the Municipal Albergue as it was located right in the centre. A big Albergue of several buildings with a central patio area for chilling out in. We walked to the river & came across the two amigos. They had booked in to a hostal to get a good nights sleep. The Englishman was saying to me it’s his wife’s 60th birthday tomorrow so he was walking down to the 60 speed sign & taking a video message to her in front of it. We encountered the two Linda’s drinking vino outside a bar in the cold shade. We were seeking sun & warmth & declined joining them. We ended up back in our Albergue patio drinking red wine, while Mr D played the guitar that belongs at the Albergue for anyone to play. Then we just listened as others took turns playing the guitar. It was a very chilled out restful afternoon. An Irishman called Ray & Mr D had a nice guitar playing session together. (Videos cannot be uploaded here so view the AmblingRose Facebook page for video uploads.)

We went for a walk to find an early dinner at 6.30pm. In Spain! That may be asking too much. Mr D noticed the looks I was getting from the locals in my bright red SKINS tights. “Did you see that lady sitting in the car – she glared at you!” The men’s jaws drop & the women give disapproving looks my way.

We found a restaurant in a hostel, the waiter opened up the restaurant just for us. Followed by Irish Ray & the two Amigos, it was just us 5 in the restaurant all sitting at different tables & talking to each other across the room. The American  amigo finally warmed up to us. The Englishman took our photo for a book he will be writing. Dinner was pretty good & I tried the Santiago cake, a signature dessert which pleased my taste buds. The Amigos left before I & the Englishman said “If we see you in Santiago – we will have a drink together!”.

The evening ended with a quiet drink with Ray, watching the young Pilgrims gather around the outdoor tables for a home cooked meal. Ray is a real funny fellow. He brought flowers for the daughter of the mother that owns the Albergue & asked for marriage in a cheeky manner. He has been given the ‘Roncador’ room. His own bunk room as he snores terribly ( causing the walls to shake ) & has a bad cough ( smokes like a chimney ). He entertained us all with more playing & singing. A good night to finish our Meseta stage with.

Distance: 18km, Steps: 25,545, Time total: 5hrs

So last night the lady running the Albergue refused to give Mr D a coffee. “No coffee! No sleep!” But Mr D does not like to be refused coffee & so he got a big cup of coffee. He did not sleep much. Not from the coffee. Food poisoning. The only thing he ate that I didn’t was the Calamari rings yesterday. The culprit. He was back & forth to the toilet through the night. I had one of my best sleeps ever.

In the morning he wasn’t a happy boy. Tired. Sore stomach. We had a half n hour sleep in. Then went to the albergue cafe down the road for breakfast. It was freezing outside. The rain had left. Our breakfast was cold. Bread untoasted with butter and jam. A glass of OJ with ice cubes in it! Mr D was like “what the hell?!” There was a guitar by the corner of the room so Mr D picked it up for a lazy strum. The American & Englishman amigos were there having breakfast. They said their albergue had them & one other in it last night.

Then it was down the road a 11km flat easy walk to the next town. Mostly now next to roads. Mr D had never been so uncomfortable as he was this morning. He needed a toilet. There were no toilets for 11kms! He was tired. And he started getting shin splint pain so he had to walk slowly.

We made it to Bercianos town where at the first cafe he saw, Mr D dropped his backpack & dashed to the toilet. Feeling much better, Mr D sat down for 2 lots of coffee & a doughnut. I had a cuppa & a custard filled pastry. Linda from Canada asked to join us. She saw us in Calzadilla 2 nights ago. She is travelling with her friend also called Linda. There was a fellow pilgrim inside the cafe the whole time sitting & staring at the table. He seemed zoned out, very strange. He up & left before us but we passed him sitting cross legged in the dirt. He was holding & staring down at his stick again with a spaced out look. Even further along, he passed us, sat down on a seat with the same look staring at his stick. Hmmmmmmm, too many special homemade cookies today perhaps?!

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The day was clear with the sun out but the wind was COLD. It was a good day for walking & Mr D feeling good, picked up his stride. There is 2 options we could take: The real Camino frances that we took that follows the road up to Mansilla. Or the Calzada Romana that goes through remote fields no towns & is slightly longer. So we were on a narrow dirt road next to the road that was relatively quiet. I miss going through the open meseta as it is more interesting then the road! You picture this bitumen road, dirt road, trees lined along & open pastures & that is all we saw.

We passed the two Amigos & headed into El burgo Ranero. A small town. Mr D was even keen to add on an extra 10kms to the next town at one stage. But changed his mind. “Ahhhh, I’m getting tired. Scratch that idea!”

I had chose one of the two albergues in town. Albergue Domenico Laffi. A donvativo. I chose it as I wanted a better experience than the first one we went to in Estella. It had character as well made of mud & straw. It was simple but nice on the inside. The two ladies running it seemed very nice & easy going. They didn’t carry on like the last woman that refused our money, throwing her hands up saying “we don’t touch the money! You put in the donation slot yourself!” But Mr D had absolutely refused to stay in another one, not flexible enough to give it a second go. He was so mad at me it took him a few hours to get over it. We stayed as I had picked it. The amigo pair are bunked in with us including the strange fellow that came in afterwards. The ladies running it are volunteers that work for free. All you do is donate $ however much you want to give for your bed. Mr D truly suffered at the albergue; Sitting by the fireplace that was lit up warming up the room with his vino drinking & making new friends with guys that walk 30+kms a day. I could see his pain through his laughter – haha not! And the albergue is filled up to completo full. The first albergue I’ve seen full since Orisson. Must be a terrible albergue…..

We went out for lunch, afterwards I went for a solo quiet walk. I spotted the couple from last nights dinner. They were hailing a taxi with their gear & left town. The woman was having issues with shin splint pains. So maybe they had to end their trip. For dinner we joined a big table of pilgrims at the restaurant across the road. The meals were good, I wish I had been sitting next to Linda that we met earlier, I would have had someone to talk to. Tomorrow is another day……

Distance: 22.5km, Steps: 32,214, Time total: 7hrs.

We were one of the early risers & left the bunk room before most others that were still in bed. The cafe downstairs was meant to open at 7am for breakfast. However it was still closed & dark inside. Feeling annoyed we put on our wet weather gear & were ready to walk by 7.15am when the lights came on inside the cafe. We thought bugger it, we will eat at the next open cafe 9kms further along.

It was a constant light rain as we made our way by headlights along the road. We plodded & plodded along with the rain spattering on our umbrellas. We came to Ledgios 6kms along. A small Pilgrims village. Mr D spotted an Albergue cafe / bar that was open & we happily got out of the rain & had some toast butter & jam with our hot drinks. The barman poured himself a morning whiskey to drink while watching the news.

The rain was coming down harder & the wind had picked up again, the temperature dropping. I dressed myself in my rain gear – while most Pilgrims seem to only have a rain jacket or Poncho, I had my umbrella, rain jacket, rain skirt, gaiters & rain mitts. I come well prepared!  We continued our cold walk in miserable rain through another 2 towns. The town of Moratinos had a hill in its centre with interesting doors all around it, like underground homes. The sign said no hobbits live in them, they are cellars for storing food supplies. At the next town called San Nicolas, we stopped for some hot food. It was midday, Mr D was feeling very cold, his throat was worse & he had shooting pains in his right shoulder from sleeping in a sloping bed a couple of nights ago.

The first Albergue bar / restaurant we came to looked very inviting. Mr D enquired about hot soup & ordered 2 bowls of red bean soup – delicious! He enjoyed a coffee & I had a hot chocolate drink with a slice of berry cheesecake. One Pilgrim lady came in & saw our soup & ordered the same. There wasn’t many people on the track but we did see the two friends American & Englishman couple of times though they don’t speak much to us.

When we left the rain had stopped & we actually saw some blue skies sometimes the sun would come out. The last 6kms were a tired slog but we made it! I had selected a monastery Albergue on the other side of town. It was 10€ each & the lady gave us a room with 4 beds & private bathroom – all to ourselves! Mr D was so cold & went straight into the shower. The water was cold then went lukewarm after waiting 5 minutes! And our bedroom is cold! Mr D went to ask about heating & the guy he asked laughed & said “No heating!” We found out they put the heating on 1st of November & no sooner! The mattresses on the beds feel a hundred years old. I let Mr D have the newer one that feels 50 years old. Well I thought I had picked well. The building is very nice more so on the inside.

We went for a stroll to buy drinks & the temperature felt even colder outside! Normally Mr D doesn’t feel the cold so much but today as he is not well, he was freezing his tootsies off! I found a nice Irish pub, warm & inviting inside. We enjoyed some tapas food with beer. That’s the way to finish off a days walk!

The town of Sahagun has a population of 2,800 people. It holds a lot of history in the remains of its monastery ruins of San Tirso & Arco San Benito – what is left of the famous abbey of San Benito from the 10th Century. I enjoyed a walk around these & the pretty Puente Canto – a historic stone bridge over the Cea river. Mr D meanwhile was having an afternoon siesta. He is really getting into the Spanish way of life!

We went to the ‘Comedor’ room for dinner & there were 4 places only set in such a big room with a lot of tables. There were only 4 of us in the Albergue. The other two were a German husband & wife that come every year for 2 weeks & walk part of the Camino. The Albergue lady prepared our 3 course meal & you had to eat quick before she came & took your plate away even if you were still eating! It was a pretty relaxed evening but I am well & truly ready for sleep in a quiet room for a change!

We have walked now over halfway to Santiago!