The Lion in Springtime

19 April 2013

Arrived in Leon after a relatively 18 km walk, made only slightly tiring by the fact that much of it was on city sidewalks.

This is a fantastic city, probably my favourite so far other than Pamplona. Narrow, crooked streets, bursting with life and song and commerce.

The cathedral is glorious. There´s an audio tour, of course, but unlike Burgos, they haven´t turned it into a museum cum tourist attraction. The liturgies are obviously still held in the main part of the church (again, unlike apparently Burgos), with every portion fulfilling its intended function. Not so grand or large as Burgos, it is nevertheless more harmonious and serene.

And the windows! Light pouring in through jeweled windows, in harmony and balance. Just joyful.

Speaking of joyful… Francine has arrived!

We checked into our one and only hotel for the trip – connected to and run by the Benedictine convent next door..

A big farewell to my Camino family, with drinks and dinner, as tomorrow we will take a bus for a bit so that Francine´s first day walking isn´t through the industrial and suburban blah.

Originally published at Another Pilgrim on the Way

Francine Takes a Walk

20 April 2013

After breakfasting in the Benedictine hotel, we walked to the bus station – maybe 1.5 km – and caught the 9:30 bus to Hospital de Orbigo.

We walked back across the town to Puente de Orbigo and walked across (and back across) the astonishing medieval bridge there.

There´s a jousting field next to the bridge. Jousting is something of a local tradition (during fiestas), to commemorate an actual event.

Seems a local knight was wronged by a lady, and he decided that to satisfy his honour, he must break 300 lances against any and all challengers.

So he held the bridge, and knights came from all over Europe to challenge him. He defeated them all. Once he had broken his 300th lance, he took up the pilgrim´s robe and set off for Santiago with his friends.

An easy walk today, over undulating ground with some new friends from Indiana, Smith and Terra.

The hills got larger as we went, and farmland gradually gave way to vinyards, and then to olive groves, and then to forest and lavender fields.

Arrived in Astorga, a city famous for its chocolate, and more or less immediately found a chocolatier. The city is full of them.

Originally published at Another Pilgrim on the Way

Olive Trees and Lavender

21 April 2013

Francine´s second day, and the Benedictine connection continues.

We were misinformed about the local Mass schedule, and it briefly appeared that we would have to wait until 10am for a Mass, meaning we wouldn´t be on the road until 11 or later.

Fortunately, we were told that there was an evening Mass (7pm) at our intended destination, so off we went.

It was a rough day, and we reached El Ganso – our intended lunch target – only at 2pm. We started with a broad, easy path between a blacktop road on the left and a horsepath on the right. Eventually, everything sort of merged, and we were walking beside the highway.

This is, for me, the most tiring sort of walking. Asphalt just doesn´t do it for me.

The views, though, were spectacular. The mountains got larger and larger as we approached them.

Francine had the same sorts of pains, adjustments, and random stops that I suffered through on my first days. I did my best to help her and encourage her.

As we gained altitude, it was easier to get out of breath, so we had to adjust our pace accordingly.

We arrived in Rabanal about 4pm, expecting to find a 7pm Mass, only to discover that this was not the case.

At 7pm it was chanted vespers with the local Benedictine monks. Francine volunteered me to read, so I sat in the choir with the monks and two other laymen. Each of the three of us read the short reading in our native language: German, Spanish, English.

Afterwards, we had dinner with Smith and Terra, and a geeky Irishman named Mark.

Then Compline, then bed.

Originally published at Another Pilgrim on the Way