We had everything drying on the hotel heater last from yesterday’s rain including our boots. It was really damp when we arrived at the Albergue last night. We braved the damp and cold and went out for a burger and pizza at the local haunt for dinner. I wore my $12 BigW slip-ons (very fashionable) as I did not want to put my clean feet back into wet boots. Four of us in total at the pub including the bar man, one other patron and us. We needed fuel for the next day so this was the only option. Food of late has been carb heavy. A lot of bread and patata frittata. I ended up with a pizza and Ron a burger, they seemed to be the safest options. It was sufficient enough and as we were in the middle of nowhere, our best option.
I joke about the look of the outside of our accommodation but it really was okay once we were inside. It was warm, clean and the shower was good. They’re the main things. It also got us out of the rain and we could dry our clothes.
It was a misty morning and the clouds hung heavily from the day before. Thankfully there was no rain. It was damp and cold. 1ºC as we were heading off.
The guide book and map showed we were to follow the road for about 27kms today. It was exactly that with not much variation unfortunately. The trees next to the path have obviously been planted there to provide shade for the pilgrims passing in the summer months.
Today was cold enough for me to not want to take my glove off to take my phone out of my pocket to take photos. I struggled to keep my hands warm and as there wasn’t much change in the landscape I just powered on with no photos.
We’d decided along the way that as we weren’t far from León to take a bus the last 19kms and spend the weekend in town. We felt we’d like another rest day and re-group. We were going to stay in Mansilla de las Mulas and walk into León the following day but as León is another big town we’d be walking through the outskirts of suburbia, car yards and the industrial side of town. Turns out that would’ve been the case anyway as the view from the bus in was no different. It was interesting waiting at the bus station for the bus as there was a bar which was crowded with a lot of locals, mostly men and I thought the bus trip would be crowded with so many waiting in the bar for a bus. I had to laugh as Ron, I and a couple of others got on the bus while the bar at the bus station partied on. Woohoo! Let’s hang out at the bus station bar on a Friday night!
I’m sitting now in a bar ravenous waiting for a restaurant to open at 8pm to get a meal. Spain is on a very different food clock. At least there is nothing to get up early for tomorrow.
Thanks for reading. Buen Camino! 😊