Whispers from the Camino—Day 23
September 27 Leon Rest Day
Pastries and cafe con leche to start the day.
There is so little to write about this day. With the exception of thinking about whether I would put more pre-arranged private rooms into my schedule, I left my mind largely free of contemplation and reflection. I was simply enjoying all of the richness around me focused on what seemed to be the most restful and rejuvenating.
I did come out of the day planning to increase the number of nights that I would pay for a private room. While I enjoyed all of the energy of connecting with, eating with and sleeping with other pilgrims (sometimes only 6 to a room, sometimes 32 to a room), I also found it somewhat exhausting. At the completion of the day’s walk, depending upon my arrival time, I often had to compete for shower time, wash basins for washing my clothes, and lines to dry my clothes, hopefully in a sunny place.
Santa Maria de Regla de Leon Cathedral
And, every night was a crap shoot in terms of snorers. It was pretty much an issue every night, but quite often one of the snorers was in the bunk next to me and I often woke up still feeling groggy from the tossing and turning of disrupted sleep. I am quite sure I was not one of the offenders! If I was, no one told me.
As the day wore on I was pretty convinced that I would reserve private rooms for most of the rest of the two weeks I had left. My blister was painful. I was tired and I wanted to make sure I could recover well each night. That was not always guaranteed in the shared allergues. I remember this pattern from prior cycling pilgrimages when I would largely camp and stay in hostels in the early days or weeks and shift to private motel rooms as the pilgrimage wore on.
Favorite lunch
The day was spent in pure pleasure. I ate good food. I watched street performers. I toured the magnificent Santa Maria de Regla de Leon Cathedral. I got a much-needed haircut. I connected with Tom, Alex and Brad, three pilgrims from Britain. I let my foot and blister breathe. I played my ukulele. I took a nap. I ate more good food.
Here are a few pictures of the day:
The young man who cut my hair and gave me a beard trim
Typical street in Leon.
Inside the Cathedral
Hearts of palm salad that was out of this world!
The Leon Cathedral at night