El Camino de Santiago - 2017

Day 17: Mansillas de las Mulas to Leon

Michelle wrote:
23 Sept. Saturday

The morning selfie at Hotel Rural Los Soportales

We left Mansilla de las Mulas at 8:30 am and were feeling rushed to get to Leon before the 2 pm siesta.  It felt like a long 18 km.  The dirt path was good, just small pebbles and it wasn’t too hot most of the way.  It was just hard to endure, knowing we were almost there. We walked through the suburbs of Leon next to a busy road.  Then we finally made it into the city!  We walked through what is left of the old wall, Puerta Moneda, and found our hotel, Monastica Pax, which is next to a big albergue run by nuns.  Our hotel was nice and looked out onto a plaza in the old part of town. We found out that sleeping next to a plaza on a Saturday night is not a good idea.  It was too noisy!  The people like to drink and talk and have fun outside in the evenings.  After checking into our room, we left to find the nearest El Corte Ingles because they have an optical department and I needed to get my glasses fixed.  It wasn’t too far, about 10 minutes, and the woman replaced the nose cushion a gave me an extra one and she wouldn’t let me pay her for it.   She was very kind and wished us a buen camino.  It doesn’t hurt to wear them anymore.  We walked up to the cathedral, which is huge and beautiful and magnificent, but we were too late to go inside.  They closed just as we got there.  We looked in the souvenir shops and then ran into our friend Cathy from Seattle!  She and Mariana were meeting their Canadian friend for dinner.  While we were talking to them on the plaza, we noticed people dressed up in very beautiful fancy clothes gathering in front of the gate to the cathedral.. Right before 7 pm a nice black car drove up and a bride got out of the car.  She had a beautiful dress with a very long veil/train that had beautiful lace on it.  She went into the cathedral and we heard the organ play the Lohengrin Bridal March for a minute before they shut the big doors.  The organ sounded awesome!  I would love to have been inside to hear it or to attend an organ concert in the cathedral.  It was fun to watch the the wedding guests in their fancy clothes and to see the bride arrive.  I can’t imagine how much money that wedding cost.  You have to be SOMEONE to be able to get married in the Leon cathedral!

Cathy, Mariana, the Canadian, Curtis and I all walked to El Corte Ingles to eat dinner in their restaurant on the 6th floor.  We all walk at different speeds and distances, so this may be the last time we see each other.  It was a fun dinner.

Curtis writes:

As beautiful as the country side is, we miss some of the conveniences that are only found in larger communities.  We were excited to get to Leon.

One of the benefits of putting one foot in front of the other all the way across Spain is the opportunity to see in detail the changes in the agriculture according to the terrain.  Approaching Mansillas de las Mulas we came across corn fields.  I don't remember seeing any other corn fields on our walk from the Pyrenees.  The corn field and hay field in the picture below reminds me of the morning walking out of Hontanas that we came across an alphalpha field with sprinklers, the first we had seen since leaving Utah.

Corn fields between Mansillas de las Mulas and Leon

East end of Puente Villarente over the Rio Porma

In terms of the mountain west, the Rio Porma is a substantial river.  From the perspective of Georgia, it's not that big.  But the size of the bridge gives an indication of what it can be - or what it once was before the drought and before the upstream damns were put in place.

Puente Villarente

From Villarente we have a few more kilometers of walking through fields before we pass through Arcahueja and then the road is lined with industrial buildings approaching Leon.

Map on the wall in Arcahueja
Is the scale accurate?

The hills on the east side of Leon block the view of the city until you get to this point in the  pass between the hills.

Our first view of Leon

The photo above is taken from the ramp coming down for the overpass crossing N-601 entering Leon.

First view of Leon that includes the Cathedral.  Can you find it?

At the base of the hills, on the east side of Leon, runs the Río Torío.  So... yes, I had to take a picture of the bridge.

Bridge over the Río Torío

Modern Leon

Puerta Moneda, the gate through the old wall nearest our hotel.

We stayed in a really nice hotel in Leon, Hospedería Monástica Pax, in a restored monastery.  Our window opened to plaza Santa María del Camino.  This turned out to be an unfortunate location because people were partying in the plaza into the early hours of the morning.  That made for a rough nights sleep.

Sweetness in Corte Ingles

We had rushed to get to Leon before 2pm when the shops closed for the weekend. We needed to get a nose pad for Michelle's glasses. We found a nice Optical Shop in Corte Ingles. They were able to fit a different pad on the glasses but they did not have the exact brand so they could not make an exact fit. It will have to do for the next 8 days. 

At Corte Ingles

After taking care of the glasses we enjoyed a treat at Corte Ingles.  This had been a stressful day caused by not knowing for sure where we would find an optical shop, pushing ourselves to get to the shop before they closed for the weekend and all of this on top of painful feet.  Constant pain does things to your brain.

An orange Fanta and an Eclair - hit the spot for me.

Catedral de Leon

We did not make it in time to see the cathedral on the inside. But there was a big fancy wedding at the cathedral and we got to see many of the guests and the bride as they entered. We even heard the opening chords of the Lohengrin march traditionally played at weddings, from the apparently magnificent organ before they closed the cathedral doors. In the attached picture, if you look close, you might notice to Michelle in the teal blue standing in front of the cathedral.

Michelle walking towards Puerta Moneda, outside the old city wall 

The Casa Botines (built 1891-1892) designed by Antoni Gaudí.

This was created by Gaudí while he was still thinking in terms that I can relate with.  His later, more famous work, the cathedral La Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona is something I cannot relate with.  Over the entrance to this building you can see St. George killing the dragon.  By the next time we get to Leon, this will be a museum.

We have a hard day tomorrow. Church is at 10:30 and then we need to walk 21.1km to our next place. Like the Pioneers, we will also have to do our laundry tomorrow before church.

El Camino de Santiago - 2017

Day 16: El Burgo Ranero to Mansillas de las Mulas

Michelle wrote:
22 Sept. Friday

The morning selfie at El Burgo Ranero

We slept in today because it was a rough night.  Our bed made sleeping difficult because I spent the night trying not to roll into the middle of the bed, my back hurt, I was too hot, etc.   We finally left at 8:30 am and had a nice long 13 km walk along a small, lightly traveled road.  

The only life we saw was lots of pilgrims.  The road was long and mostly straight with sycamore trees lining the path to give us shade.  We arrived in Reliegos and had lunch at a nice little bar.  I thought the food and atmosphere were very good.  

My left leg has been very sore and was making walking difficult.  It slowed us down a lot the last 5 km into Mansilla de las Mulas.  We splurged a got a 50 euro hotel room with a good bed.  Curtis rubbed some cooling gel on my feet and legs and that really helped them to relax.  I fell asleep for about 30 minutes.  

We had to take our clothes to the partner albergue to use the washing machine.  We walked around the town while our clothes were washing.  It was an interesting town.  There is a wide river on the the far side of town and large parts of the old wall surrounding the town.  The walls are quite high and have the cutout places for lookouts or archers.  My imagination started running with all sorts of battles, etc.  All the old movies of castles and adventures flashed in my mind.  It was fun!  We crossed the bridge and I imagined that if there was ever a drawbridge, that would have been where it was.   We stopped in a couple of tiendas and bought stuff for a light dinner and breakfast.  Then we went back to the albergue to hang up our clothes in the late afternoon sun and eat our dinner in the nice garden area.  It was a peaceful and relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Flat smooth walk from
El Burgo Ranero heading West

While we were walking around the town we ran into a Danish woman and a Mexican woman that we’ve seen on the trail and that had also stayed at the same albergue last night.  The Danish woman is fluent in Danish, Spanish and English.  She lives in Colorado, but goes to Mexico in the winter.  The other woman is her friend.  They were fun to talk to.  The Danish woman has a great sense of humor.  It’s nice to run into people like that.  It always brings a smile.

Our hotel is across the street from the park and it is really nice to sit in our room and listen to the kids playing soccer, etc.  Our window is open and we can feel the breeze.  I love it!  I think we will transport our packs in the morning so that there is less strain on my leg for the last 19 km into Leon.

Curtis writes:
We walked about 19 km today. It's interesting to note that blisters are no longer a problem but there are other things causing pain now. For Michelle it's a strained muscle in the calf of each leg. For me it's a toe that gets jammed underneath another tow in my left foot.
We have arranged to ship Michelle's pack ahead to our next hotel tomorrow, so that should lighten the load and make it easier on our feet.

Breakfast at a park bench along the trail
with the highest point in the county behind us.

The pain of walking kept me from enjoying the simple beauty of this section of the Camino.  Some would consider it austere.  I liked the far horizons and the subtle changes in the topology.  I like the long straight lines.
We came across a rare park bench along the trail.  It was a perfect place to stop and have a 1st Breakfast (2nd Breakfast was in Reliegos).  You'll notice the meal included my new favorite chocolate drink: Batido de Chocolate from Central Lechera Asturiana.
The geographic area between Burgos and Astorga is known as La Meseta (think table-top like flatness).  While some Camino bloggers get bored with it, I think the long uncomplicated walks allow for extended periods of deep reflection.  For me, this was meaningful and valuable time.
Chanticleer sings a composition by Jackson Hill called  Voices of Autumn that aligns with long things with slight variations.  An even more worthy theme for this section is Arvo Pärt's composition Spiegel Im Spiegel.   You really need to click on that text and start it playing before you read on.

Each note played on the piano is a tree.  One after another, perfectly spaced along the Camino.  From time to time there is a tree out in the distance.  The cello provides the horizon - continuos, smooth, with gentle transitions.  The trees make a beautiful contrast with the long lines of the horizon. 

The view south, across la meseta between El Burgo Ranero and Reliegos

The view in the opposite direction has a faint mountain profile.

This mountain range on the northern horizon is the most beautiful I've seen in Spain: Los Picos de Europa

From this point we could also see mountains to the West, but the South and the East is just a flat Horizon.
What deep thoughts did I ponder as I plodded step after step?  They are gone now.  Did they matter?  I think they did.  Even though I cannot tell you how it changed me, I feel changed by the Camino.  I know that it changed the desires of my heart.  It helped me see my relationship with Michelle from a perspective never witnessed before.  It made plain to me the power of her tenacity.
Michelle heard a different song.  It was Tevye taking his daughter to the train (Fiddler on the Roof), to join her exhiled husband in Siberia.

From left to right
Ponferrada,  Astorga,  Leon,  Sahagun,  Carrion de los Condes,  Burgos,  Santo Domingo de la Calzada
these are all towns on the Camino de Santiago.  On this map we're hiking from right to left.

Click on the map above so that it will expand and you can read the text, or click  HERE to access Google Maps.  Looking at the map and seeing the distance walked to this point, from Logroño, beyond the right edge of the map, to the red marker, I get a feeling of ... "Wow!"

Planted grove

Lest you think it was way monotinous... not so.

For those in need, there's the taxi option

When I would come across a sign for a taxi, I took a picture with the idea that, should I need one, I have the number in the photos.

Overview of Mansillas de las Mulas, entering from the East.

We enjoyed Mansillas de las Mulas because we stayed at a nice Hostal: Los Soportales.

Hostal Los Soportales
(soportales translates to "arcade", which, before it was filled with electronic
 games, was a a covered passageway with arches along one or both sides.)

Clean modern room at Los Soportales

After the rough night in El Burgo Ranero, this place looked heavenly.  The one drawback to staying at a hostal is that they usually don't have laundry facilities like the albergues do.  Fortunately, this place is owned by a group that also runs an albergue, so we were welcomed to use those facilities.

After the required shower and laundry chores, we took a stroll through the town.  We found that the city was surrounded by a wall at one point in time.  Much of the wall remains on the west side of town, bordering the river.

Wall faced with rounded river rock

Rio Esla

Mansillas de las Mulas from the West

West wall at Mansillas de las Mulas
from the bridge leaving town

One of the remaining gates at Mansillas

Another arcade in Mansillas

Another instance of a wall surfaced with clay and straw.

Typical street in Mansillas

Flowers in the park

The flowers are the last photo before settling down for the night. Our hotel was across the street from the park: Plaza Arrabal.

El Camino de Santiago - 2017

Day 15: Sahagun to El Burgo Ranero

Michelle wrote:
21 Sept. Thursday

Leaving Sahagun before dawn

We left Sahagun at 7:00 am and had a nice cool 12 km walk to Bercianos del Real Camino.  We stopped there for breakfast and a rest.  Then it was another 7 k to El Burgo Ranero - a quiet village.  

We stayed at an older albergue that got mixed reviews.  It was a step down from the other places we’ve stayed, but not too bad.  We had a private room with a  double bed that sagged in the middle and shared the bathroom in the hall with the 8-10 people staying in the dormitory room at the other end of the hall.  There was another dormitory room and bathroom upstairs.  The little kitchen had a table, microwave, electric kettle and a vending machine  but no sink.  There was no potable water here, unless you got it from the bathroom.  I understood why it had bad reviews, but we were grateful we didn’t have to walk another 13 km to the next village.  It felt crowded here and chaotic, but I realize it was an unusual day for the albergue owner, who worked very hard trying to help everyone get settled somewhere.  

Arco de San Benito on the
right as you leave Sahagun

Even though things were a bit uncomfortable, we were lucky to get a room that day because one of the other albergues in the town closed it’s doors for the day and all the people that had reservations there were scrambling for a place to stay the night.  It turns out that the albergue that closed had a bed bug problem and had to be sanitized.

We washed our clothes by hand out in the small patio.  I felt a bit bad about our clothes taking up so much space on the drying racks because I knew it would take longer for them to dry because the walls of the patio blocked the sun and wind.  It all worked out okay in the end, but I definitely like the open drying areas better!  

My blisters have calmed down and don’t bother me anymore.  Now I have a tight muscle on the side of my left leg.  I think I strained it trying to favor my right foot.  I have to massage it at night to get it to relax some.  

Curtis was helpful once again in translating for a Korean couple that wanted to take the bus to Leon.  He was able to find out what time the bus comes and where to pick it up.  They were so grateful that they bought us “drinks” (Kaz Lemon) and we had an interesting conversation in very broken English.  

I was getting antsy and ready to leave the town.  There wasn’t much to see and nothing to do.  We had a good dinner at a place that played an Elton John cover, so we knew all the songs and enjoyed listening to that.  I had a homemade vegan burger that was very good.  

We stopped at the local tienda and bought ice cream bars (Magnum!) and walked around watching the sun set behind the clouds.  It reminded us of Nebraska, where the highest point on the horizon is the overpass!

As the sun rises behind us we see Bercianos del Camino ahead of us.

Curtis writes:
The tree-lined path for much of the meseta was greatly appreciated.  It was a lot of work to plant all these trees.  A lot.

Unique house near Bercianos

This house is set in the field adjacent the Camino as it enters Bercianos.  Homes like this are relatively rare along the Camino.  Most people live in towns in homes that are wall to wall with the neighbors, as is shown in the image below of Calle Mayor in Bercianos del Real Camino.

A flowered balcony in Bercianos.

Trees where the Camino crosses Arroyo del Olmo

Entrance to El Burgo Ranero

Even though the hike was short, it was painful.  The left foot was not happy.  So, it was good to see El Burgo Ranero.  The second main anxiety at this point was: are we in time to get a decent bed?

We were able to get a room to ourselves in a low cost albergue: El Nogal, for 10 euros each. Granted, you get what you pay for. There is a small chain hotel right off the highway, but the price is 3 times as much. It turns out that one of the other three albergues is closed. All the beds in this albergue were taken by 2pm.  Reading the reviews of El Nogal, we found that the negative ones were critical of owner.  She is a strong character; quite passionate about saving money.  She made sure that everyone understood the necessity of turning out the lights when leaving the room.  A Canadian man walked away from the bathroom with the light still on.  She re-emphasized to him that the lights need to be turned off and he tried to apease her saying "no problemo".  She walked away mumbling about how it was no problemo for him but it is a big problem for her.  Later she got in 'discussion' with 3 Spanish pilgrims who were challanging her on the cost of doing their laundry.  They expected their laundry could be done in 3 loads.  She was telling them it was 6.  She eventually won the argument when she came back from changing the laundry and told them there were 26 pairs of socks.  Of course, each of the 3 women said no way, but when they started totaling the numbers they had given her, they realized she was right.  It was fun to listen to them go at it without any acrimony.  Nobody got hurt feelings.

Alberque El Nogal

Our private room at El Nogal

To her credit, the albergue owner was also passionate about helping pilgrims.  When she learned that there were no more beds for pilgrims in town, all of the albergues were full, she loaded up a hiker in her car and took him to another place to stay.

View of the courtyard at
El Nogal from our window.

We can't recommend El Nogal simply because there are no kitchen facilities, not even a sink to fill your water bottle.  The mattress sagged in the middle, which made for a night of bumping elbows and knees.  I'm glad the weather was not cold because I suspect that heat would have been minimal too.  Nevertheless, with all it's problems, I'm appreciative of the fact that we had a place to stay (many were turned away) and that we got there in time to get the one private room.  I remember the look of relief the owner gave me when I told her we wanted the double bed.  It precluded a potential problem if a single person requested the room.  At other places when making reservations over the phone I was asked if it was for a married couple.  Since I always answered yes, I don't know what would happen otherwise.

After cleaning up and sending off the laundry I took a short nap while Michelle wrote in her journal in the court yard.  Eventually we got up and wandered through the town.  At one of the other albergues I found this posting of the train and bus schedules.  There was a couple from Korea with minimal Spanish ability and a little English ability.  They were trying to get to Leon by bus or train.

Transportation from El Burgo Ranero

I'm including this here for future reference.  Note that for this town, the train is the more common mode of transportation.

Friendly Korean couple who treated us to drinks.
We helped them figure how to get to Leon.

Flowers on the window sills on the clean streets of El Burgo Ranero

We walked around the small town long enough for the restaurants to open for dinner.  I had a delicious spagetti bolognesa with chicken.

Dinner at La Costa del Adobe in El Burgo Ranero

After dinner we strolled to the little market (Autoservicio Pili), bought some dessert and then watched the sun set from the west end of town, looking over the pond that is really hurting during this drought.  We got some snacks for tomorrow and then back to our room to get rested.