Yeah I am in Leon

Wednesday April 22, 2009
Day 15: Religioso to Leon (Walk - 27km)
Elma Fakt 8: Walking is no substitute for running
Glorious weather for walking but even better for running was the thought going through my head today. More walking through the last stages of the meseta to get to Leon and all I could think of was how nice it would be to go fo a run.

I felt just like the snails I keep seeing on the path. Crawling through the landscape, when I could be flying!The air is cool the sun is out, the trail is soft. I could almost feel the lightness of step, I would have if I was running rather then walking, as I set off along the 6km from Religiosa to the next town, Mansilla de los Mulas, where I stopped for a morning coffee. My left knee was a little sore and blisters had appeared on both feet over the past 2 days so over the next 20km of walking on road, industrial land and suburbs to get to Leon, I had decided that I will definetely stay for 2 days in Leon to rest and recover. Arrived in town with two young Aussie girls, Karen from Canberra and Kirri from Brisbane - I had met them an hour out of town. Staying at the Alburgue which is a part of Benedictine Monastery in the old part of the city. Leon is a beautiful city - there is a lot to see. The city has a strong French influence in its buildings with lots of dormer windows and zinc roofs and include the French Gothic influenced Santa Maria de la Regla cathedral.
And this really weird looking building I though was out of Disney but is an early Gaudi work Casa de Botines, now home to a Spanish Bank.
After exploring the city in glorious afternoon sunshine I went back to the Alburgue and attended a beautiful pilgrims prayer in the evening with the nuns and other pilgrims in the Monastery Chapel.