Day 18 Leon, or Walking in the Rain

Crossing over troubled waters, in puring rain
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The walk from Mansilla de Las Mulas might have been pleasant without the pouring rain.  I walked with rain dripping off my hat, and I thought I probably looked every bit the bedraggled pilgrim I felt.  My Equator wide-brimmed hat has been one of my favorite purchases for the Camino, and I knew it could take the punishment the weather was giving it.

A few kilometers out, I passed through tiny Villamoros, its church bell ringing, reminding me it was Sunday.  I have been to Mass many times here, and have always experienced a peaceful feeling there, but I decided to keep on walking.  There´s a long 20-arch bridge at Vilarente, crossing a river I should know the name of.  While crossing the bridge I snapped a few photos of the pouring rain and the swollen river.  The rain never shows in my photos.  I thought of my iPod "Walking Songs" playlist, which includes Bridge Over Troubled Water. The waters below this fantastic bridge were surely troubled.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Me, in front of the sign everyone gets their photo taken in front of
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After crossing the bridge, I spied a friendly señora in the door of her restaurant, and my body and mind screamed, "Cafe con leche!"  And so it was.

I was walking to Leon, to meet my friend Diane and her daughter Megan, who had flown in from the States to walk these last two weeks with me.  They booked the Hotel Luis de Leon, by far the classiest hotel I have stayed in since beginning the camino.  When we met, it was lightly raining, on and off.

Leon is an old city, once a base for the Roman VIIth Legion; the word Legion is the source of the name Leon. The city has been conquered by the Visigoths, the Moors, and the Christians. As in several other cities I have walked through, there are remains of Roman walls.

The jewel of Leon
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We set out for the old section of Leon, to get the Pilgrim Passports Diane and Megan will need once we start walking.  (Assuming their luggage arrives soon.)  Old Leon is dominated by the Leon Cathedral, a Gothic beauty.  Admission is free, but the interior is dark so I did not try any photos.  There are over a hundred beautiful stained-glass windows high up in the cathedral, which do let in a spectacular colored light, but I knew the camera would not do them justice.  So we only have pictures of the outside.

Closeup of cathedral door, Leon
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We had the menu del dia at a restaurant, and I was reminded of the need to eat enough to maintain my energy on the camino.  In April, I attended a conference put on by the American Pilgrims on the Camino, and a particular presentation caught my attention.  A physiology professor presented the energy requirements for a person about my weight walking 5 to 6 hours a day on the camino.  According to this presentation, I need an EXTRA 3000 calories (kcal) just to maintain my energy level, extra, as in, beyond the usualll 2000 calories it takes to breathe, sleep and watch television.  I think I ate most of those extra 3000 calories in one meal in Leon.  With the menu del dia there is always dessert, and today it was arroz con leche - literally, "rice with milk" but a sort of rice pudding.

Another great meal in Spain
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And of course, there is always wine.