Day 19 Leon - Oh, Lord, stuck in old Leon again...

Before walking the camino, I did what most people do when they travel - packed my bags, caught a flight, and took off to someplace wonderful.  Well, that is exactly what my 2 friends Diane and Megan did, but they didn´t have the excellent luggage luck I have usually had when travelling.  (Discounting that trip to Tehran in the 70´s, when my luggage did trail behind me by a day or two.)

Nope, they connected in Madrid, got a flight to Leon, and their luggage went astray.  Maybe it´s still in Madrid, maybe it´s in BFE, but for sure it is NOT in Leon.  The hotel staff has been wonderful, though, telephoning the airline frequently.  But no luck yet.

Lessons Learned on the Camino

So we will tough it out for another night in the lap of luxury, and hope for the best.  Meanwhile, we did our part by going out to the Leon airport today, to make sure the report was filed correctly and that a search was in fact underway.  That seems to be the case.

The Leon airport is near the town of Virgen del Camino, our first Camino stop out of Leon.  Hopefully, we will see it tomorrow, on foot, as we leave Leon.  But the delay gives me a chance to consider some of the things I have learned on the Camino:

I am much better at waiting now, looking more to a solution than fixating on the problem.

Dental floss makes a reasonably secure clotheline. If you have enough of it.

My Dollar Store clothespins have been wonderful!

Socks make good mittens in a crunch.  Even when wet and muddy, they kept my hands from freezing when I crossed the Pyrenees on this trip. (See Day 2)

Tortilla Patata makes a good breakfast.  Just about every village has a bar/ restaurant that will have it.

Safety pin the still wet socks your have washed, to your backpack when you leave in the morning, they will be dry when you reach the next albergue.

When washing clothes in hotel sinks (or bidets!) dry them thoroughly with the twisted towel technique: lay the item flat on a hotel towel.  Roll the towel into a tube like a jelly roll; hold one end between your knees and twist the other end really tight, as when you want to swat someone in a locker room. (Though I have never done so!)  The item will be as dry as you can get it.  By morning you can probably wear it - except for socks, see above.

I LOVE my Syncpack! Thanks, Jim, for making me buy it; and thanks, Britt, for getting it to me on time. http://www.thesyncpack.com/index.html

A corkscrew is never too heavy to carry.  Especially a small one.