Days 18, 19, 20 El Burgos Ranero – Mansilla -Leon

We had decided that after we reached Mansilla we would take a bus into Leon the next day. Our guide book recommended this approach because the entry into Leon was through a fairly industrial area and along fairly well traveled roads. We would then hold up for a couple of days rest and do some sight seeing. All worked out ok but we made did make a couple of tactical mistakes.

Saturday. We get a somewhat later start than usual and head out on a fairly flat path. Our walk is not too long just 18 Kms and we keep a fairly steady pace. There’s not much of interest to see and we just march on with the intent of getting to the end. We walk through what should have been a good place to stop for a light snack and get some rest intent on just finishing since there’s only 6 Km to go. About 1 Km later we realize that was a bad idea as we both just kind of run out of gas. So we stop by a small park and eat what little provisions we have, a small pack of peanuts and a not too fresh apple. We must remember to give ourselves a break in the future. We resume somewhat refreshed and make it to our destination Mansilla by noon. There was no need to have rushed…. Lesson learned. We check into a private Albergue that looks pretty nice, it’s right above a pretty good restaurant, shower and get our wash in a machine for an exorbitant 9 euro. But we didn’t wash yesterday and it’s pretty cloudy today so we pay the price. As we begin to wander the town we run into Our friend Felicity who has arrived early herself and is waiting for the bus to Leon which doesn’t leave until 4. Our guide book said buses every half hour, but that was only during the week. Even worse news for us was that the bus tomorrow which we were planning to take in the morning only runs at 5:50 PM because it’s Sunday. Given we got in so early today we should have just bussed in tonight. Looks like a cab in our future tomorrow AM. We wander the town a bit but it’s pretty dull so it feels a bit like a wasted day.

Should have rested here. Heard that the Elvis bar was quite the crazy place

Quiet way

Dull Mansilla

Sunday. We arrange for a cab to pick us up at 8:30. Alex, a big strapping German lad, as one of the girls we travelled with described him, has asked to share the ride so we save a few Euros. Alex is a bit of a character and seems to have a girlfriend in every town. He slept in the bunk above me last night and rolled in about half an hour after lights out somewhat drunk along with a couple girls to much attendant giggling. While annoying it was also amusing. You kind of have to know Alex. We arrive in Leon in about 20 mins, probably a 4.5 hour walk otherwise. We pull up in front of the magnificent cathedral and as we get out of the cab some girl comes walking up yelling hey Alex!!!! We just crack up. Leon appears to be a wonderful town. It’s of Roman origin and the vaunted VIII Legion was stationed here. Apparently the name Leon is derived from Legion. We have booked a hotel, the Q H, which turns out to be right behind the Cathedral and we have a view of it through both windows in our room. It’s a very nice setup and we are happy. So we wonder the old town area surrounding the Cathedral, lots of shops, restaurants and tapas bars. It’s quite vibrant and we enjoy being tourists. It turns out that everywhere we go we run into people we know. Here we are in Leon Spain and we may as well be wondering the streets of Herndon. Actually I don’t think we would meet this many familiar people even there. It’s absolutely bizarre, as we feel we are in some small town surrounded by friends and acquaintances. You can’t get this experience taking a bus tour.

Jackie has a quest, in Leon, to see the Holy grail. A museum at the St Isidoro church has a chalice dated from the first century encrusted with gold and jewels added in the 11th century. Recent scholars have been making some claims, based on what I do not know, that this could be the chalice used by Jesus at the last super. We take the tour, and while the Chalice is an interesting thing to see and have a bit of a chuckle about, it’s a fabulous little museum and something I would not want to have missed. We see lots of treasures and a library that holds over 2000 books dating from the 10th century on with a bible written in 960. An amazing room to be in. We finish in a multi vaulted space with 11 century frescos of the birth of Christ, the last supper, and the crucifixion amongst many other depictions. A truly fantastic space. I sneak a photo of this room since no cameras were allowed. Wish I could have gotten a shot of the library. This tour alone was worth the trip into Leon. The other highlight of the day is a tour of the Cathedral. While not as extensive with all the fancy chapels as the one in Burgos, it has magnificent stained glass over quite an extensive area. You’re left wondering how this huge structure is held together with such open spaces in the walls. I’m always awestruck by the engineering of these structures as well as their beauty. We find an Italian restaurant and have a fabulous pizza for dinner. Oh and before that we hit this amazing chocolate shop for amazing hot chocolate Sundays. What a town.

Arriving at the Leon. Cathedral in the early AM

Jackie and our strapping German friend Alex

Resting on old Roman Ruins

Which way?

Our hotel, the room is the corner by the clock

Nice

Leon Cathedral midday.

Beautiful stained glass

Fabulous frescos in the pantheon

The purported Holy Grail is under that gold!!!

Cathedral by night.

View out our window

Monday. We get out of bed at the most luxurious hour of 9:00 AM. Shopping today. We need at least one warmer layer, something with long sleeves. It’s cold today to make the point so we go wondering in search of a sporting goods store within walking distance. We find several and after going through the lot we end up back at the first to make our final choice. Always seems the way. While food is fairly cheep here clothing is expensive so we pay a premium over what we could have spent at home, but I’m convinced we will be glad to have it once we hit higher elevations. We get a mild days exercise walking about and reward ourselves with the best burger I’ve found in Spain so far. Both Jackie and I make a meal out of it and they also throw in some complementary tapas. We continue to run into many familiar folks and have small chats on the way. We return to our room stuffed and take a nice nap. We spend the early evening planning the next 10 days to be able to get to Santiago by Oct 5 a Sunday. They have a special mass for Pilgrims on Sunday and that’s our goal. We tour the tapas bars for dinner buying good wine and getting free sandwiches. Kind of like snacking your way through Costco on the free trial handouts.

Best burger in Spain so far

You have to walk 20 Kms to eat one of these

Resting in the Parador Hotel. Swanky!!!

Cruising the tapas bars

We have liked Leon a lot. It seems to be a great spot for pilgrims to take a break from the hard life on the trail. Regroup, repair and refresh before resuming the task of getting on to Santiago. Tomorrow we put our packs back on and start walking.