I loved my stay at the Benedictine Nuns’ albergue in Leon. Lights are off by 10:30 pm, and the volunteers wander through the dorm rooms at 6:00 am, flipping on all the lights to wake the 130 sleeping pilgrims. It meant I could get ready for the day early without disturbing anyone.
Birte and I walked through Leon in the early morning light, greeting the street cleaners and other early-rising pilgrims. We spent some time admiring the pilgrim’s statue in the Plaza San Martin, which is the starting point of the Camino de San Salvador.
An hour of walking on quiet streets took us out of Leon, leading to a muddy trail that we followed for 15 kilometers. The forecast promised rain all day. We managed to walk for two hours, clearing the sidewalks of Leon, climbing the gravel and dirt paths into the hills north of the city, and enjoying a few excellent views before Mother Nature made good on her promise. And when the rain came, it came in full force and didn’t let up until moments before we arrived at our destination of La Pola de Gordon.
Birte and I did a quick calculation and figured that I have walked in the rain for the last 16 days straight. Eventually I’m going to be able to walk all day in the sun. Right?!
Birte and I seem to be the only two pilgrims on the Camino de San Salvador. We haven’t seen any others today. And it doesn’t seem that any of the locals have either. We stepped out of the rain into a cafe in La Robla to the pitying looks of patrons enjoying a Sunday coffee. The proprietor treated us like royalty, with a friendly smile and words of encouragement. “No,” she said. “This is not normal weather for Spain. It’s usually sunny, with temperatures in the 20s.” When we left the cafe, the rain continued its attack on us. I glanced up at the sign of a pharmacy, which flashed the current temperature. 12 degrees. Brrr. We picked up the pace to warm up.
It wasn’t all bad. The walking was terrific and there’s always a warm bed at the end of the day on the Camino, which we found at a cozy pension in La Pola de Gordon.
