|
CARRION DE LOS CONDES to LEON <MAP> |
| Same terrain as yesterday. Flat, (good!) no wind, (good!) hot. (Not so good!) In the morning, I met two Canadian cyclists, and while chatting, managed to step on my sunglasses. The road paralleled the walking Camino for a while, so I saw a fair number of pilgrims. There are more pilgrims, in general, than I had guessed there would be. The Camino must be pretty jammed up during the summer.
At Sahagun, I ran into all of the cyclists with whom I've been travelling. I had coffee with the Dutch couple, the Nikkens, who've ridden from Holland. Ivan and Nuria had stopped so Ivan could get some sunblock. From that point on - all the way to Leon - I was pretty much alone, but made good progress. The road is fairly straight and boring. And it's hot and dusty. I stopped in Mansilla de las Mulas for a Sello, but the Refugio and Tourist office were closed. So on through industrial suburbs to Leon. I had decided that crossing the upcoming mountains would be too hard with the gearing on my bike. On the way into the center of Leon, I happened to ride by a bike store, and stopped to get a larger rear cassette (32 tooth versus the 24 tooth that came on the bike). The owner laughed at how small it was. Got that, and a new chain, and ultimately a new rear derailleur, as the one that came on the bike couldn't handle the larger cassette. I stopped at the tourist office near the Cathedral for a Sello, then checked in to my hotel. I'm staying at the Parador in Leon. It's beautiful, huge, and steeped in history. It's attached to a former monastery, which served as a hospital for pilgrims in the old days. The hotel is, itself, part of the Camino. The Camino is marked across its length by yellow arrows - but in Leon proper, you find your way through town by following bronze scallops embedded in the pavement. I followed them back to the Cathedral, which has staggeringly beautiful stained glass windows. I understand that it has a higher stained glass to stone ratio than any other Cathedral in the world. I'd believe it. Walking around a small side street, I ran into the Nikkens, and while I was talking to them, Nuria and Ivan walked by. So we all had dinner together, along with a friend of Nuria's father. We were talking about how we keep running into each other, and Mrs. Nikkens said: "It's the Camino." She's right, I think. The Parador is very upscale and grand. It's sort of funny - when I checked in I was in a sweaty T-shirt and cycling shorts, and the other people in the lobby were all very stylishly dressed. But no one cares. All the people who work in the hotel - as it has been in every hotel - are really nice. They must be used to pilgrims. They let me keep my bike in a room normally used to store luggage. Total time: Don't know. 5:21 on bike. 112.9 km |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|