Into León

So I found myself on the bus to León this morning. My continued sore throat weighed in considerably on this decision. I’m doing all kinds of things on this Camino journey that I would not normally do at home, like drinking coffee and eating ham and, well, walking 12 miles a day. So I guess my taking an 18km break on the bus is one of those “Camino things.” Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? I am learning to let go of perfectionism and my OCD tendencies. Go me!

An unexpected surprise happened while waiting for the bus. The Asian women that I helped to direct on the route two days ago were there to catch the same bus. One of them, her name is Lin, came up to me and gave me a little ornament in the shape of Taiwan as a token of thanks. I was so touched, I gave her a hug. Unexpected kindness repaid with unexpected kindness. No words needed. No language barrier. This is what will make the world a better place. (My apologies to them that I thought they were from Japan.)

As we approached León, we could see the urban sprawl and caught glimpses of our fellow pilgrims walking alongside the freeway. It did seem like a less-than-tranquil walk. After we arrived and began to navigate our way through the streets of Leon, we got some unusual looks from the locals going off to work. In smaller villages, the only ones up and about in the early morning hours are the pilgrims, with their poles and backpacks. Here, however, the pilgrims are more of an oddity. We walked through the high end shopping district. Despite almost three weeks of meditative self-reflection, I still found myself drawn into the chic clothing and cheap tchotchke displays in the store windows. (Yes I had to look up the spelling!) Thank goodness the stores weren’t open yet, or my materialistic side would’ve taken over.

Waiting for the León Catedral to open, we stopped at a hip cafe, Locos, that had the craziest decor. I could’ve spent the day in the bathroom alone. It was right across the plaza from the cathedral so we indulged in another cafe con leche and second breakfast. It was 9:45am, and Siri notified me to “check my rings” cuz I haven’t been as active as I normally am by this time. (I don’t need that kind of negativity, Siri… I’m feeling plenty guilty all by myself about my lack of walking without you reminding me that I’m a slacker!)

We toured the cathedral - very impressive for the 125 stained glass windows alone. The entire cathedral was built over a period of 30 years in the 13th century, which seems incredible! I learned that the opulence and grandeur of these cathedrals were a way of not only honoring God but also of providing a vision for the illiterate masses of what heaven would be like. Inspiring folks to behave themselves for the rich rewards of the afterlife. Likewise, the immense height of the cathedrals was a sort of reaching up to the heavens.

After the cathedral, we went to the Museo Leon which gave a history of the area, basically from the first century with a special exhibit on the Camino de Santiago. And then to complete the tourist experience, we visited Casa de Botines, a Gaudi-designed building constructed in 1891 that was simply amazing. It was a multi-use building with retail on the first floor, other businesses including a dental clinic on the second and posh residences on the other floors. His visionary construction techniques (like the water catchment system built into the walls), use of recycled and local materials, and artistic design was incredible and so far ahead of his time. Can’t wait to visit La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona in a few weeks.

After taking in all those sights, we headed back to the hotel for a much-needed siesta. That four hour stretch of being a tourist was exhausting. Not sure which is more tiring for me - being a tourist or being a pilgrim!

Later, we enjoyed a lovely night out with Monique and two other pilgrim ladies from London, Helen and Eveline.

A note about the crocheted little blankets on the trees that I mentioned in yesterday’s post. Apparently it is called yarn bombing, and it’s an international thing. It is also referred to as “yarn storming” or “guerrilla knitting” - both equally delightful terms. It is a form of graffiti or street art, using yarn instead of paint so it is removable and doesn’t cause permanent damage to the environment. There’s even an International Yarn Bombing Day on June 11th. (Some sites say it is the second Saturday in June, which would mean it is June 10th this year. Take your pick.) As my son Phil the knitter said, he is normally a pacifist but this is a kind of bombing he could get behind. Everybody grab your needles and let’s knit some shit!

Update on the beer vs. mosquitoes experiment. I think the beer is winning since I have no new bites as of this morning. Yay beer!