The Lion in Springtime

19 April 2013

Arrived in Leon after a relatively easy 18 km walk, made only slightly tiring by the fact that much of it was on city sidewalks.

This is a fantastic city, probably my favourite so far other than Pamplona. Narrow, crooked streets, bursting with life and song and commerce.

The cathedral is glorious. There´s an audio tour, of course, but unlike Burgos, they haven´t turned it into a museum cum tourist attraction. The liturgies are obviously still held in the main part of the church (again, unlike apparently Burgos), with every portion fulfilling its intended function. Not so grand or large as Burgos, it is nevertheless more harmonious and serene.

And the windows! Light pouring in through jeweled windows, in harmony and balance. Just joyful.

Speaking of joyful… Francine has arrived! We met at the time and day we planned, at the place we planned: the Cathedral square. When we spotted each other, we ran into each other’s arms in a scene right out of a corny romance. After our kiss, she told me that on her walk from the train station, she’d met a couple of French pilgrims who needed our help. 

So we headed back towards the station and soon found them. They were perhaps a decade older than us. She was injured, limping, and he was carrying both their backpacks. I took one pack from him, and we took them to the albergue, run by the Benedictine sisters, and made sure they were all right before we continued on to our own lodgings next door.

Francine and I checked into our one and only hotel for the trip – connected to and run by the Benedictine convent next door.

A big farewell to my Camino family, with drinks and dinner, as tomorrow we will take a bus for a bit so that Francine´s first day walking isn´t through the industrial and suburban blah.