Author: Thom

In the morning, Francine and I headed for the bus station. We had decided that Francine’s first day walking the Camino shouldn’t be the typical stage from León to Villadangos del Páramo, since much of that was sidewalks and suburbia. Instead, we took a bus to Hospital de Órbigo, which would have been our lunch the following day. So, essentially, […]

I met Eamon from New Zealand on my first day walking the Camino. When this photo was taken, we were having what I presumed to be our last meal together. How wrong I was – we would meet again in a week or so. Looking at this photo now, almost a decade after it was taken, I’m reminded how close […]

Here we see a group of pilgrims walking through a plaza in León. I had walked with some of these folks since my first day on Camino, 19 days and almost 450km ago. I would never see most of them again. Since I didn’t want Francine’s first walking day to be the suburbs of León, we planned to take a […]

Francine arrived in León! We met at the cathedral square and ran into each others’ arms. After some adventures involving an interrupted tour of the cathedral and injured French pilgrims, we finally made it back to our lodgings, where she flashed that smirky smile I love so much. Date: 19 April 2013Place: León (Province of León, Castilla y León, Spain)Today […]

Of all things, León has a shop where you can buy “American” food. Well, junk food at any rate. Need your fix of hamburgers or hotdogs? Cheap American beer? This is the place! Unfortunately, I see that Peggy Sue’s is a victim of COVID and has now permanently closed. Date: 19 April 2013Place: León (Province of León, Castilla y León, […]

Apologies! Today’s photo is very late, due to our not having electricity most of the day. It was planned and known, as the electricians were hooking up our solar panels, but still pretty well botched the day. My advice is never get this sort of work done in winter! So here’s a photo of León, taken I believe with the […]

Another view of the Cathedral in León. Here you can see some of the typical features of Gothic architecture: the spires, the flying buttresses, the rose window. Most Gothic cathedrals took centuries to complete. As a result of different architects (and bishops!) over the course of that time, they can sometimes become a muddled mess. By contrast, the bulk of […]

From my journal: The Cathedral is glorious. There’s an audio tour, of course, but unlike Burgos, they haven’t turned it into a museum. The liturgies are obviously still held in the Cathedral’s nave, with every portion fulfilling its intended function. Not so large or grand as Burgos, it is nevertheless more harmonious and serene. And the windows! Light pouring through […]