The Fraser Way 2014: El Burgo Ranero to Leon Sept 24 A Long Day

We left El Burgo Ranero Sept 24, before sunrise after a great breakfast at the restaurant next to our alburgue. The best tortilla, with fresh squeezed orange juice ( they have a machine at most cafés in Spain) and coffee. They opened at 5:30 (very enterprising) and of course it was packed when we got there at 6:30.

Before we go on with the day we have to tell you about our room mate. She was Italian, very apologetic that she didn't speak any English. She had very cool funky clothes and long braided grey hair with some kind of stick in it. We first saw her walking around town as we got in, by the time we got to our room she was in bed sleeping. We tiptoed around the room and she got up and said, between our broken Italian and Spanish, make as much noise as we want she would sleep through it. Sharon realized when she talked to her later that she was probably somewhere in her 70s. She only walks 10-15 km and she is quite sore, so she would sleeping, not to worry about noise when we left, so Sharon gets up at 5:50 being quiet not to wake her or Blair, well, she gets up and flicks on the light, poor Blair had a very rude awakening, while she rolled over and went back to sleep, all kinds are on the Camino!

We have tried to stay true to the original route (as there often more pleasant routes through farmers fields) of the Camino Frances unfortunately, today it took us mainly by roads, secondary and highway (yuck). The thing was you would be walking along on an old medieval cart path and all of a sudden you would hit old Roman road, you can tell by the sound your sticks make, very cool.

Oldest markers we've seen on the Roman road out of El Burgo Ranero.

Changing landscape as we head toward Leon and out of the Meseta, gone from wheat to cone and much more green!

Well we planned on stopping in a little town about 8 km before Leon as that would make it about a 30 km day. We arrived at the little town at about 1 pm, said that's too early and continued on little did we know that getting into a city like Leon would take some time plus we had to go through the industrial, then the suburbs until we got to the old town where all the accommodations are. We arrived at the old town around 4 and started winding our way to the centre. On the way we passed the castle that Gaudi designed which is now a bank and took pictures with him before looking for a room, tried a couple of hotels, both full, started to become concerned as had done 40km! We were both on last legs :)

Walking into Leon.

Old wall around old Leon.

Sharon with Gaudi.

Blair with Gaudi, there is actually supposed to be a lead pipe with the drawings for the castle in or under this sculpture.

Gaudi castle now a bank.

Found a great Hostal, Boccolini, in a beautiful square across from the Real Colegiata de San Isadoro, the former seat of the kings of Leon :), no pun intended. So we are resting before supper, I think a tour of the Cathedral will happen tomorrow morning on our way out of Leon. We have what we call the " Camino Rhythm" and it's hard to stop the daily routine.