Mio el Camino de Santiago de Compostela -14

Day 14 Leon --> Astorga

The shortest segment of my travel.

Early along the way, I stopped at a church in La Virgen del Camino which was said to be a miraculous site. The church was unique and probably the most modern church I saw in my entire pilgrimage. I got inside and spent a few minutes. After getting a stamp on my credencial at the souvenir shop, I went on.

But, with the strong wind, it took me longer to reach Astorga than I had planned. So I took time, I was not in a hurry. Besides, my left ankle has not fully recovered yet. I thought I met a lot of walking pilgrims today. Maybe because my pace was not that faster than walking. If my ankle was not hurt, maybe I tried walking my route today.

I arrived in Astorga around noontime. It was a small but beautiful town with historic buildings. Even the town hall looked like an old Gothic cathedral. After checking in my stuff at the first albergue I saw, I was immediately back on my bicycle and took a general view of the town before eating my lunch.

I went to the cathedral after my late lunch but it's already closed. I thought I still have about an hour before the closing time so I checked with the person at the ticket office but he confirmed that it was indeed closed. I looked my watch and thought that this region must be 1-hour advance than eastern Spain.

So anyway, I walked around the town, taking pictures here and there, and then stumbled on a little church. I went in and took a picture of the altar. On my way out, I saw that the back of the church was a wall of bars. Behind the bars were praying nuns. I realized it was a church run by those nuns. I was probably blocking them pray while I stood taking pictures in the middle of the isle. When I exited the little but beautiful church, I made sure I did not show my face to the nuns.

It was getting late and a little cold although the sun still has a few more minutes to set. I went back to the albergue and spent the rest of my day there. The albergue was on top of the hill and the view from my room was great. While enjoying the view, I immersed myself to the rays of the setting sun coming in through the window.

I took a shower in the communal room before retiring to bed.

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Mio el Camino de Santiago de Compostela -13

Day 13


I woke up today with a swollen left ankle.


Before sunrise, I went to see the Cathedral open. I was hoping there would be an early morning mass. Unfortunately, there was none. But with the plaza empty of tourists, it was a peaceful sight to take photos of. Before I left the plaza, there was a lady playing with her flute. She was also a pilgrim. The soft melody she was playing echoed throughout the plaza grounds. But the sweet sound it made added beauty to the glory of the magnificent Leon Cathedral.


Leaving the church grounds with that memorable scene, I walked back to the hotel for breakfast.


After some more sleep, I made a city round to see what the city had to offer at daylight, and to warm up my tired feet. It's already 1pm anyway. I saw that there was a wedding at the cathedral. The newlyweds were coming out. I tried to sneak in and learned that the cathedral was under renovation, so it's not open to the public. The city has a lot to offer so I went to visit other churches, and other equally historical buildings.


Then I returned to the hotel for an early night sleep. I planned to sleep a lot because of my swollen ankle. But the people above my room kept me awake until 3:30 am. It's an old building with wooden floor. So with every movement, the floor squeaked.
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Mio el Camino de Santiago de Compostela -12

Day 12 Carrion --> Leon


I started off early today, at 7:45. Yes, that was early because it was still a little dim outside. It's a bit foggy on my way out of the town but I thought the weather was perfect. About 12 kilometers away from Carrion, I met a farmer who seemed to be having a problem with his truck. He asked me how far the nearest town was, at least that's how I understood him. But I couldn't help much. I could only say that I was 12 kilometers away from Carrion at that point. A car appeared nearby and the man ran after it, trying to catch the driver's attention. I could have helped go after the car but it was going uphill on a road in a private property. Based on my expertise, that's one of those things I could not do-- pedal up a rocky hill.


So I peacefully went on my way. An hour later, it's the strong wind again. This will be the longest segment of my journey, 110 kilometers. With the strong wind, I was worried if I'd reach Leon on time. By that I mean it's not dark yet. So I decided to take the asphalt road to be sure. I kept pedaling the whole day. It was a fair, sunny day but really windy. It was already past 4 in the afternoon and I was still far from reaching Leon. My perseverance was again tested. I thought I would give in and cut my trip.


From the rocky walk path to the peaceful asphalt road to the busy highway, after 10 hours of exhausting cycling, I finally arrived in Leon just as it was about to get dark. The hotel I chose was great. It was not a five star hotel but its historical ambiance made me think it was classy. It was also a few steps to the cathedral. The problem was, my ankle was hurting so bad that I couldn't walk up. It's a little embarrassing to use the what seemed to be like a manually operated elevator because my room was only above the lobby. Putting on my okay face and smile, I took the stairs so slowly that I imagined my self getting old and having knee arthritis. Maybe that's how it would feel.

I took my time, making one small step up at a time until I reached the door of my assigned room. When I pushed the door open, I was instantly satisfied. My room was great. The window was actually above the main entrance. After changing into a more decent garb, I bought pain reliever tablets from a nearby pharmacy and with my novice medical assessment ability, I decided to take a rest day in this city.


Even with a hurt ankle, I couldn't resist to venture the city. I took a walk around the cathedral that night, ate at a McDonald's and bought some food from the supermarket. It was almost midnight when I got back to the hotel. But the neighborhood was still so alive. Anyway, I massaged my legs and feet before going to bed.


The view from my room was good but the noise was not. Some young people were having fun just outside my hotel room. Maybe I also wanted to savor the city's energy because I had my windows open overnight, letting those vibrant voices fill my room.


I fell asleep, smiling.
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