Day 7

I've been realizing that walking the camino requires flexibility. Not the kind you acquire from yoga necessarily, though it would definitely come in handy. It seems like most mornings we plan to end up in one place, but then actually stop in another. Today was one of those days. 

We left Reliegos this morning and walked the 6 km to Mansilla de las Mulas, the next town. We stopped there for breakfast. 

We could have bought a pig leg, but then we would have had to carry it. 

From there we kept on walking, thinking we might stop in the next town. Our walk there was very scenic. 

I was a big fan of this bridge. 

We got to the next town and just kept walking. So next thing we knew we were in Arcahueja (10 km away). 

We stopped there for lunch and maybe to stay the night. For lunch we had amazing sandwiches and a pincha de eggs, potatoes, chorizo, and bacon. The food was amazing. 

But, it was only 2 pm, and the weather forecast said no rain today, but rain tomorrow, so we continued on. 

So did this Russian couple that we have been seeing everywhere. They hardly speak any English, so we haven't talked much, but we have seen them almost everyday and even stayed in the same albergues most nights. 

We kept walking, all the way to León!

Leon is probably the biggest city between Burgos and Santiago de Compostela. Mark and I visited here when we were on study abroad 6 years ago, so it is fun to be back. 

I hung out with Gaudí for a moment. 

And admired his building:

Ate some excellent candy that I've missed since Russia. 

And stumbled upon the cathedral. 

The amazing cathedral. 

We had dinner near the cathedral. Not the best paella we've had, but there is always tomorrow. 

Then we headed back to our albergue, which is in an old Benedictan Convent. We have since been chatting with our fellow pilgrims while eating chocolate cookies. Not a bad way to pass the time.