Had a 7 hr train journey on Saturday at speeds up to 160kph from Barcelona to Leon. I booked it a couple of months ago and opted for a first class carriage for only an extra 10 Euro. Comfortable seat and I kept myself occupied writing notes on my Barcelona stay.
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| Hillside village and quarry |
Interesting to view the Spanish scenery. Very green pastures and spring crops. Didn't pass as many towns and villages as I had expected we would.
Did see some quaint ones perched on hillsides. Two with huge quarries behind them, which no doubt provide the livelihood. Saw several huge industrial complexes adjacent to the railway lines. One was a VW factory. There were hundreds of new vehicles on transporters or in adjacent yards waiting to go to their new owners.
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| The Meseta, and Camino track |
Approaching Leon, the train crosses the Meseta, the name given to the large and expansive flat plains of central Spain. Beginning just after Burgos, and ending in Astorga, the Camino Frances travels through the northern point of the meseta for approximately 220km. As it was spring, there were many fields of growing crops.
On arrival in Leon checked in to my hotel, which was in a pedestrian precinct in the older part of the city.
Saturday night was party night! Numerous groups of young women on Hen Party nights, with the bride to be adorned in a veil, also many groups of young men. As there was a big football match on, lots were wearing their favourite team's colours as they supported the local bars and cafes. The area is nicknamed Barrio Humedo (wet quarter as in alcohol)! Numerous armed police around, but I didn't see any obvious drunkeness or bad behaviour. Had a delicious dinner in a local cafe. Hardly anyone there when I arrived at 8 pm, but really humming by 9 pm, Everyone was given a delicious appetiser with their first drink. Many of the Spanish businesses are closed for siestas for three hours in the afternoon, then the usual dinner hours are from 9pm until midnight. Fortunately they have worked out that the peregrinos (pilgrims) need to be fed earlier, for several reasons - they are hungry after walking for 5 to 8 hours; they need to be in bed by 9 or 10pm in preparation for the next day; and most of them come from cultures which have dinner early evening.
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| Magnificent Leon Cathedral |
Sunday morning I went to 9am Mass at the nearby Leon Cathedral, which is stunning with stained glass windows of 1800 square metres glowing with the sun shining through them. It was built between 1205 and 1301 in the Gothic style, which was usually quite gloomy inside, so it was quite a break from tradition. The cathedral was packed, and the congregation were in full voice to the accompaniment of the magnificent organ.
Afterwards In the plaza adjacent to the cathedral there was an event going on in which probably 100 chefs were carving legs of cured pork in an attempt to get it recorded in the Guiness Book of Records.
Then there were speeches, a big net full of balloons were released, and platters of the meat were handed around to the watching crowd. I appreciated getting a taste - it was delicious and I had seen it in the delicatessan at a Barcelona supermarket for €129 Kilo (about NZ $218!!)
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| Casa de Botines Palace - another Gaudi design |
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| Quiet spot in plaza for reading! |
I spent the rest of the day sightseeing. At about 3pm I was in my room and looked at the weather forecast to see what to expect on the Camino. threatened rain on the next three days wasn't what I wanted! At the time I was about to walk about 3 Km to a shopping centre. It was a sunny day with clear blue skies at the time I was looking, so I was surprised when the forecast said it was expecting rain in 73 minutes. Yeah, right, I thought, but took the precaution of taking my umbrella. Sure enough, 55 minutes later it came bucketing down for about ten minutes, then stopped.
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| Relaxing spa |
Dinner that evening was different but delicious. I had asked for a pork dish with roast vegetables. When it arrived, the pork was artfully arranged on a slice of toast, but I couldn't see the roast veges. They were hidden under the pork -eggplant, capsicum and zucchini. Delicious, as was the rare pork.
Looking forward to my first day on the Camino tomorrow.
Looking forward to my first day on the Camino tomorrow.
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