Saturday 13th May 2023
Distance 21.7km / 13.5 miles
Reliegos – Leon
I had booked a bed at the Albergue Santo Tomas de Canterbury, it felt kind of appropriate. It was located in the suburb of Puente de Castro which meant I wouldn’t have to walk all the way in the City of Leon today. I was able to find a quiet bench to say Morning Prayer then set off. I quickly passed through the village of Mansilla de las Mulas with its interesting sculpture
Then there was a lot of walking beside the road towards the city of Leon. There was more and more buildings and businesses – it was clear I was leaving the countryside and approaching the city.
I passed a series of car dealerships then the trail started climbing over the Alto de Portillo.
Once over that hill then the city of Leon was there and the walk through city streets began.
Walking through the city streets I looked up and even amongst the busyness and noise were storks nests.
Thankfully it wasn’t too long before I arrived at my Albergue. It was very nice inside but somehow the ground floor of an apartment block doesn’t seem to have that pilgrim vibe.
I got checked in and sorted then had a beer while I decided what do do. I had an afternoon to explore this wonderful city. The Cathedral is supposed to be one of the best examples of Gothic architecture with sublime stained glass. The city centre too is a tourist’s dream. The more I thought about it though the more I felt that if I went to the cathedral it would be out of guilt because it was the thing I ought to do. I just wasn’t in the mood for being a tourist. In the end I opted for an alternative view of Leon. I decided I would go for a McDonalds.
As I set off I discovered there were some nice bits around Puente de Castro.
I was quite interested though by the massive expanse of semi developed land I walked through. Grandiose housing schemes left half finished.
I arrived at McDonalds and sat outside and people watched. I felt like this was as much the real Leon as if I was sitting outside the Cathedral. There was a Lidl store there too which was an added bonus so I was able to stock up with snacks etc. All in all as I arrived back at the Albergue I didn’t feel as if I had missed out on anything at all.