We slept in a bit to enjoy our “Rest Day” in Leon. Then we found a restaurant to enjoy some breakfast and plan out our next week of travels. How far to go on a given day’s walking, where to stop for a night’s rest. We met some more American pilgrims, two sisters from the Seattle area. Walked once again through the Medieval Faire that filled a few of the streets and plazas.
Then we found our way down to the Plaza San Marcos where there is another museum in the monastery, part of which is now a luxury hotel. When we arrived, a mass was in progress, but we could still enter and view the museum. The Plaza San Marcos is also on the Camino path out of Leon, so we know how to make our early morning exit for tomorrow. That’s especially important for this city because we have found it to be a very confusing maze of streets. Evan feels lost everywhere he goes, while Sara reassures him that her GPS will find the way.
In the Plaza San Francisco, there is a Food Truck event, so we lunched there. Evan had a Japanese style hamburger while Sara (who is craving vegetables) found the “Green Truck” and was delighted to have a vegetable bowl for lunch. And we happily shared a very nice gin and tonic.
Shopping: Sara bought a new pair of pants for colder mornings. If you thought Sara was wearing the same clothes in all the photos – it’s because she was/is. She has only two Changes of clothes – one for hiking and one for after hiking. Then back to the hotel for some time to nap and work on the blog while the WIFI is great.
In the evening, we walked the plazas again, running into and visiting with other pilgrims we’ve met along the way. Bill, a retired pastor from Portland, said he could walk around Portland all day long and only run into one or two people he knows, but here we walk the streets of new city and find sixteen of our new Camino pilgrim friends.
Then we sat down for gin and tonic (yes another one – Leon has a reputation for good gin) at another recommended plaza. Apparently gin is produced locally, so it is a favorite. And our drinks were great. Evan also found a new Grimbergen ale on tap, and he had to sample that as well. So we sat and enjoyed our drinks, and the provided tapas, while we just enjoyed watching people fill this square. They were young and old, couples and singles, groups and families with children out for dinner, all sharing the space and enjoying a beautiful night out in the city. We just love this café culture in the Spanish cities, towns and villages. (I think that’s a wonderful recurring comment/theme)
