17. Mansilla de las Mulas to Hospital de Orbigo 24/7/12

Jeff and I had arranged to Skype at 8am over breakfast so I was quickly packing and getting the computer booted up.  A French woman who had made a derogatory comment the day before about me doing the Camino with a laptop passed by my bunk and said ‘where are you going today?’ I told her I had no idea as I’ll just stop when I’m tired or find somewhere nice - and she said ‘but what does your computer say’.  It was not said in a friendly way but in a tone that was critical.  I felt like telling her to bugger off but instead asked, ‘Are you always this judgemental of others or is it just while you are on the Camino?’  She didn’t like that and told me she wouldn’t talk to me again. 

It’s interesting to note that some people have set ideas about what ‘doing the camino’ should entail.  All I know is that I break lots of ‘rules’  - I’m not walking it and I’ve got my laptop.  I’m not sure if having coffee con baileys for my breakfast and drinking claras (beer with lemon) along the way is breaking the rules too.  Hope so.  One couple told me that at one place they stay at, the hospitalero asked if they had had lunch. They hadn’t for some reason or another – and the hospitalero was pleased because they were obviously real pilgrims.  Seems that ‘real pilgrims’ don’t have lunch.  So I’ve decided that if anyone asks – I’m definitely not a pilgrim and I’m not ‘doing the camino’ – I’m on a cycling holiday round Spain (but I’ll still call into the Pilgrim’s office in Santiago and collect my certificate!)

The 20km to the lovely city of Leon was all on the road.  Some pilgrims take the bus on this stretch and some are adamant they are walking the whole way so do the slog.  I’d like to think that if I was walking the Camino I would have been easy going enough to have taken the bus - as there was absolutely nothing of interest to see on that stretch along the road – but I know I probably would have been obsessive and walked it.

On arriving at the main plaza outside the cathedral I met Martin (and his bear Hope) so we sat at a café in the plaza for coffee.  

Martin the German chef

Then came along Erik the Belgian guy who informed me he’d taken my advice and bought a pair of sandals. When I’d seen him the day before he was in a lot of pain. He had big leather walking boots and a lot of bad blisters so I’d suggested he walk that day in his other shoes – but he didn’t have other shoes.  His feet were much more comfortable in the sandals. 

Next along came English John who informed me a couple of days earlier that I'm now entitled to a British passport as they finally realized it was unfair that people born prior to 1983 could only get one if their father was British.  Then more and more pilgrims that either Martin, Erik or I knew came along so they also joined us for coffee and then would continue on.  One guy joined us – and I presumed he knew Erik – but it turned out when he continued on his way that no one knew him – so it was funny, and great, that he just decided to join the group of people, obviously on the camino, having coffee together.  My favorite was the 84 year old Italian man. He was so friendly and always smiling and positive - and gave me a big kiss when he arrived to join us for coffee and a big kiss when I left before him. 

Here are some photos of us in the plaza:

This poor woman's blisters were so bad that she decided to cut the end of her boots off:

And photos of the cathedral:

And of me by the Leon sign - but it's more like a hash sign 'On'

I’d read previously that some people get lost leaving Leon so I was pedantic at following the yellow arrows or Camino shells.  Just on the outskirts of town my Darling phoned me so I had a nice chat to him before continuing on my way.  Unfortunately, when the phone rang (and I knew/hoped it would be Jeff) I was cycling quite fast. I stopped peddling while I was scrambling to get the phone out of my bumbag before it rang out - but I went over a bump and banged down on my tailbone quite hard.  [It was fine at the time but a few days later after arriving in Santiago became really painful.]

I bought some nectarines, peaches, bread and bananas going through a little village and then set out to find a nice picnic spot – which I did. 


Photos from on the way:

I arrived at the village of Hosptial de Orbigo about 5pm and the albergue I’d chosen was lovely and peaceful - it had classical music playing and walls covered with artwork.   The hospitalero said that pilgrims had done them all.  In the dining room they had an easel set up with the paints and anyone was free to do a painting.  And sure enough that night, two guys came home drunk from their dinner and then did a painting of a flower. 

The dorm room was great as the bunks were sturdy ones made from wood – so they didn’t wobble.  

We had the virgin Mary looking over us this night

Some of the bunk beds in other albergues have been a bit unstable so when I turn over on the bottom bunk it makes the top one wobble and I’m sure wakes up the person – so normally you have to try not to turn over too many times in the night.  One poor child fell out of their top bunk this night.  He had such a bruised face and black eye the next day – but was so lucky he didn’t hit his head on the corner of the table between each set of bunks.

After a shower and having done my washing I sat in the little patio garden and had a beer and in came a couple of walkers I’d met a couple of days earlier.  I went to dinner that night with Vishan, a really interesting guy from Denmark whose parents had emigrated from India in 1949.  We drank too much – well I definitely had as I’d had a couple of beers at the albergue then a sangria at a bar in town and then Vishan and I finished two bottles of red wine.  At about 10.30 we had to run all the way back to the albergue as it closed then and you hear stories of people getting locked out.  The hospitalero was not worried we were a bit late as he was still setting up the tables for breakfast.  Don’t know if he was impressed when I asked if he could unlock the courtyard door so I could go into the garden for a cig before going to bed. 

The restaurant Vishan and I had dinner

My healthy dinner - we got given one bottle of wine each. I had an aubergine lasagna for a starter and ice-cream for dessert - and including the bottle of wine it all came to 8 euros 50 cents.