Camino de Santiago
Our day in the city of Leon was and we took so many pictures that and I will have to write about that day later when we have better WiFi . I’m skipping to today, because while pretty, today was exceedingly uneventful. And 18 %#&1!^@ miles. A good portion of it was on long straight roads like this
We crossed over a highway. I tried to think of as many songs as I could with the word highway in it… and came up with 5. How about you? We needed something to pass the time.
And at times we felt like we were back in Ohio with corn on both sides
Here’s some flowers we saw along the trail
Terry found some really pretty chickens at a cafe near our destination
We arrived at our destination, Hospital de Orbigo at about 2:30… almost 7 hours of walking.
It’s claim to fame is its super cool bridge leading into town:
In 1434, a knight named Don Suero who was rejected by the woman he loved (again, if i had a nickel!) locked an iron collar around his neck and declared he would hold a tournament here along the long bridge (19 arches) leading to Hospital de Orbigo. Being a holy year, more travelers were on the Camino than usual, and at the end of two weeks, Don Suero prevailed, having broken the lances of 300 opponents! With that he took off the iron collar and declared himself free from the bonds of love that had so injured him. He continued on to Santiago as a final gesture of release, completion and gratitude. Again, I believe! They still have jousting tournaments in the grassy area below.
Got to our albergue, Albergue Verdi, which only serves vegetarian meals… but when in Spain…
Finally, in one of the small towns we found this bench to sit on and take a break. Tell me what you see in this mural?
