Day 45 - Leon - August 29

Day 45 - Leon -  August 29

Woke up about 7:30am with my back out of whack. I thought it was just coincidence when this happened in Burgos, but now it is confirmed, my back likes bunk beds and mattresses on the floor in Albergues. Sorry John but we may have refit the bed room. :) 

I had another nice hot shower and went to breakfast. Oh my goodness, I don't think I've ever seen a hotel buffet (and I've seen a zillion of them) with so many delicious things to eat. AND they had corn flakes!! I was in heaven. I jad a very leisurely breakfast. I had a nice leisurely breakfast and went to get ready to go to the train station to get my ticket and then to the cathedral to take pictures. 

Well, one more time, done something silly. I can't find my passport or my pilgrim's credential. They are both in the same zip lock bag that almost always remains in my back zipped up pocket. I empty out my back pack, check all it's pockets and all other bags I have stuff in. Then I remember when I checked in to the hotel room I put it in the drawer by the bed. I check all the drawers. Nada. Then I remember I wasn't in this room when I first checked in, I was in the smoking room. So I go down stairs and tell the woman at the registration desk about my problem. She tells me the room is occupied. I have to say that in all my dealings with her she has seemed remarkably unwilling to be helpful. I ask if she can have the cleaning people look for it. I can't believe they wouldn't have Simone go knock on the door and just ask if they can look for it in the drawer or have the occupant look for it. 

So I wait around until around noon in the lobby. I saw a man standing in the check out line with a zip lock Baggie with what looks like an American passport. I go up and look closer. It looks like mine. I ask him if it is his, in Spanish. He just looked at me puzzled, so I ask him in English. Bingo. He's an American. We determined it was from room 515. He said he had called the desk to tell them he had found it, but they didn't bother to tell me, despite the fact I was sitting in the lobby right in front of them close enough to see the passport in this man's hand. 

While I was waiting a hotel management person ask if I would take a survey. I said sure. Unfortunately, he didn't ask about the hotel service, but about the city of Leon. I'm not sure I would have said anything, it sucks to be her and someone will eventually report her. 

So I eventually got to the cathedral. I got lots of wonderful pictures. It has an astonishing  amount of stained glass, like 1800 sq meters (6000 sq feet.)  I just kept shooting one beautiful window after another. I didn't know the cathedral closed at 1:30pm and I was so engrossed in shooting images, I didn't notice that people were leaving. Suddenly I noticed that there weren't many people left and those that were left were leaving. I was alone in this huge cathedral. Then an announcement came that the cathedral was closing. I scurried to the exit. As nice as the cathedral is, I had an appointment to get my hair it at four. Seriously, there are priorities. 

Since I had sometime and SMOOY yogurt was also closed, I decided to go to "el corte ingles," the complete department store. It has pretty much everything and everyone I've been in is six stories, with a grocery store at ground zero, cosmetics and men's clothing on floor I, women's clothing on floor 2, etc. I wanted to get some pants to wear while I'm being a hospitalera in Bercianos other than my two pairs of hiking shorts which are identical. So I went shopping and then got my hair cut. 

I took the river route home from the department store. This river is wonderful. It has an exercise trail down by the river and a strolling lovely park above along the river. The strolling path runs through a long park that includes play grounds, a rose garden, and lots of shade trees. It also has a McDonalds. Since it was right there, I decided it was another of those Camino things that was meant to be. I had a double cheeseburger and a small diet coke. And they must import the meat because it doesn't taste like the untainted Spanish ground beef. lol I never eat McDonalds. I had to come all the way to Spain to do it. I'm blaming it on the Camino. That's my story and I' sticking to it. 

When I returned to the hotel I got my hair cut. Then I went and iced my knee and had a cup of coffee. I tried to connect with Sally, another peregrina who is in Leon at the Parador, but were both dealing with intermittent. Wifi. After coffee I went on the Cloisters display here at the Parador. This edifice has had a long and varied history, including the cloister of Jesuits and other monks for 700 years, the home of military stud horses and a prison several different times. It's saddest term as a prison was probably during the Spanish Civil War when Franco used it to imprison and torture members of the Republican Guard. Many men and women died here during the last four years of the 1940's. 

After that uplifting education, I went into the city center and got some SMOOY, sat and ate it while waiting to take the little train on the city tour. I think I will need a chiropractor after that adventure. I'm leaving tomorrow. I did consider staying one more day, but both here and in Burgos, I have had a really strong sense of when it is time to go. So I am packed up and ready to go tomorrow, after the breakfast buffet of course. I need fuel. hehehe.