DAY 19: MANSILLAS DE LAS MULAS TO LEóN (May 31)

 A short day; a good day; a happy day. León is one of our favorite cities with one of the most beautiful cathedrals in all of Spain (and perhaps Europe). We only had a short 13 miles but a lot of it was through industrial and commercial areas. We were very glad to finally make it to the city itself. We are staying at a very, very nice hotel; we are grateful.

Along the way...

In order to avoid the walking along the highway we took a little detour through this very small village. It only had one place to eat and we didn't see a single person in the streets; only one lonely cat. On the way out we saw this wall. I think that I feel most like the turtle (bottom left).

The area we are in is Castilla-León. However, there is a sense of autonomy among both sides of the equation. In Castilla people have scribbled out "León" and in León people have scribbled our "Castilla." Here someone has made it clear that it is "Only León."

Over the past couple of weeks we have become acquainted with Gritta from Germany. A delightful woman who has enriched our life. We met up with her on the way to León (her final destination for this year). She carried with her her friend (the stuffed bear). We have grown to love many people along the way who share in our enthusiasm for the Camino.

A little Camino humor: get it? We are in León (which means "Lion") and the pilgrim is a lion! ha ha ha

Entering León we passed by this beautify medieval bridge.

These are the remains of the Roman, Christian and Moorish walls that once surround the entire city.

We walked past this Romanesque church and of course we couldn't help ourselves and took a stroll around it.  It had some beautiful aspects of the period, especially its grotesque "canecillas."

Below is a building designed by Antoni Gaudi (the architect of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona)

And our all time favorite Cathedral; 13th century French Gothic. It is absolutely magnificent. More about it later.

DAY 18: BERCIANOS DEL REAL CAMINO TO MANSILLAS DE LAS MULAS (May 30)

This is again a long and relatively flat section of the Camino. Today we walked a little over 18 miles. Gladly, the hotel we have in Mansillas is excellent and the evening meal was very good.  Most of these little towns date back to at least the 11th century with some of them having Roman and Visigothic histories. Most of the ancient sites have been lost to time or to subsequent renovations of the churchs. However, as you will see in Mansillas, the ancient walls survive to this day in surprisingly good shape (along the river). Some sights along the way:

 

A fun little church we saw as we went through Bercianos. It is interesting to see the decorations (whether serious or graffiti) that pops up along the way.

I had to take a "break" from walking and went off the path a few meters only to find this bird observation area. There were a lot of croaking frogs and bugs, but it was a beautiful sight in the early morning hours.

We haven't quite figured this phenomenon out! There were 40 or so trees with granny-square comforters wrapped around their trunks. It at least added some interest to the walk.

We have now entered cattle country.

A larger "hobbit" house.

As we entered Mansillas de las Mulas we came face to face with this lovely monument to pilgrims. The one at the back has fallen asleep on the steps. I promise you, today was one where Jannette and I related to the exhaustion expressed on the statues's faces.

Remains the Roman/Medieval wall that once encircled the city.

One of the city's several medieval gates

One of many statues honoring Santiago and the pilgrim experience.

Leaving the city we see more remains of the Roman/Medieval city wall along the river.

DAY 17: TERRADILLOS DE LOS TEMPLARIOS TO BERCIANOS DEL REAL CAMINO (May 29)

 Yet another long, straight, and flat trek day. As I said the other day, this is the bread basket of Spain so much of the grain industry is located here. Fortunately we did work our way through Sahagún, a larger city situated along the trail. Here are some of the things that we saw:

No, these are not Hobbit houses! These underground spaces are in Moratinos and were once used for aging wine and curing hams and cheeses. Now they are used for parties.

This Roman bridge leads to the ERMITA DE LA VIRGEN DE LA PUENTE (13th century). It once crossed a stream that has long dried up. 

Just a few steps past the Ermita are two towering figures. They are of 

The inscription reads: "Sahagún. Geographic Center of the Camino." Between the two statues is a "line." We have officially gone half way (nearly 250 miles).

The inscription reads: "Sahagún. Historical Center of the Order of Cluny"

The church above is the Iglesia de San Lorenzo (dates from 1110). It is typical of the Mudejar architectural style that dominates this area. The early history of Sahagún brought Moors and Jews to the area due to the city's position as a commercial center in the region. Many in the Moorish population also worked as builders. Typical of the Mudejar style is the use of bricks with ornate decorations.

Below is the Iglesia de San Tirso (dates from 1123). Both San Lorenzo and San 

Tirso integrate elements of the Romanesque and Gothic along with the aforementioned Mudejar architectural styles.

This is the Monasterio de Santa Cruz Benedictinas. Here is where Alfonso VI and his four wives are buried. Alfonso VI is the king closely aligned with the Cantar de mio Cid.

TERRADILLOS DE LOS TEMPLARIOS (Sunday, May 28)

 Today is our day of rest; and we really need it. This morning Terri Weatherford led our discussions. First, we watched President Nelson's talk, "Peacemakers Needed" and then our "Come, Follow Me" lesson. It was a great time and we had some very good discussions. While I was at breakfast a gentleman who I met while washing clothes at the outdoor space came up to me. He told me that he had spent some time reading about the Church from the website. He told me how impressed he was at the transparency of our doctrine and teachings. I invited him to chat with the missionaries when he returned to Valencia. 

After our "meeting" Jannette and I went into the "village" of Terradillos. Small does not exactly describe the few houses and a church that make up this town. Not much of the "medieval" town exists since most of the buildings are of adobe (and still are). 

The Iglesia de San Pedro in Terradillos is the only major substantive structure in the village except for a couple of modern residences.