Day 22 None shall pass.

Day	22
Date	Sep 30
Start	Leon
End	Hospital de Orbigo
Distance	37km
Elevation+-	250m

Longest day today. 9 hours of walking.

I was asked to provide photo evidence Jayne is still alive.

Where we are staying is best known for its bridge and what happened on the bridge in 1434. Many versions of the story exist but this is the jist of it.

A knight named Don Suero falls in love with a girl and is rejected. Suero goes to the bridge and challenges anyone who wants to use the bridge to a fight. After laying beatings on locals for awhile knights start challenging Soero to joists. Soero wins so many joists he becomes one of the most famous knights in Europe.

Eventually Soero gets over his lost love and lets the people use the bridge again.  

Joists continue by the bridge to this day.

Day 21 Kings of Leon

Day	21
Date	Sep 29
Start	Mansilla Mayor
End	Leon
Distance	21km
Elevation+-	900m

We again are in a city centre during a festival and its Saturday.  There really is nothing like a Spainish street party. Live music, people everywhere, tons of energy.  This party seems to have less drinking than the last one so it might not get so crazy.  

We are not here to party we went to a church and a museum.

The Cathedral of Leon is an early gothic temple built in the 13th century. We have seen a lot of churches but this one still managed to be astonishing. It has a very interesting history and is beautiful from the outside but that's not what makes it special. The 800 year old stained glass windows is what sets it apart.  We took pictures but it's just not like being there.

We also went to Museo de San Isidoro. At long last my quest to find the Holy Grail is over. It has been in Leon all this time.

Home of the Holy Grail.

They have lots of cool stuff there too but the most interesting to me was the library. They have an impressive collection of books hand written by monks. No pictures allowed.

Day 20 Via Augusta

Day	20
Date	Sep 28
Start	Calzdilla de los hermanillos
End	Mansilla Mayor
Distance	28
Elevation+-	0
Sleep	Guest house Jacob

Continued on the alt path today.

For about 50km we went thru one village of about 30 people.  Did see a farmer every now and then.

Continued to follow the roman road it is about 2500 years old.

The most exciting things to cross our path were canals and salamanders.

Our casa for the night is 3km off trail but we hitched a ride. The owner saw us walking and came and picked us up. Had not been in a car in 3 weeks.

Walked to a monastery another 2km further.  The keeper was there and let us wander around the ruins just the two of us. Note hours of operation at these types of places are all over the place. If the keeper feels like going home its closed.  And no mater what anyone tells you everything is closed 2-5.

Day 19 Roman road

Day	19
Date	Sep 27
Start	Sahagun
End	Calzdilla de los hermanillos
Distance	19
Elevation+-	0

Today there were two paths, we took the one less traveled.  We saw one other person all day.  At the beginning of the camino there was a continuous stream of pilgrims like marching ants.

Today and tomorrow is the most rural and isolated we will be.  These two days are on roman road but you could not tell the difference between it and. a normal gravel road.

Some roman ruins in the village from 400 BCE

Our hotel-house is comfortable and friendly. 

Along the way there are metal statues of pilgrims in many different styles. Here is an example of one.

Day 18 The Shire

Day	18
Date	Sep 26
Start	Ledigos
End	Sahagun
Distance	16
Elevation+-	0
Sleep	Hotel Puerta de Sahagun

The bodegas look like hobbit homes. They were first used for storing wine

It appears that people live in them now. They have mail boxes and TV dishes.

This part of the trail is really taking out a lot of walkers. Long distances between towns bothers some people. Injuries have stopped others.

Five people that we have meet have been walking at the same rate as us since the beginning. A retired Australian couple, a couple from South Africa and an Amerian ER doctor.  

Most other people we met we have only seen them for a few days and then we get out of sync.

Day 17 farming villages

Day	17
Date	Sep 25
Start	Carrion de los condes
End	Ledigos
Distance	22
Elevation+-	0
Sleep	Albergue La Morena

First stay in an albergue tonight.  Will be hanging out with the hardcore pilgrims.


Mostly small villages on this part of the trail. There is a village every 6km or so on most days.  There are no homesteads like there are on the Canadian prairie. I have not seen a single stand alone farm house after two weeks of walking through the country side.

I think all the farmers live in the villages. There is a lot of farming gear in town.

Less than 400km to go.

Day 16 San Zoilo Monastery

Day	16
Date	Sep 24
Start	Fromista
End	Carrion de los condes
Distance	20
Elevation+-	0
Sleep	Hotel Real Monasterio

Santiago 426km away.

We stayed in a Cluny monastery tonight. Part of of the monastery is a hotel.  The monastery was famous for letting pilgrims eat and drink for free back in the day. Today the hotel seams to find the few pilgrims using it annoying and no free food.

The site is very old some parts go back to 950. Its a big building and it seams mostly unused. It weird walking through it by yourself at night.

The walk today continued to follow the canal. 

Jayne liked the donkeys along the path.

The number of pilgrims is really dropping off. It seams like about half as many as we started with.

Oldest church we have sean so far.

Day 15 Canal

Day	15
Date	Sep 23
Start	Castrojeriz
End	Fromista
Distance	25km
Elevation+-	900m
Sleep	Hotel Dona Major

Started the day with a steep climb out up and down a ridge.

Looking back on the hill were the castle from yesterday was.

Much of the trail is followed a canal.

Today is as far south as we are going to go. Formista has one of the best perserved Romanesque style churches. In was finished in 1066 and took 20 years to build.

The church fell into disrepair and had some wood addons that had collapsed. The church was restored in 1890 and is a historic site.

Model of the church before the restoration.

Day 14 Vistagoths

Day	14
Date	Sep 22
Start	Rabe de las Calzadas
End	Castrojeriz
Distance	28km
Elevation +-	600ft
Sleep	emebed posada Castrojeriz

Day started cool and foggy but got very warm latter in the day.

Had lunch in this village with some fellow pilgrims we are getting to know.

Convent ruins 14th century.

Castle of Castrojeriz

Castle up close.

View of the town we are staying at.

Views from the Castle