Week 3 - Camino de Santiago

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Week 3 on the Camino de Santiago, Camino Francés

Day 15 - Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Hontanas to Ermita de San Nicolás

I am going to start Week 3 off with something a little different. Normally I try to cover 25-30km a day. The suggested stages are usually between 20-28km per day. But with my monastery detour and my rest day in Burgos, I try to cover a little bit more. But today is going to be different. It is a very short day for me, only 20km (12.5 miles). Last night as I was planning out today’s itinerary, I read about a group of Italian monks that bought an old small church ermita, and turned it into an albergue. It is along the Camino but out in the middle of no where. There is no electricity, and ….. the uphold the ancient tradition of washing the pilgrims’ feet! Oh boy, this is going to be good!

So it’s some what of a relax day. I still woke at 5:00 and hit the trail by 6:00 am. I don’t want my body to get out of the routine. As usually, I had nature’s morning choir all to myself. It’s my second day on the Meseta and I have really enjoyed it. I just don’t understand why the guide books scare people about it. Maybe it’s the Midwest girl in me. It kind of reminds me of home a bit at times. 

It would take over an hour before I saw another person. I walked at a calmer pace knowing that I had plenty of time. 

This is what the soil has looked like for the past two days. They somehow manage to grow wheat and barley in it. If this doesn’t make you appreciate the beautiful black soil of Iowa!

This made me laugh. Someone graffitied the pedestrian crossing sign and turned it into a pilgrim. Little graffiti humor and wisdom is scattered along the Camino. It can bring a much needed smile to your face or sometimes feel like a message straight from
Santiago himself.

Another favorite thing for me is little surprises around the next corner, like this structure. For an hour it’s just been fields when suddenly this appears. What could it be?

Shortly after passing these ruins, the first village came into sight. It was where I planned to explore the streets, visit a couple of churches, and get my morning protein. I need to spend a few hours there because it is only a couple hours more until I arrive at the Italian monks. They don’t open until 2:00 so if I get there too early, I will be sitting in the middle of no where for hours. 

Castrojeriz, Burgos Spain

The church dates back to 1214.

It’s now off to my next adventure … staying the night in an old church with no electricity and getting my feet washed following the ancient tradition of welcoming pilgrims! But before that happens, it’s time to tackle the main effort of the day, the 12° grade climb to the top of the next meseta called Alto Mostelares. I understand that guide books have to give ample warning about upcoming challenges, but a lot of these publications are written by drama queens … then again, as Gen X, I am a product of the “suck it up and get it done” mindset. I will admit, it did look pretty daunting in the midday sun and heat. 

This photograph in no way does justice to the climb ahead of me. 

Warning signs posted and never a good “sign”.

I did it in 15 minutes flat … I’m actually pretty dang proud of myself. I kept a steady pace, no stopping, and once at the top, I just kept on a moving. Stopping for me is never good. My hips and leg muscles seize up. It’s always better for me to keep moving.

Once on top of the meseta, it was some of God’s best gardening. For the next 2 hours I felt as if God had planted a special botanical garden just for His pilgrims. He definitely favors the color palette of red, purple, and yellow. Enjoy the walk with me. 

The beautiful field of red is suppose to be a wheat field. The gorgeous red poppies that you see in many of my photos are actually a very invasive weed that wreaks havoc on the farmers. 

Hey, I am not trying to win any fashion award. The absolute BEST thing that I brought along is this sun hoodie that I wear everyday. No sunscreen to apply, no sun hat to fight with. As for the rest of the outfit … there is meaning to every article I wear. Everything belongs to that annoying collection of memories. Articles that you don’t wear anymore, take up room in your closet, but you just cannot seem to part with them because of some memory attached to them. At the end of my Camino, EVERYTHING (minus my sun hoodie) is going in the trash. In Santiago I am buying new clothes. Letting go of the past and starting new!

There she is! My first glance at the Ermita de San Nicolás where I will be staying. I am insanely excited!

My humble bed for the night.

I was pleased to learn that there was a shower/toilet building out back. That middle of the night potty run might be an adventure though!

I’m showered and now it’s time for the afternoon laundry routine. 

View from the front … such a peaceful setting. 

A Spaniard and an Italian performing American covers.

There is no charge to stay here, no charge for the meal, and no charge for breakfast. It is all based on your donation. 

The guests were asked if anyone could and wanted to cook the evening meal. Of course, we had a chef from Italy in the group. The best pasta!

But before we sat down to our feast … we had to have our feet washed and kissed by our hosts. It was so humbling. So why? Centuries ago, the pilgrim was a representation of Jesus, so they would kiss the feet in adoration of Jesus. 

Hi

Dinner by candle light. 

We were a group of 15, 13 pilgrims and our 2 hosts. 10 of the pilgrims were Italians (but they did not come together), one Scottish, one from Moldova, one Spaniard, and Trump-hating Clint from Wyoming. 

It was an experience that I will never forget. A family was formed for a short time and then in the morning, we went our separate ways. I am sure that I will see a couple of them on the trail from time to time, but that evening can never be duplicated. 

31,074 steps recorded

15 miles hiked

6-3/4 hours on trail (less 2 hours exploring the village of Castrojeriz)

Day 16 - Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Ermita de San Nicolás to Villalcázar de Sirga

Starting the morning at 6:30 and raining.

The wheat fields were a gorgeous amber in the morning light and set off by the storm clouds on the horizon. 

If you are wondering why I have not posted photos of churches, it’s because they have all been closed in every village that I’ve been through lately. 

People wonder how you stay on trail. You look for “signs” anywhere and everywhere. Oddly, I find this one of more enjoyable parts of the Camino. Sometimes I’m repeating to myself  “Show me a sign. I need a sign. Send me a sign.” Then out of no where a faintly painted yellow arrow will appear in the strangest of places. 

This guy made me laugh. He was Australian and we only shared a total of maybe four words as he passes me. But he said “gracias” with the thickest Australian accent, something I’ve never heard before: Spanish in a thick Australian accent. It made me laugh. He even looks Australian from the back, doesn’t he? He’s definitely on a walkabout!

For several kilometers, the trail passed alongside this canal system. It made for a peaceful and quaint morning.  

The regions take a lot of pride in their heritage to El Camino de Santiago. For most of them, it is a strongly held part of their faith. I noticed it especially with the older population. They always give the blessing to a pilgrim “Buen camino”.

The trail split into two options. The original trail followed alongside a state highway for the remainder of the day. The other was a newer trail system called “The River Way”. It joined a local trail that followed a river instead of the highway. Guess which one I chose?

I was on the river trail for three hours and did not see another human the entire time. Why most pilgrims would choose to follow a highway is beyond me. 

I am getting a little obsessed with the different signage. They are called “hitos” in Spanish. This photo has got to be one of my favorites. I’m seeing it framed already.  

The symbol at the bottom of the hito is for the local river trail system. 

I made it to the municipal albergue an hour before they opened. There were already two pilgrims in front of me. The municipal, non-profit, and church operated albergues do not take reservations. It is a first come-first bed system. Most open at 1:00 pm, this one opened at 2:00 pm. 

Today was another bad day for pain. I could not strip off the backpack fast enough. I put down my mat in front of the albergue’s front door and stretched the nerve. 

This albergue was in a quiet little town, one stop before the programmed “end of the day stop”. But I couldn’t handle the pain anymore so I decided to stop here. The albergue was run by donations and it never filled up, I think that I was there with only six other pilgrims. The showers were interesting. There was a coin-operated box in the hallway. You had to put in a one euro coin for hot water. You had to have all your stuff in the shower first, go out into the hallway to pay, then quickly get back to the shower, take your clothes off, and shower before your ten minutes of hot water ran out. What I realized about myself is that I have gotten used to very short showers. That ten minutes seemed to last forever. But I stood under the hot water for ever second of it, telling myself if I paid for it … I’m using it!

Another reason I decided to stop at this village is because I read about the beautiful church that was there. It was suppose to be open in the afternoon but a hand printed sign on the door read “Closed this afternoon for personal reasons. Sorry for the bother.” So I only can share photos of the beautiful entryway. What is amazing about these churches is that they are located in small villages. This village only has a population of 200 people. It was once a base for the Knights Templar, as were many of the villages in this region. 

This stop ended up being a total blessing: the afternoon was rainy so I was unable to do laundry, the church was closed, the only place to eat in town was willing to fix me my once-a-day meal at 4:30 in the afternoon, the albergue was empty and quiet. What I didn’t realize at the moment was that my body was exhausted. Not just the nerve pain, but all of it. After finishing my plate of protein, I went back to my bed and went to sleep for the rest of the afternoon and night. A thing that seemed like a disappointment at first, turned into exactly what I needed. 

Protein load for tomorrow. This is my favorite dish, it’s nothing special but I love it: grilled chicken breast, fried eggs, and French fries. I really think American restaurants need to put this on their lunch/dinner menus. 

I took this photo for William. This old Jeep was parked in front of the church.

41,641 steps recorded

20 miles hiked

7 hours on trail

Day 17 - Thursday, June 12, 2025

Villalcázar de Sirga to Terradillos de los Templarios

Yesterday’s rest paid off. I am hitting the trail at 5:45 am by light of my head lamp. 

A view of today’s trail. 

Just another random gorgeous building in some nondescript village. I love this architecture, it never gets repetitive for me. 

This photo does not do justice to the beautiful field of purple. From a distance it looked like lavender fields, but I knew that it was too early for lavender to be in bloom. Plus they were not in the typical rigid rows of lavender fields. It turns out to be another invasive weed wreaking havoc on a farmer’s crop. Beauty often comes with a price. 

Another village that welcomes pilgrims with a tribute to the pilgrims of ancient times. 

Uff! Time for a break … the pain is starting early today. Keep those prayers coming, please. 

These few days on the Meseta are recorded as being the hardest of the entire Camino. Not because of strenuous mountains or steep inclines, but because of the incredibly long distances between villages, the absence of water sources, and the monotony of the flat fairly plain terrain. Half way between one long stretch someone had the brilliant idea of mounting a food truck. I once heard a CEO in an interview defend capitalism as the ultimate form of social responsibility. Instead of the demonizing of it (thanks to the out-of-control corporate greed of mega-stake holders), true capitalism is a pure form of humanitarianism and social responsibility. True capitalism sees a need in the community and creates a way to meet that need, offering the solution at a reasonable fee as to not over burden the recipient while providing a reasonable living for the capitalist. The needs of both sides are satisfied and no handouts given and no government involved. TRUE CAPITALISM = Mom & Pop Businesses. Screw you Antifa. 

I wish a photograph allowed you to smell the image as well as see it. These blossoms are so fragrant, absolutely lovely. I compare it to the potency of lilac bushes. It’s not the same smell but the way they emit their fragrance is similar. Such a nice bonus. 

I’m getting closer, my village is next … just a short 3 kms (~2 miles) to go, uphill of course. 

This sign at the entrance to this village claims to be the halfway point of the Camino Francés (French Way). The follow two villages would also make the same claim. 

One of the first things that I saw when entering this village was this sculpture dedicated to the Knights Templar. This region takes extreme pride in their heritage to the warrior monks. 

My albergue for the night. It’s name is a famous knight of the Order of the Knight Templars.

This albergue is also the only restaurant/bar in town so it serves both pilgrims and general public. However, only pilgrims can sleep here. 

It’s common to have complete strangers sit at your table if you are just one person at a table for four+, especially during the busy lunch crowd. So when my hostess Christina (we made quick friends, she was awesome), confirmed that she could sit other people at my 4-top table if need be, I told her only if they speak Spanish … absolutely no English speakers. I told her that I am in Spain, I want to speak Spanish. She loved that! So I got to share lunch talking with these two interesting non-pilgrims. The father and son are bee keepers from Extremadura (southern Spain). They bring their bees north in the summer time to pollinate the sunflower crops, in Extremadura it’s too hot in summer and no crops. They make twelve trips up and back bringing up their bees. They collect the honey in early fall and bring their bees back south for the winter where they now have crops and they continue to produce honey. I told them that both of my brothers had bees and harvested the honey, as a hobby business. They loved that … we bonded over bees.

Garden of the albergue

44,104 steps recorded

21.1 miles hiked

7-1/4 hours on trail

Day 18 - Friday, June 13, 2025

Terradillos de los Templarios to El Burgo Renero

I’m leaving the albergue at 5:20 am by the light of my headlamp. Not sure how far I will get today. These towns are few and far between. It makes it tough to plan, you either end up with a short day or a brutally long one. I’ll let my body decide later. 

To see the distance under 400 km is crazy! I wish that I would have seen a marker in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on my first day. It would have read something like 815 km. 

These makeshift shrines can be seen throughout the Camino. One can only imagine the stories that each rock, each photo, and each momento could tell. Is it a story of pain and loss; of forgiveness and letting go; maybe one of pure joy and a shared love for the Camino. I cannot fathom the millions of stories that have traveled this same path. 

I have shared other photos of wild flowers and commented. Nature’s beautiful deserves further reflection. I have been impacted by the intricate detail of God’s embellishments. He created this wild beauty for us to enjoy. But instead, we rush by all of it in our cars, without a chance to ever see, let alone appreciate it. 

Say hello to one of my many early morning little trail buddies. I have to be careful in the early morning because there are always snails of different sizes and shell shapes crossing the path. By late morning, they have taken cover out of the heat. 

Modern urban street art still pays tribute to a tradition nearly 1,200 years old.

All of my former Spanish IV students better know what this mural is representing! This put a huge smile on my face. It made me feel like my pilgrimage had direct ties back to my students and what I do.

I am entering a large village/small city named Sahagún alongside the bullring. But I’m quick to acknowledge that something extra has been going on. I’m having to pass through shoots and around fence panels. Then I get to the center of town, this is 8:00 am, and the drunks are coming to the realization that the fiesta has ended. I stopped to get a quick breakfast and it was backed with party-goers with the late night munchies. The night before had been the town’s annual fiesta complete with running of the bulls and bull fights. 

I need to do a little explaining on this one. After Santiago de Compostela, (this is where Saint James’ is buried), many pilgrims continue walking another three days to get to the Atlantic Ocean. There is a point there that the ancients believed was the farthest part west of the world … aka “end of the world”. This belief predated Christianity and can be found in rituals of the region’s pagan cultures like the Celts and the Visigoths. The name is Latin and literally means “end of earth” … Fisterra (Spanish) or Finisterre (Gállego). The “fís”/“finis” is Latin for end, same origin of English words like finish, final, etc. The “terra”/“terre” is Latin for land, earth, dirt. It’s the same origin for English words like terrace, terrain, etc. This might also be a good time to tell you that Spain has four official languages and not one is called Spanish! They are Castellano, Catalán, Vasco, and Gallego. What we call Spanish is the language of Castellano. (That’s an entirely different post!) 

The Camino philosophers are at it again!

“No Camino sin dolores” = No Camino without pain
Physically, mentally, emotionally … whatever pain you have the Camino will bring it out!

Today’s trail has been a lot of this. Frontage trails that run next to highways and at times, we are sharing the pavement with the traffic. For me, it’s hard because of the monotony, and the lack of solitude. It’s also tough on your feet. Walking on the pavement a lot makes the bottom of your feet burn. 

I’m getting into this little village right at noon. It creates a dilemma for me. It is too early to stop for the day but the next village is not for another three hours. I mentioned earlier that these past days have been rough because the villages are so far apart and there is nothing in between. The albergues do not open until 1:00 pm but I’m not sure I have what it takes to walk another 3 hours without a break. I’ve been walking for almost seven hours … can I suck it up and do ten?!?!? I’m going to find the church and rest and see what comes onto my heart. 

It’s always interesting who or what God decide to send his message through. As I was resting on the shady side of the church, an old lady from the village came up to me and said, “You have found a cool place to rest.” That started a conversation. I explained that I was trying to decide whether to stay or press on. Through her sweet words, I decided to stay. And as always … it turned out to be the right decision. Later that night Andrés from the “feet washing night” showed up at the same albergue. He was the only person that I wished that I would see again and exchange information. This gave us that opportunity. 

The municipal albergue. This is one that accepts donations for your stay. They are run by a network of international volunteers, usually people that have done the Camino before and have fallen in love with the entire experience. They volunteer (usually two weeks) as a way to give back and pay it forward. Today a married couple from Australia were our hosts. The building is made in the traditional building style for the area. I’ll that explain next …

Are these all starting to look the same? Yea, that’s kind of how it is. Another day of walking, another night in a bunk bed. I did like that this Australian couple were careful to put all single females in the same room. I shared a room with two Germans (not traveling together) and a woman from Nashville. 

This is for all the construction people in my life … there are not a lot of stone in this area of Spain. Compared to other areas where the buildings tend to be made out of the local stone, the people of this region had to use what they had: dirt and straw. The buildings are surprisingly very temperature controlled on the inside because of the material. Sometimes the adobe-like walls would be plastered over but just as often, not. Sometimes you can see smaller rocks mixed in and other times it’s just mud and straw. 

44,264 steps recorded

21.2 miles hiked

7 hours on trail

Day 19 - Saturday, June 14, 2025

El Burgo Renero to León

The topic of conversation amongst most of the pilgrims at the albergue last night was “Are you going to try and make it to León?” For those of us who answered “yes”, it was a very hesitant, almost pleading for someone to talk us out of it, kind of “yes”. To make it to León from here means a 40 km day. The programmed “long days” are only 30-32 km. So 40 is almost doing a day and half’s worth of walking. It’s the same problem that I’ve already mentioned, the villages are far a part so it’s either two short days or one mega day. You know that I’m going to do it or die trying. Here we go!

I have never been to León. It is the first major city on the Camino that will be new for me. I’m not sure why I’ve never visited. It has a Cathedral but other than that, it’s kind of like an average midwestern city like Wichita or Omaha … nice cities but not necessarily a tourist Mecca. I was planning a rest day in León like I did in Burgos. I don’t have any reservations and instead of not staying in an albergue like I did in Burgos, I am hoping to stay at least the first night at the albergue run by the nuns of a convent. But it’s a first-come-first-bed situation so let’s hope that I can clip off these 40 km in good time. 

5:15 am by the light of my headlamp. León or bust … Let’s do this!

13 km (8 miles) of this! Nothing else in between. That’s Because it’s dark, you cannot see the highway that is alongside the trail. This is what I thought that I could do yesterday in the afternoon heat!?!?! It will take me just under 3 hours to get to the next village and that is in the coolness of the early morning. I would have collapsed if I had attempted this yesterday. See, God sent me that little old village lady to save me.

I normally do not eat something like this for breakfast, but after THAT, I am going to reward myself with not just rest but also with an amaretto crepe. I justify it by saying that I need the quick calories for the next 27 km.

I think that most Americans would be taken back a bit by all of the Christian iconography that one sees in Spain. As Americans, the separation of church and state is so foundational to our system that we don’t realize how ingrained in us it actually is. Until you visit a country like Spain, a Constitutional Monarchy and the monarchy is Catholic. That means that for the most part, Catholic holidays are government holidays and municipal governments celebrate their patron Saint and adorn their cities and villages with Christian symbolism. 

Sometimes … actually most times, it makes me emotional to pass through something like this. For over 1,000 pilgrims past through these walls. I’m stepping on the same stones as they did as I travel to the same destination with the same goal as someone 1,000 years ago. Our belief connects us through a millennium. It’s actually pretty overwhelming. 

A poster for the bullfights and town fiestas that I passed through yesterday. 

The rural landscape gives way to the urban sprawl. My least favorite part of entering a city, having to pass through the freeways, industrial zones, and outer neighborhoods. 

Bullfighting … still alive in Spain. Although its popularity is on a steady decline on a national level, there are still regions like Castilla y León that are holding strong to tradition. 

My first views of the city of León. It will still be another hour before I get to the center. 

Whether it’s the church of the small villages or the cathedral of the cities, the churches and cathedrals always stand out against the skyline. 

It might say that I’m in León but it will be another 30 minutes of walking the city streets before I will be able to sit down. But technically, I MADE IT! 40 km no problem!

At this point, I had already burned off my breakfast crepe. I was starving, thirsty, and exhausted. I decided to get something to eat before finding the convent’s albergue. 

Entrance into the albergue

These are the standard rules at all of the albergues. 

It’s shortly after 2:00 pm. I am all checked in, time to shower, hand wash today’s disgusting clothes, then check out the Cathedral. I made good time on those 40 km. Now that I’m here, I can better plan the next 24 hours. I will spend the afternoon sightseeing. What I don’t see today, I will finish in the morning. I will take Off out of the city by noon and walk just outside the urban sprawl to the second rural village. There is a private albergue there so I called and have a bed reserved. She knows that I’ll be coming in late afternoon. I’m all set. It’s time to check out León. 

Oh León, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways

I will start with your breathtaking Cathedral. It is smaller than Burgos, and not as ostentatious as Sagrada Familia. It is the perfect size to impress but not overwhelm. The stain glass is unique from the traditional Spanish Cathedrals. Just WOW! I need not say more. The photos speak for themselves. 

People are actually buried in the cathedrals. They were kings and queens, other royals and nobility, clergy, and the wealthy. You will find their graves either like this or more often they are under the floor and their marker is a part of the floor. 

You do not often see a statue of Mary pregnant.

The cloisters 

The cloisters

The patio of the cloisters

I was able to attend mass in the Cathedral at 6:00 pm

Then after mass, I rushed back to the convent so that I could experience “vísperas” with the nuns. 

Shortly before it started, a nun invited us to sit in the back rows of the choir. It was not allowed to take photos or videos during the service, but I snuck this one. I think God will forgive me. 
Vespers is a liturgical hour of prayer in the Christian tradition, especially in the Roman Catholic Church. It involves the singing of psalms, hymns, and prayers.

León, your nightlife cannot be compared. As I took a stroll in the last remaining hours before curfew, through your narrow winding streets, I almost wished for those crazy 20’s back. 

57,636 steps recorded

28 miles hiked

8.5 hours on trail

Day 20 - Sunday, June 15, 2025

León to Oncina de Valdoncina

I had to be out of the albergue by 8:00 am. The Gaudí house did not open until 10:00. The albergue was nice enough to let me store my backpack while I did more sightseeing this morning. As I wandered around the same narrow streets that were jammed back with festive partiers. The 8:00 am Sunday morning streets were completely deserted. The street cleaning crews were just getting started erasing any evidence of last night’s fun.

This is the crosswalk. I hope you can zoom in and see the intricate stone work that went in to creating a crosswalk. I wish we had more of this kind of pride and craftsmanship. Not everything has to be fast, efficient, and cost-effective. 

I sometimes do a historical unit with my students and queen Urraca is a part of it. I am excited to add this image to the materials. 

Spanish cheese! Yes please! I might need a bigger backpack … or a mule. 

Random gorgeous building at a roundabout. BTW - I LOVE roundabouts. All you haters just need to embrace to circle!

It’s a hospital. Go figure. 

Considering that I used to train in a boxing gym in Brooklyn, this made me laugh. 

Do I ever get tired of these ancient city walls? Absolutely not. The expression “If these walls could talk.” takes on a whole new depth.

Today I’m learning to chill. I’m not even having to think about it. It’s just an overwhelming sensation of not being in a hurry, not having to worry … I already have tonight reserved. I am chill without having to squash the “Go! Go! Go!” instinct. That’s the awesome part, not even having to squash that instinct. The calmness is just inside of me. I’m just here strolling the streets. No pressure to get it done! get it done! Get it done! You know, just a sense of peace.

Antoni Gaudí was a genius. He was an architect by trade but he was truly a creative genius. He was Catalan through and through. A devout and humble Catholic, he never married and donated his time, money, and talents to Catholic causes. He is mostly known as being the architect of the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell in Barcelona. Park Güell is where William had his senior pictures taken. Two other famous buildings in Barcelona are Casa Batlló and Casa Milà aka La Pedrera. He has some lesser known structures in Barcelona as well. Out side of Barcelona he build 3: El Capricho en Cantabria, Episcopal Palace in Astorga, and Casa Botines en León.

William and I are huge fans of Gaudí so I was not going to just do a flyby of Casa Botines. I scheduled a one hour guided tour in Spanish for 10:30 am. 

And while I waited, what better opportunity to enjoy a café con leche from across the street.

This is a sculpture of Gaudí looking at his building, making sketches. 

The patron saint of Cataluña and of Barcelona is Sant Jordi (in Catalán), Saint George in England. His famous legend is that he saved a princess from dragon by slaying it. Gaudí incorporated this legend in almost everything he designed. So it was no surprise to find a sculpture of Sant Jordi above the main entrance. 

Fun fact that I learned on my tour: in the 1950’s they were doing some restoration work on the sculpture and they found hidden in the dragon’s mouth a metal tube. Inside the tube were the original hand drawn plans of the building signed by the master himself. It was a secret that Gaudí took to his grave. They are now on display under glass.

Casa Botines was built for commercial use on the bottom two floors and luxury private apartments on the other floors. I won’t bore you with photos from the inside. The true genius behind this structure is the engineering more than the aesthetics. He was ahead of his time in so much of the engineering.  

One final word on Gaudí. He died in Barcelona after being hit by a street tram after working on the Sagrada Familia. He did not have ID on him and because of the shabby work clothes that he was wearing, he was mistaken as a homeless man. His body laid in the morgue for days until someone realized that the homeless John Doe was the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí. 

It’s time to say adios to this amazing city of León. I will return someday. There is still more to see and tour. 

The last of the buildings on León’s must-see list was the Convent of Saint Marcos. It was built in the 1100’s as a hospital-temple to house pilgrims. At the same time, it was also a monastery. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1940) it was used as a prison/concentration camp. Today it is a parador and has a church and museum. Paradores are State-owned historical buildings that have been converted into super-posh hotels. Personally, I have never stayed in one but would love to splurge someday and do it. 

This is a famous scene in the movie “The Way” with Martin Sheen. They are standing in front of San Marcos. Martin Sheen’s character tells the group that it would be his treat to stay the night. 

 

Scene from the movie “The Way”

This is me channeling Martin Sheen’s character. Unfortunately, I will not be treating myself to a parador tonight. 

Convento San Marcos

Convento San Marcos

Before I left the United States, I had an idea of what I might do on the Camino. But I also said that I was open to whatever would happen and go with the flow of the Camino. My original idea was to get off of the Camino Francés at León and take the Camino de San Salvador to Oviedo where I would then start the Camino Primitivo to Santiago de Compostela. These last two trails take me through the Cantabria Mountain Range and the province of Asturias, two regions that I really would like to get to know. 

Somewhere after Pamplona, I had already decided that I was not going to follow my original plan. Instead, it became very important as well as very personal for me to finish el Camino Francés. I will return to Spain and complete the Camino Primitivo as a separate trip.

The moment of decision … which way to go? Actually, it was never a choice, I had already decided that I would finish el Camino Francés.

Sooo, I was in love with León, until … I had to walk out of the city. I have yet to feel anxious or even slightly scared on this trip, until I had to walk through the outskirts of the city on a blistering Sunday afternoon. Let’s just say that industrial zones are a whole less creepy when they are bustling with trucks and activity during the week. On Sunday afternoon, you could scream an no one would hear you. It took me an hour to walk through it and I was praying the entire time. 

These markers are very reassuring. They tell you “wrong way”. They are not used very often. But are appreciated when they are. 

Ugh! Get me out of here already. 

Looking in the rear view mirror at the last of the urban sprawl … in front of me, green rural trails. 

Geez, let me think about this … not! Regular route along side a highway, or alternative route through fields and rural villages.

No thinking required. Alternative it is!

My albergue for the night is perfecto! There are only two other women here and they have a private room. That means that the entire bunk bed room is just me. The owner made us a delicious paella for dinner and an unlimited carafe of red wine. 

They converted an old corral into the albergue. 

It is so relaxing here. It was about a 2-1/2 hour walk from León. 

The two ladies were from Idaho. They started as a group of three friends but the other woman had a heat stroke on their third day. She was taken to the hospital and was told that her Camino was over. 

24,044 steps recorded

11.5 miles hiked

2.5 hours on trail

Day 21 - Monday, June 16, 2025

Oncina de Valdoncina to Santibanez de Valdeiglesia

What an absolute gorgeous morning for a walk through the countryside of the Castilian Plains. 

The black soil of Iowa has taken on a total new value for me. I guess you never real know what you have until you see what others don’t. 

I am walking through the cereal box of Spain. But I am unclear on exactly what grains these are. Any guesses? 
According to my PlantNet app, this is canola … also known as rape or rapeseed, “colza” in Spanish.

It looks a lot like wheat but the plant is twice as tall. What could it be?
According to PlantNet …. Rye.

These heads started showing up on houses and other buildings in the last couple of villages. They are the apostle James, aka Santiago.

The first of these markers that I have seen in over a week that did not have either Castilla or the León crossed out. They were both separate ancient kingdoms. They are now joined as the larger autonomous community of Castilla y León. But they are their own separate province with their own government (similar to our states.) Regional pride is ridiculously strong in Spain. So hundreds of years after the individual kingdoms were no more … the people still identify accordingly. 

I have not seen another pilgrim the entire morning. I have been hiking for almost four hours and have had the trails to myself. Then the first people I see are these two!

Time for a break. I need to thrown down my mat and stretch the back. Unfortunately, this cute little church was not open but it still provided a shady cool spot to rest.

The first time that I have seen this. An official pilgrims crossing sign. Iowa has deer warning signs … Spain has pilgrim warnings!

What is this??? A rubber chicken wedged on the trail. The things people do to entertain the pilgrims on their way.

A village with an amazing amount of history. This would be a destination village for any true history buff. I might need to return by car some day and spent a couple of days. 

What in the name of Hotel California is this creepy pilgrim shit??? I think I pass on staying here, thank you very much!

I’ve made it to my albergue for the night. It was a hot day and I’m ready for a shower. What a wonderful welcome to see this sign at the front door. Sometimes it’s those little special touches that mean so much. 

My big toe has been hurting for a couple of weeks. I have been cushioning it with layers of compeed. But today when I took off my shoe, there was a lot of swelling so I decided to cut off the compeed and investigate. It was not pretty.

This technique is called threading. The concept is to pop to blister in a controlled situation. If you hike with a liquid filled blister, it will pop in your shoe and then the blístered skin will tear off exposing the raw skin and then you would have major problems. Threading the blister allows you to drain the blister, leaving the blistered skin intact, thereby providing a protective layer for the raw skin. You leave the thread in over night. The thread acts like a wick and the blister continues to drain. In the morning, you pull out the thread then cover it with compeed. Let’s see how this goes!

The albergue is right next to the church. My newly threaded toe and I went to the evening mass. It was me and five little old ladies from the village and one priest who I was concerned whether or not he was going to survive the service. 

 40,798 steps recorded

19.5 miles hiked

7-1/4 hours on trail

End of Week 3 - still no lightning bolts from Heaven but I am feeling a calmer spirit. Let’s see what Week 4 has in store. Thank you for coming along with me. Writing this blog helps me feel connected to you.