Day 23 - Leon to San Martin del Camino

Day 23 - Leon to San Martin del Camino

Sunny

I have lost weight. Any thinner I would not have enough strap room to tighten my hip belt without running into the buckles. So walking the Camino may be one way to lose weight and you might even enjoy it. However, it is just for guys. Apparently, guys usually lose weight on the Camino while the gals don't. My theory is that guys usually eat less than what they do at home while the gals eat more or about the same. Think about the pilgrims menu. They are the same size for everyone. It may be right or a little too much for the ladies. That would make it too little for the guys. When we started the Camino, the three of us would share foods equally. Now there is a plan by my travel companions to get me more food, like buying 4 portions with me having two.

Today is another stage where we travelled along the highway. It took us forever to wind through the city streets to get out of Leon and its suburb. Once out of it, we were to choose a shorter route along the highway to San Martin del Camino or a greener route to another town. The two routes will both go to Astorga the following day. We chose to go to San Martin del Camino. After a long time along the road, sometimes on the shoulder, there was a brief moment that we were on a natural pathway in the woods but we soon were walking beside the road again. After the flats for the last few days, we will soon be climbing hills again. We might think back and appreciate the flat terrain at that time.

The albergue is a total opposite from the one in Leon yesterday. Albergue Muralla Leonesa in Leon is well kept, clean and tidy. It felt like a hotel. Today's albergue obviously suffers from a little bit of neglect. The big room with small windows doesn't help. Remember in Spain, it is always a little chilly when not in direct sunlight. So the rooms are like caverns that are a little damp and cool and smells a little musty. Things just don't feel right. Oh well, we will stay the night and move on.

Decided not to cook tonight and went for dinner at nearby Bar Los Picos. Easily the worst meal since we started. The restaurant is totally dysfunctional. There are issues with flies, lots of flies, presentation of the food, freshness of the food and the hostess not knowing what the pilgrim's menu offers. However, there is entertainment by the super talkative hostess. The way she worked was totally chaotic but did a good job pushing for certain foods. She even did not let me have ice cream, saying it is stupid to have a little tub of ice cream instead of the Spanish dessert natilla. I finally relented and let her had her way.

                  Plaza Major in the morning

           Coffee:  Small is big, large is huge