Puente Villarente to La Virgen del Camino via León / 13.5 miles
I started late today, leaving the hostel around 9:20am as the last person to leave the building. I had a shorter than usual day ahead of me, but it would not be easy. I woke up with a debilitatingly runny nose, so I took a Benadryl hoping to dry it up about an hour before leaving. The Benadryl worked as expected, which means it also made me feel extremely lethargic and drowsy for nearly my whole day of walking. Note to self: next time, just pack some extra tissues.
The walk into León felt long, at least partially because of my Benadryl stupor. The air quality in León has been poor, and I could sense the smog as I got closer to the city. I was glad to be continuing through the city that same day so I could get back to the open fields and small towns that I’ve enjoyed most on the Camino.
Even so, old town León was quite neat to visit. I toured the Cathedral, which was built in only ~50 years during the 13th century. The builders must have set a speed record for their day… the other Cathedrals I’ve visited in Spain have all taken at least one or two centuries to construct. I also happened upon a medieval-style street fair and a free museum exhibit on the history of the Guardia Civil, Spain’s national police/defense force.
The final few miles from León to La Virgen del Camino felt quite long. Though I hadn’t walked as far that day, my legs were tired and I was mentally exhausted from being in the big city, where it can be hard to find yellow arrows and stay on the trail. But I had another private room to look forward to, and I got a great night’s sleep.
Allison Cowie 
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