En esto preciso tiempo, en esto preciso lugar.
- meditation at Albergue Verde
It felt strange to get up early and get back on the road after two nights in that home-like hostel in León.
Or maybe it felt like getting back to normal life, after an abnormal day of not walking.
It took a long time to get out of León, walking on the sidewalk of a major road, and then through an industrial district. To avoid more road walking and industry, we took a variante, a slightly longer alternative route, across open, flat country, the Páramo de León, through Villar de Mazarife. It was like being in the Mesetas again!
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Not hobbit houses but bodegas - wine cellars and cold storage cellars - on the way out of León |
Came into Hospital de Órbigo over an amazing long medieval bridge! The photograph doesn't do it justice.
On the other side of the bridge I parted ways with mi compañero de camino, who wanted to continue further today and sleep under the stars in his tent - quite understandable considering he has carried it more than 1200 kilometres! It was sad to say goodbye after walking 800 kilometres together, or at least in parallel, not always walking together but meeting up periodically in cafés and rest points, sharing meals and staying at the same albergue practically every night. Hopefully the ways of the Camino will reunite us farther down the road!
But before I had even said farewell to him I found myself another caballero, around the same age, a Spaniard from Girona who began his Camino this morning in León and, not surprisingly after walking 35 kilometres on his very first day, was suffering much pain in his legs. The two of us convinced him he should walk no farther today, and he came with me to Albergue Verde, which turned out to be the best albergue I have stayed at yet! The room and bunks are fairly standard, but the evening included a meditation and stretching session, concluding with a walking meditation around the garden, which had been flooded to soak the lawn, so that our tired feet had a good soak in freezing cold water on soft grass. This was followed by a fantastic vegetarian meal made with produce fresh from the garden! The hospitaleros played guitar and ukelele and sang a blessing or message of thanks for the food before the meal, which was eaten practically in silence, we were all so stunned at the beauty of it all. After chocolate cake and herbal tea one of the hospitaleros was at our disposal to offer advice for the remainder of the Way and for finding other albergues with a similar philosophy between here and Santiago. I really hope to visit a few!!
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| Albergue Verde in Hospital de Órbigo |
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