#24-Walking the Camino- May 15, 2016

22nd day of walking

Second rest day in Leon

First things first. Jessica and Bev said they wanted more food pictures. So here is our take out breakfast from the bar/restaurant of our hostel and served "in" bed. 

Tortilla and bread nestled together. In Spain a tortilla is a potato and egg (sometimes green onions too) omelette that has been oven baked and then cut into pie shaped pieces. Very tasty and found in all bars. And heart shaped sweet roll, yogurt, banana, and water. This is way better than what you'd get at a B&B.

Then I bid Dad good bye and told him to keep his feet elevated while I went to mass.

The Camino conveniently passes right in front of our hostel and to follow it you turn left and look for arrows. Well I wanted to back track since the Camino had already passed the Leon Cathedral. So I turned right and the arrow was upside down.

So it was interesting to go backward and much more difficult because very often the arrows are painted in places that can be seen from one direction. I can do this! I have an uncanny sense of direction, right?  I was never lost. This reminded me of Lehi's dream of what happened to people who let go of the iron rod. They wandered and some were lost

I ended up on the wrong streets but knew I was close to the cathedral because of the throngs of people in the streets

I passed a chess competition with lots of kids. Maybe it was a fundraiser or demonstration?

Okay. Now I'm going the right way. 

Gorgeous fountain and flowers

 

Mickey Mouse and friends in window display

Lots and lots of dogs (all kinds) everywhere

And then turning the corner....Leon's finest treasure ---  the sublime Gothic cathedral with magnificent stained glass windows. This church is the fourth one built on this spot. Construction began in 1205 and completed in record time-100 years. 

I went inside

The retablo

Organ and pipes - for Dolores

Wait!  Something is happening. People are gathering. I check my watch. It is noon. I'm staying for mass! A recording comes on - blah blah in Spanish. Then an English recording saying mass was starting and if you didn't want to worship, then leave por favor. I didn't realize it then, but the outer gates in the plaza were closed and locked so no tourists could come in and gawk during the service.

Actually the mass was meaningful to me even though I didn't understand much. The music was fantastic. The organ music filled this huge cathedral and there were two baritones with angelic voices who sang during the service. I pretended I was in the Conference Center or the Tabernacle and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was singing. The people in the congregation were mostly mumbling or lip syncing which was fine since the two baritones were so good. I understood hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. There was talking and I tried not to yawn. The bishop (I think a bishop) and various helpers were doing stuff. And suddenly an hour had passed and it was time to go. 

Mass attenders exiting the cathedral

Throngs of tourists outside the fence wanting to get in. It was like trying to get off a Chinese bus in Beijing while hoards of potential passengers are trying to get on.  There are no pictures of this crush because I was in the middle of it. 

Dinner time. We walked the mile to go to McDonald's. 

I should have stuck with the Big Mac but the "new" Extreme Meat burger was still good. 

Play land

And while we were at an outside table, who should walk by but our friends, the Allreds. We talked for over an hour about everything. When he was a mission president he called and sent his 18 year daughter to his own mission. He said, "I needed another sister missionary so we could keep an area open."  Then another time he sent his 16 year old daughter on mini missions for two different summers -he knew the mission president in Argentina who needed  a sister missionary for just the summer

End of last day in Leon.