Exploring Leon

I was thinking this morning how most Americans are so spoiled by being able to jump in a car and go anywhere at any time. When you're on foot like I am here in Spain you have to actually plan to get from point A to point B but the journey it's a lot more fun.

I really enjoyed a two and a half hour train ride through the mountains between Oviedo San Leon. It followed the path of the Camino San Salvador which has the reputation for being the most rugged. It looks as though that is true.

Oviedo was a beautiful city, but there is a lot American influence. There are a lot of American brands and stores and even McDonald's. Leon is also a beautiful city but entirely European. There are a lot more small cafes and local shops. Other than the always  present American music, it feels very different from Oviedo.

The Leon Cathedral dominates the city. I took a couple hundred pictures in 2016 when Laurel and I were here, and I got a few more today. The dominating feature of Leon is the stained glass. I did the metric to English conversions and the total stained glass is almost a half an acre in area. 

The majority of the cathedral was completed in the mid-1300s, but there were additions made up until 1600. When this cathedral was built the city of Leon was capital of the Kingdom of Leon, but only had 5000 people. Imagine building this structure in a city that's size.

I did the English audio tour and they kept referring to the simple Gothic lines of the cathedral. I don't know about that. Look at the photos and make your own decision.

Back to Oviedo and then Leon

 “If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”  Raymond Myers

Walking  around town I come up with a plan b, c, d,..

I'm going to enjoy my extra time in Oviedo, but I may have picked the wrong time of year to come to Spain. In my two previous Caminos, one in May and one in September I walked a total of 3 hours in the rain. It's rained every day since I've been here but many times just a mist like out in Oregon.

I planned to start after the danger of snow was gone, but the rain isn't much better for walking.

A fellow Pilgrim I'm at had a similar story this is his fifth Camino and he's never seen persistent rain like this.

I had a great tour of the cathedral today that lasted over two hours. It was extremely interesting and I learned a lot about the hidden messages the artist heavy hidden in the various artworks.

For example. There are six pillars that hold up the roof of The Relic chamber. Each pillar is a pair of the Apostles. The hidden message is that Thomas has blue sapphire eyes and none of the other apostles have anything special. Because the artist is sending the message that only Thomas needs eyes to see. The others do not need to see to believe.

Another hidden message is in the altar piece. In the scene depicting the the wedding Feast at Cana there are only five wine jars. The artist knew that the six jar is in an Alcove to the left of the altar. I can't speak to the actual origin of the jar, but for a thousand years it has been filled with water on the feast of Saint Matthew and given to the congregation.

Plan B avoiding the rainy mountains

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."  Sir Ranulph Fiennes 

I headed out this morning in good spirits after a good breakfast.

I pretty quickly covered the 7 km from where I stayed last night Palatin and arrived in the city of Grado. There are two churches along the Camino in town that I plan on visiting. Capilla de los Dolores and the Iglesia Parroquial de San Pedro. Chapel was closed so I walked up the street to San Pedro. It was just a couple minutes past 10 when I walked in and found the 10 a.m. Sunday mass. I can take a hint and  stayed for mass.

After leaving the church the temperature seem to drop a bit and a misty rain started. I kept moving on and came to the monastery of

Cornellana. In my early planning I thought I might stay the night here. It sits at the junction two rivers which made for a suitable place to build a monastery. 

The San Salvador monastery has operated for  1,000 years this year. Operated in the earlier centuries as a Cluniac order. At that time it was one of the most important monasteries in Asturias and a key stopping point for pilgrims along the Camino Primitivo. It remains an active Benedictine monastery.

The monastery has the reputation for being haunted. An attraction for some and others  move on quickly.

Salas

Almost everything there is to see or do in Salas is centered around the Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor, a 16th century church whos tower  is now a museum for pre-Romanesque pieces.

I don't have a lot of pictures because the rain persisted throughout the day with the temperature rarely getting above 50. I had to walk in most of my warmer clothes and was wet from the inside with perspiration due to the climb and the outside from the rain. I took a quick shower put on my remaining dry clothes and went to bed.

When I woke up on Monday, all my clothes from the previous day were still wet and it was raining. I put on some dry clothes, some wet clothes and started out.

The Misty Rain persisted with temperatures in the 40s .After walking for about 2 hours feeling sorry for myself I saw a cab with a fellow Pilgrim getting in. I'd already decided to try to find a way out of the weather so I split the cab and went back to the Grado.

I thought about spending the night in Grado but decided to sit down and have breakfast and coffee to make a decision. The bus lines and trains are very limited from here going west towards Santiago. I decided to take a bus back to Oviedo where there's a train station, a bus station, and an airport.

I booked a place for a couple nights and was able to wash and dry all over my clothes. I spent two days in Oveido seeing the rest of the town and enjoying a long tour of the cathedral.

Now for a few days I play tourist trying to get back to the Camino west of the mountains. In the morning I leave by train for Leon. The train follows the Camino San Salvador route through the heart of the mountains going south. 

Connections are a bit challenging So I plan to spend two days in Leon and then take the train in Lugo. In Lugo I can pick up the Camino Primitivo again and walk the last 100 km to Santiago.

Got to be flexible when trying to do the Camino, and it helped to be in a country where most bus and train fares are less than 10 euros between cities. A 3 euro bus ride erased 3 days walking.

I'm still enjoying everything about Spain. I'm being challenged with having to speak in Spanish.  Very few people in this part of Spain speak any English. 

I'll keep you up on further plans as they change.

Day 3 Paladin to Salas

 “Bring a compass. It’s awkward when you have to eat your friends.”  Unknown

I did bring a compass this time.

I had a good night's sleep last night an 8-person dorm with only five people. There were a few heavy snores in the crowd, but the windows were open and you could hear the rapids from the river and early in the morning you could hear the cow bells from the dairy on the other side of the river. Relaxing.

I grabbed a quick breakfast and headed out towards Grado. It was about 50 degrees and just misting rain, so I didn't need rain gear. 

It's Sunday and Grado has a large Market Day which was good because today is Mother's Day in Spain  and restaurants are packed. I was able to get a second breakfast of an egg and bacon sandwich.

From Grotto I have about a 1200 ft climb to Salas where I'm planning on staying the night. I just hope the rain holds off a little more.

Today's climb is the first test to see if I'm ready for the mountain pass. The next 3 days are where most of the climbing comes in with almost 3,000 ft up and down each day.