I did not walk 100kms today. Please let me explain.
- I knew I had to skip a few bits to get to Santiago on time. I was just waiting for the right time.
- The walking information from Carrión de los Condes was anxiety inducing at its best. At its worst I would have been road kill (carrion).
- There were two routes – options are always good until they aren’t. I wanted to take the route that avoided the long climb on a 17kms walk. The infrastructure was thin and in some places nonexistent. There was also a note about poor signage and how not to get lost. Well since I could write a book on getting lost, my anxiety levels rose sharply.
- There were a few hops around some of the vaguer areas but nothing that got you home free because there were no buses or trains running on Saturday or Sunday. You were doomed to be trapped somewhere for the weekend.
- I had to make a decision and quickly if I hoped to make it somewhere today.
- I did a lot of soul searching and decided that my best bet was a bus to Leon today. I would skip over about 100kms of the path, but then I could dawdle along again at my 12-15kms pace into Santiago.
- I decided to take a bus to Leon. I rationalized that since a lot of people skip the meseta(100kms), I would skip the messy disorganized bits.
- Unfortunately the bus to Leon was fully booked. I had to settle for Sahagun. Except that it was the same bus from Burgos to Leon that stopped in Sahagun. Logic is not a Spanish strong point. Well the bus from Burgos was delayed with a mechanical failure – maybe a Spanish strong point. As a result people cancelled and I could travel through to Leon. Are you still with me?
- I had a full pack when I arrived in Leon and no bed book. I tried to locate a few Albergues but Leon is huge and I am small and puny. Plus my phone was down to 35% charged. I had to think quickly-never a strong point.
- Fortunately I was able to book a quasi cheap hostel on booking.com. I just had to find it. It wasn’t easy given that my map app has its STOP button often over the destination point and on these narrow alleys it’s anyone’s guess.
- I am now down to 7% charged on my phone and completely lost. I called the hostel to send a cab for me. Well three calls, 4% of power and 10 euros later I got the last bunk – an upper. There may be more to this when I have to climb down through the night.
- All was not lost. I did get the last serving of an ensalada mixta at a very nice restaurant at a square I passed several times in the 5kms I spent wandering around dazed and confused in Leon.
- Needless to say I leave tomorrow for an 11kms walk back on the Camino. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that so confidently. The gods of travel have my number.
- The picture is my view of Leon. It could have been a lot worse. Buen Camino