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Departure
from Leon is almost as horrible as its entry. Fortunately the city is
worthwhile and makes up for these drawbacks. Leaving Leon is a pity, we
had the same feeling when we left Burgos. However, Paca and I agree we
must leave: We have come to walk the Camino and not to drink to the «wet
district»*.
We
quit the hostal at half past six and, surprise, surprise! Pilgrims start to
come out of the woodwork. Paca and I are stupefied. We do not know anyone. We
quicken our pace and leave behind the rugged paths on our departure from
the city. We have breakfast in a café opposite the Virgen del Camino
church. The café owner, a man in his sixties, treats pilgrims with
disdain. He does not like pilgrims using the toilet, he scowls at them,
he serves them unwillingly and bellowing with rage and to top it all, he
stings the poor pilgrims.
Pilgrims
leave hurriedly before the bar owner tells them off for something.
Today’s
stage is an easy stroll. Today almost is a rest day. We arrive at
Villadangos del Paramo and there is no person in charge in the pilgrims’
hostel. A boy tells us that we can stamp our pilgrim’s passports in the
bakery. We go there. The bakery is in the village main street that is
parallel to the road.
-
« Madam,
is there a hostal? »
-
« There’s
a very good one that’s new, just round the corner, Hostal
Libertad. »
We
have a bath at the hostal. We examine and dress our blisters. Then we have a
vermouth. Life is nice today and, in addition, it is cloudy. We also thank
our lucky stars for the fresh weather. I do not think we will repeat such
a long stage as the one we did yesterday.
We
have lunch in the hostal restaurant. They are not very good cooks. The
food is both scarce and tasteless. It cannot all be perfect. We shall look
for another place to have dinner.
We
see a pilgrim we know pass: a young French man in a jellaba, we do not know
if he wears the jellaba so as to keep a promise or because he believes it
will protect him from the heat in these deserts. The French guy says good-bye
and we do too, he looks very happy.
After
our siesta, we have a couple of drinks in the two village bars. In one of
the bars we listen to a heated argument between two neighbours about the
right use of water.
-"Just
as long as your frigging cows have their drink you don't give a shit about
flooding fields, do you ? Mister high and mighty! Because you
are so bloody lordly!. What am I suppose to harvest in my sodding fields
if you drench them every time it turns you on!"
The
argument goes on and in a matter of seconds, amidst blasphemies, pounding fists
on the
table, shouts and insults, it seems that the two neighbours are going to
kill each other. Someone mediates and the thing slowly resumes its course. Finally the two
leave together, trying to minimise
the things they said to each other, after all they must see each
other tomorrow and the
day after that and probably for the rest of their
lives.
We
meet up with Marisa, the Galician, at the main street beside the bakery. She
tells us that they are at the pilgrims’ hostel and that her father, to hell
with it all!, has sent her both to shop and make dinner. As if she was not
as tired as him! We tell her that parents should be loved and respected
but, if they want to do the Camino of Santiago, the best thing is,
definitely, that they do it on their own.
We
go back to the hostal so as to have dinner, this time à la carte, as we do
not find a better choice in the village.
Night
in Villadangos del Paramo is a pleasure for pilgrims. Paca and I sleep
like logs.
We are so tired that rather than sleeping we seem to
fall into a deep coma.
*The
wet district.- (Barrio húmedo in Spanish) It is a district in Leon that
is plenty of bars .
Stage
19  Stage 20 |