Life is a string of choices, and after León there is a choice of two routes. One route goes towards Villadangos del Páramo, and another goes to Villar de Mazarife, before they rejoin at Hospital de Órbigo. Premonitions warned us that the first option supposedly containing another long stretch of boring walk next to a road, so we opted for the supposedly more scenic Villar de Mazarife option. It must be said that the first route is the historic route if that matters.
Parador de León in the morning.
Leaving León is like leaving any other city or town on the Camino, just in a bigger scale, it is still walking through a scenic centre at first, before reaching the suburbs and then often the industrial (poligono) areas. It is a little better this time, but still walking through less interesting scenery
.
Basílica de la Virgen del Camino, can you spot which of the statues that are St. James?
La Virgen del Camino has an interesting modern basilica, Basílica de la Virgen del Camino, where one of the statues outside are looking towards Santiago de Compostela. That statue would be St. James. As I live in Oslo, Norway, I also found it amusing passing by a shop named Oslo, providing catering equipment.
A farm on the way.
On the alternative route to Villar de Mazarife.
Finding the turnoff from where the route to Villar de Mazarife leaves the historic route required some alertness as it was easy to miss.
A Camino milestone waymarker next to the way towards Villar de Mazarife.
Once on the route, it follows a road for a while, before eventually turning into a peaceful walk on a gravel track. A walk in the spirit of the Camino, dusty, but with a calming scenery surrounding me.
A cellar in the ground and a derelict building.
Chozas de Abajo is one of those quiet and sleepy villages a Camino passes through. We love the old Renault tractor parked next to one of the typical houses in this part of Spain.
Chozas de Abajo.
We pass by what either looks like a landing strip for planes or a bus shelter in the middle of a field, before arriving in Villar de Mazarife. A nice little village. There is a replica of a ship that is far away from a sea here.
A ship far away from the sea in Villar de Mazarife.
Enjoying a footbath and a cerveza con lemon.
We stay at the Albergue Tío Pepe, a welcoming place where the hostess provides me with a bath for my feet when I arrive. Although it is my shoes that probably are in the most need of a fix. They have served me for many a year, but this walk would probably be their swansong, they are falling a little bit apart. I mend some of it by glue and use duct tape to keep things together while the glue dries.
Villar de Mazarife.
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