Proverbs 15:15 A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song.
Day 26 — 12.09 Miles — Leon to Villadangos, May 23. The walk out of Leon was on hard pavement for about 4-5 miles. We also had empty stomachs. One cafe was open on the way out of town however their tortillas (omelets) had not been delivered when we stopped. The first open cafe was in La Virgen del Camino. We walked for 2.5 hours for food.
The Meseta has ended so there are trees. Cottonwoods are everywhere and so is the cottonwood pollen. Ron walks happily along through the falling cottonwood snow. He is oblivious. I walk along miserable and sneezing with itchy eyes, throat and runny nose. The Allegra that traveled from home with us is gone so we stopped in a pharmacy and purchased 40 Spanish allergy pills. The cost was only about $4.00! The pills help however being outside for extended periods each day somewhat offsets what the pills can do. It is a relief to arrive at our hostel and jump into the shower. A shower helps to wash the pollen off.
Evidently, Ron was not totally oblivious today. He said that he was having random thoughts and observations as I was miserable. So his thoughts were……..there are numerous cars in Spain that we do not see at home. They are Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Renault. BMW’s and Mercedes are numerous also. Pick ups are not seen very often. Commercial trucks are all cabovers. The majority of commercial trucks are new or nearly new. One cannot get dinner in Spain until after 8 p.m. unless you eat a peregrino meal. Finding someone in Spain who speaks English is difficult. If you get lost in a city, simply look lost. Someone will try to help even if they do not speak English. Street signs when they can be found are placed on the sides of buildings about 10 to 12 feet up. In small villages, streets are for cars and people. Cars park on streets, sidewalks and several combinations of the two. Ron was really busy while we were walking!
Blooming Plants with Pollen 
Too Pretty to Produce Irritating Pollen?
The people walking with us were all new today. A group of college students from Missouri passed us. They were moving fast and appeared energetic. We talked for about 5 minutes with them. They had just started their Camino walk in Leon. They were familiar with Boise State….. BSU emblems are on our hats.
Astorga is our goal for tomorrow with an 18 mile hike. We might be a little tired at the end of the day. Per our guide book, we have walked 303 miles. Per our Garmin watches, we have walked more. Buen Camino. Sharon and Ron
I’d say Ron is very perceptive! It took some doing to figure out the different logos on cars, but it was quickly evident that they were not what I was used to. I do remember seeing a Chevrolet dealer (as we approached Leon?).
The street signs proved problematic on a couple of occasions and Astorga was one such occasion. The hotel Alicia had booked me into was new enough that no one recognized the name and neither Google or the Tourist office recognized the address!
What are your emotions about drawing nearer to Santiago? And before that is Cruz de Ferro! Buen Camino!
LikeLike
I think we both need to get past the emotions at Cruz de Ferro before moving onto thinking about Santiago.
LikeLike
Today i thought of my buddy Ron as i played a round of Golf!!!lololo
LikeLike
Ha Ha! Think away….This is way better than a round of golf!
LikeLike