Rest day - Leon

The late 13th century Cathedral Pulchra Leonina.

 For the day's unoriginal quotes - this is a beautiful city (pop 130,000). As we slouched outside a bar (drinking coffee and eating chocolate cookies) mid-morning we commented that it didn't matter where you pointed your camera you got a beautiful shot.

Gaudi's Casa de Botines.

For the record, the name Leon doesn't derive from lion, but from the fact that Roman legions were based here - so the name Leon comes from the word for legion. It's had a checkered past, having been conquered by Visigoth, Moor and Christian forces (now tourists invade on a daily basis as waves of pilgrims pass through, many, like us taking advantage of its position and splendour to take a day off).

History from our third-floor hotel window.

We slept for a very long time last night, rising without an alarm at 8am. For the first time on the Camino, we have air conditioning, so were able to keep the room cool. When we arrived, to our surprise we also had a fridge- a rarity. It wasn't plugged in, for good reason - it doesn't work. We'd already committed to a food-buying frenzy at the local Carrefour Express, so we added a bag of ice. It's a treat in large towns to find supermarkets that don't close all afternoon for a siesta.

From our breakfast table.

Breakfast was a Spanish cliche - nice coffee, lovely orange juice and a slab of pastry. 

Unknown cloister.

Took a walk and found a beautiful cloister, quite at random. As we came out, we met our Aussie friends Scott and David, also on a rest-day mission.

Nice little park.

We followed up with an aimless wander, found ourselves at another bar for more coffee and a chocolate cookie. Feeling our diet was lacking some major food groups, we bought some cold gazpacho and a sandwich and sat on a bench, completely lacking energy. 

Our friend Donatella passed by as we sat on a bench outside the cathedral. She was heading for the souvenir shop for a memory of her Camino. Even after travelling by train two days ago from Calzadilla de la Cueza so she could rest her injured foot, her walk was over. She was going to travel by train to Madrid and then fly home to Florence, hoping to resume her journey in September. She will follow our journey and be with us in spirit as we arrive in Santiago on June 28 - only two weeks to go.

One of hundreds of illuminated windows in the cathedral.

She had been inside the cathedral and was totally impressed. We're not really cultural tourists, but we were convinced enough to pay the entry fee. It's a fabulous building. Apparently, it was constructed to let in light through its 125 stained glass windows, which compromised its structural integrity a bit. Collapses of parts of the building in the 17th and 19th century have resulted.

Friends outside the cathedral.

We retreated to our room, where we've dozed the afternoon away. Now I'm in the serious business of having a beer or two to ensure complete relaxation. Tomorrow we have 32km to walk. It's going to be hot, so we have the alarm set for 5am (sadly skipping another ingestion of breakfast  pastry). We've stocked up with healthy food and plan to carry some of our remaining ice in sealed bags with the makings of some nice sandwiches. We're taking the slightly scenic route in preference to another long hike along the highway - apparently after 5km places to stop and buy food are few, but there are picnic areas along the way.

We found a little restaurant in a side street and had a simple but ample meal of chicken, chips and salad with a glass of wine for 10 and by 7pm were back in our room, ready for an early night  and an early start. We may watch a little more of today's music as we get ready for bed.

There's no Relive video today, as we haven't walked (except round in circles).

There are loads of random photos, especially of the interior of the cathedral: https://photos.app.goo.gl/H6ekLcMzQpgDFViN6

As for music. It hasn't been an issue today. I was thinking of my favourite operas, among which is Carmen - a Spanish opera, even if sung in French. One of my favourite renditions from Carmen is by Helen Medlyn, a New Zealand singer, so it all seems appropriate. Unfortunately, I can't find the song in isolation, only in a wonderful video of a 90-minute concert by some famous NZ singers. So - skip this for a quick fix, but if you like opera, this entire video is worth watching - the opening Pacific drum item will really get you going. Of course, Helen Medlyn singing about amour is my favourite - it comes in at 13minutes and 38seconds in the video, so skip straight there, but then you'll miss the drum introduction, so you're much better to watch from the start: https://youtu.be/bjk3O7IRZsA