Image: Camino de Santiago miracle mornings near Leon, Louise’s iPhone, June 2022
In this five-part series, we’re sharing our experiences (as well as pilgrim and local insights) into five of the bigger town and city stops along the Camino de Santiago (Camino Frances) pilgrimage route. The towns and cities of Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos, Leon and Santiago de Compostela all make for perfect places for a rest day along the Camino or even just a weekend away.
My hope is that this series will provide you with some useful information and advice if you’re planning your own Camino or just some inspiration for a different weekend away in some more authentically Spanish cities than the usual tourist haunts.
Image: Early morning in Leon, Louise’s iPhone, June 2022
First a quick hello and welcome! I’ve had some wonderful feedback on our Cities of the Camino series here, thank you so much for your support and encouragement!
This week is the fourth in this series, focusing on the welcoming city of Leon. Arriving in Leon means that you’ve walked the majority of the Meseta region and you’re nearing the end of your Camino.
Slow down because the end is almost in sight.
Our arrival in Leon took probably the most dramatic turn of our whole Camino. While my feet were starting to finally heal and find their groove, Mark was starting to suffer pain in his instead. As we walked the 24km from Reliegos into Leon, the scenery became industrial and the sky clouded over. We felt the first raindrops of our entire journey.
As the skies turned black and the thunder began to rumble, Mark succumbed to the pain in his feet and had to stop every few steps to rest. It amazes me that he made it all the way to McDonald’s in Leon (again the golden arches) where we rested and worked out how to get to the hotel we had booked for that night.
The next morning, when it became clear that Mark could not walk even a step, I ventured out looking for crutches (30 euros from a pharmacy). We slowly hobbled together to Hospital HM Regla, which we found right underneath the cathedral. After an hour of wonderful service in both broken Spanish and English, Mark was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.
If you’re not familiar, plantar fasciitis, dreaded by pilgrims, is inflammation of the tissues that connect your heel bone to your toes. And it’s excruciatingly painful, as anyone who suffers will tell you.
Would we even be able to complete our Camino, after we’d come so far?
The only thing to do was rest, and try to carefully massage the tissues in his feet and slowly stretch them back out. Unsurprisingly, instead of one rest day in Leon, we ended up staying for four nights. As a result, we got to know this beautiful, warm and friendly city a little better than anywhere else on our Camino journey.
Image: Cathedral of Leon, by @rperucho on Pixabay
Leon: What you should know
Leon is a gem of a city that beckons the weary traveller with rich history and charm. Known as the ‘City of Conquerors,’ Leon has long been a sanctuary for pilgrims on their journey, offering a blend of culture and relaxation.
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