León, city of the lion, former seat of kings, home to buildings by Gaudí and the graves of Roman soldiers and a surprising number of frozen yogurt establishments. Some of us reveled in finding haircuts and Settlers of Catan at your El Corte Inglés (read: the boys). Others chose to wander your Calle Ancha and ogle the magnificent cathedral. Still others (me!) chose to follow the lovely Jemima to see red painted medieval ceilings at your Museo de San Isidoro and then make a stop at a German bakery. León, you were our playground, and how you roared.
Witchy is an overstatement for the rather fearsome nuns who ran our albergue last night (though some of our party would say I'm being kind). Besides gender-segregating the bunks, the strict sisters insisted that anyone with bug bites disinfect all their belongings and pay to have their clothes washed. The doors were locked at 9:30pm and not reopened until 6am. Breakfast, though free, required waiting in line for a seat to open up at a table for twelve -- at the only albergue in León. Everyone tried to spend as much time away from the albergue as possible. At least it only cost 5€.
This morning we gathered our packs and walking sticks and hit the road for the first time in two days. Here in the town of Villar de Mazarife, we are relaxing on the sunny lawn of the albergue, which has a bar with ALL the ice cream flavors and a raised swimming pool and an inexplicable large-scale model of a pirate ship, and also costs 5€. Our own private Narnia.
But most important of all: YESTERDAY WAS C.C.'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!! Happy 18th!
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