Day 27 elevation profile
After two wonderful days of relaxing in Leon, we wake up on Mother’s Day to our Pilgrim’s Wake Up alarm of 6am. Sorry Narelle, no sleep in or breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day. After looking at all the Camino sites yesterday we don’t feel the need to retrace the Camino route through the old part of the city and head straight for the river on the direct road. The bridge we cross to leave the city is beautiful but it takes us into the outer suburbs and industrial areas of Leon, a far cry from what we had just visited.
Mother’s Day 2015
Our guide book suggests we make a slight detour to bypass the industry, so we do and for the first time don’t agree with the suggestion. Only thing that was added to our walk today was an extra half a kilometre. Never mind, nothing lost.
After a quick snack in Fresno (I thought that was in California) we quickly put the kilometres behind us. A stamp and supplies at a small stall in Oncina gives me a chance to shake some pebbles out of my boots and grab an apple for later.
The rest of the walk takes us through the countryside and the crops of canola and wheat are with us again. The patches of windflowers of purple, yellow white and red add to the colourful path. Our constant companion since San Juan, the cuckoo bird, calls to us and we feel a sense of comfort and relaxation knowing we are leaving the city bustle behind. The country side reminds me now of the farmlands on the Hay plain in western NSW – though the salt bush has been replaced by small daisy bushes in the paddocks.
Adding some colour to our day.
We arrive in Villar de Mazarife early in the afternoon. We dump our gear in our lodgings, give my feet and knees a good soaking under the cold tap and wander around for an hour or so to check out the small village. It’s a nice place to be.
I don’t think the Spanish realise how big we Australians can get.