On Thursday the 2nd of May 2013, I walked from Leon to Villar de Mazarife. The Brierley distance from Leon to Villar de Mazarife is 23 kilometres. On the way here, I met and travelled with Harold, Juan and Helen. I had lunch with them in the albergue. Once the Camino got out of the Leon suburbs, this was easy travelling.
I omitted from the diary entries, any references to any of the physical ailments that I endured as I walked the Camino. These omissions were probably done because the pain I was suffering from the blisters on my feet was extreme.
I had wrongly assumed that after several days of walking, my feet would simply toughen up, the blisters would heal and I would not get any new blisters. My confident belief that the blisters would go away, proved to be completely wrong. The blisters never went away, and as old blisters healed, new ones immediately came along to replace them. Every morning before I started walking, I unbandaged my blistered feet and replaced the bandages and lotions that I hoped would make sure that the blisters did not become infected. I had brought a comprehensive supply of blister repair equipment with me and I used it every day. Although the blisters kept on coming, they never became infected, even though they always burst. This was either because of the walking I was doing or because I deliberately burst them at the end of the day’s travel.
The blisters were most difficult to cope with at the start of each day’s walking, but after about an hour, I ceased to notice the pain that they generated; the pain was still there, but receded into the background.
Apart from the blisters, I also experienced severe pain in my left shoulder and this made carrying the 10 kilogram backpack difficult. As with the blisters, the start of walking was the time when I was most aware of the pain in the shoulder. As the day wore on, the shoulder pain joined the blister pain as just another background irritant which I could ignore.
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Walking out of Leon took time. It is a large city and the Camino slowly snaked its way through the city streets.
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The river that flows through Leon is the Cares River. Leon was founded by a Roman legion and the name Leon is derived from the Roman word “legion”. I took this photo on 2 May 2013.
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A civic artwork in Leon inspired by the Camino. This artwork is on the route out of Leon.
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Part of the line of pilgrims winding its way out of Leon on the 2nd of May 2013.
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The line of peregrinos stretched out behind me as I left Leon.
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On the way to Villar de Mazarife on the 2nd of May.
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Sign on the approach to Villar de Mazarife, location of the albergue in which I stayed..
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Diary Entry Made on Thursday 2 May 2013
I am at an albergue at Villar de Mazarife. I arrived here from Leon at about 1:20 pm. On the way I met and travelled with Canadian Harold who is 82 [Note: Harold was only 81 at that time.] and doing his 10th Camino. I also met Harold's friend Juan who is Spanish who is doing his 6th Camino. I also met Helen from Toronto. Helen is a corrections officer. I had lunch with Harold, Juan and Helen in the albergue - which has a bar. It was easy travel today once the Camino got out of the suburbs. The Brierley distance was 23.1 kilometres.
There was no wind, no rain and there was wonderful sunshine. It was easy travelling and no particular body aches or pains.
Distance Walked Today: 23.1 kilometres.
Total Distance Walked So Far: 469.3 kilometres.
Total Distance Covered So Far: 490.5 kilometres including the 21.2 kilometres by taxi.
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Soul Song Number 22 - Easy Strider
(2 May 2013)
It rained overnight in Leon.
Moisture tapped at the window of the hotel room.
At first you thought there must be mice.
So you turned on the light and made a noise,
Hoping to scare off the rodents.
The rain didn't scare so easily though.
It continued tapping and scratching until it was ready to go.
It was still raining when you fell asleep.
Next day the rain was gone,
Replaced by crisp, clean, cold sunshine.
Replaced by sunshine that needed no wind as a support act.
The sunshine gathered strength as your feet flew through the streets of Leon.
At last it happened.
The suburbs gave their last gasp.
Now you walked completely freely once more.
You were back in the gentle green countryside of Spain.
The hunched up pilgrim of the last few days became transformed.
Instead of Mister Plod, you became Easy Strider.
In what seemed like no time at all, you were in Villar de Mazarife.
Once again you became a pilgrim moving easily through the rhythms of the day.
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