Rest Days Are Over. It’s Back On The Road Again
Before we close our visit to Leon I wanted to share a couple of pictures. I took the first picture in the Leon Cathedral on Wednesday. Anna was in the hospital undergoing what everyone hopes will be her last chemo treatment. We went by a side altar with a donitivo candle display and both Abe and St. Christopher demanded that I stop and empty out my pockets and give them every coin I had. They took all the coins, and remember that in the Euro countries the lowest denomination bill they have is a five euro bill. They have one and two euro coins and quarters, nickels and dimes. I had a pocket full of coins, and Abe and St. Christopher kept plugging this donativo candle machine like two little old ladies playing the slots on an outing from the nursing home. After they got seven candles lit we all said seven Hail Marys for Anna and sang Swing Low Sweet Chariot. The prayers were St. Christopher’s idea, the song was Abe’s idea. Turns out Abe loves to sing but he doesn’t have the voice for old time gospel music.
After we lit the candles and held a prayer service for Anna, complete with some good old time gospel music, I needed a drink. This is how they make a gin and tonic at your table on the Cathedral Square in Leon. It is quite a show.
This morning we got up, packed and were out of the alburgue at 7:45 AM. We walked for 30 minutes and found a cafe on the west side of Leon to have breakfast. It took us two hours just to get out of Leon and get into the countryside. The first suburb we walked through on our way out of Leon was Trabajo Del Camino. Guess what I found in Trabajo Del Camino? You know how I have been going into these places for the last three weeks asking them if they sell medical or recreational marijuana.
Every time I do this the “pharmacist” looks at me like I am some sort of dolt and throws me out of the dispensary. Well, as I was walking through Trabajo Del Camino I finally found what I have been unsuccessfully searching for these past three weeks, an honest to goodness pot dispensary.
Just my luck, I finally found the one pot dispensary on the Camino and it is closed. I just can’t catch a break on the Camino.
In the Leon area there are a number of Chinese bazaars. I went in one and it was so chock full of crap that you had to slither down the aisles sideways, and as an attorney for 36 years I can slither with the best of them.
Speaking of slithering, this Plaintiffs’ attorney had a small sign in downtown Leon and this big billboard in Trabajo Del Camino. He seems to be the Frank “The Strong Arm” Azar of Spain.
This is a roadside cross in the next town on our walk today, La Virgin Del Camino. We stopped here and said a prayer for Anna.
We stopped for a second breakfast at Fresno Del Camino. The cafe had a beautiful flower bed on the patio where we ate our food.
We took the alternate route through the Páramo to Villar de Mazarife instead of the senda path alongside the busy road to Villadangos Del Páramo. It was a very peaceful walk and beautiful scenery. 
We stopped for lunch at Chozas de Abajo. They had a roadside bell tower there. We stopped and said a prayer for Anna.
As we were walking through Chozas de Abajo I spotted this sign on one of the nicer houses in town. No mistaking the message this sign is trying to convey.
After a nice 22 kilometer walk we finally arrived at our destination for the day, Villar de Mazarife. We are staying at the alburgue Tio Pepe.
This is the Pilgrim statue across the street from the alburgue.
This is the church across the street from the alburgue. Notice the stork nests.
I hope everyone is having a great Friday.
Good evening from Villar de Mazarife, Spain.
AbeAndMarkontheCamino 