I’ve become an expert on lancing blisters. I no longer flinch when I either lance or cut them. After a good nights sleep, I felt much better but I woke with the mother of all blisters on my right heel. I realise that I have to listen to my body and after lancing, bactroban, compeed and moleskin I decided to rest in León.

I found a little pension and after a shower I treated myself to a cerveza just outside the cathedral of León. There are lots of familiar Peregrinos in town. Victor (the golden angel of Burgos) greets me with warmth and shows concern about my blisters. He forms part of the small group that includes Athmos from Germany which shared our room in St Jean Pied de Port and who is also here. The Aussie couple which walked the same stretch between Castrojeriz and Frómista are also here.

The Spaniard which I saw this afternoon in Mansilla de las Mulas who is walking the Camino with his dog has just walked into town. She has her own the little backpack strapped to her back. He took out a small camping folding bowl into which he poured water from the fuente. Nothing on the Camino surprises me any more. The tenacity and camaraderie of people is fantastic. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.

In Villivieco a couple of days ago we stopped on the bridge Parque as the bar across the road was closed. We were in desperate need of cafe con leche as it was cold. A small little bakkie came driving up the road and Jim and I still joked that coffee and soup was going to be served. It stopped and an old man got out with a basket. He proceeded to put a medal round his neck and introduced himself as an amigo of the Camino. He spoke no English but offered us berries, small apples and nuts. Victor came from behind and helped with translation. He called him Pepe which means old man. Pepe had a stamp and wrote a different message to each of us. He translated my name to the Spanish version of Juan and since then my fellow Peregrinos have been calling me Juan. The J is pronounced with a “G”.

I did some exploration of León, went to the Parador of which a section is open to the public as a museum. As you come walking up to the Parador it really is like a scene from the movie “The Way”. They have done a lot to preserve and restore the building when they started to turn it into a hotel in the 1960’s.

I met Lee and Julie in the afternoon as they came into town. Lee has a reservation at the Parador and Julie ends up sharing my room as the albergue is not good and there is an extra bed. Lee invites us for drinks at the Parador and show us the room. It’s like staying in a museum and it’s beautiful.

Afterwards we head to plaza San Martin where the locals hang out and have a great supper at El Tizón.

Today is a return to the Camino for my last stretch to Santiago.