I decided to sleep in to give my feet extra rest after a long walk the previous day. I did not leave until the hotel until 09:30. I first stopped at the Leon Cathedral. I paid €6 to enter and spent forty minutes listening to the audio tour. I got a stamp for my credential next door at the cloister. About 10:15, I started walking through Leon and its suburbs. The walking was hilly and through residential and industrial areas.
I made it to the town of Virgen del Camino, and there was a Repsol gas station right in my path. I stopped to get a Powerade and box of juice. Not too long after, I came upon the Basilica de la Virgen del Camino. I went inside and and found a stamp in an office at the back of the church. About five minutes of walking after leaving the basilica, the Camino de Santiago split into two different routes. One route follows the N-120 highway toward Villadangos del Paramo, and the other route takes country roads to toward Villar de Mazarife. Both routes join up in Hospital de Orbigo.
My guidebook and app recommended taking the second option since it was more scenic and did not follow a busy highway through industrial areas. I walked along a quiet road through farmland until I got to the farm town of Villar de Mazarife. I checked into the San Antonio de Padua Albergue for €10 about 15:30. I ended up being the only pilgrim there. Looking at the albergue's log, there were only two pilgrims the previous night, an Italian woman and a Dutch woman. I paid the owner of the albergue €6 to wash and dry my laundry.
I showered and laid down for awhile. About 19:00, I walked through the dark to the supermarket. There were actually two small supermarkets at the crossroads of the town. I bought Band-Aids, a bottle of water, and two cans of Budweiser. It was the first time I saw Budweiser in Spain, and that is what I drink at home. I left the store and started wandering around town to see if there was a bar or restaurant to get dinner at. I cracked the first can of Budweiser and drank it as I walked. It did not taste the same as it does in the United States. Villar de Mazarife was dead. I found nothing open until I turned back to go to the albergue. The only other open albergue, Casa Jesus, had a bar that was open. A half dozen local men were inside drinking. The bar did not have much in the way of food, just sandwiches. I ended up eating a tortilla sandwich. I went back to the albergue and passed out before I could drink the second can of Budweiser.
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| The Leon Cathedral. |
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| The inside of Leon Cathedral. |
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| Looking back over my shoulder at Leon. |
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| The Basilica de la Virgen del Camino. The statues are of the apostles. |
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| My view in the afternoon. There are snowcapped mountains far off in the distance. |
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| The sign for Villar de Mazarife. |
