Started before sunrise – excited for the walk today which finishes the Meseta section of the Camino Frances, and ends at the old town in the center of the city of León. This city has a population of about 124,000 and was founded as the encampment of a Roman legion in 39 BC. Many sections of the original Roman walls are very much in evidence.

But before that, there is a long section of walking through the suburbs of León. One must get past a seemingly endless succession of car repair shops, freeway interchanges, outlet stores, roundabouts, auto dealerships, upholstery shops, canine associations, and even taxidermists.

Once finally past all that, one comes into the beautiful old part of the city. As I arrived, the narrow streets were lively with people. With my backpacking gear and from the direction that I was coming from, it must have been pretty clear to the locals that I had just come from walking across the Meseta. I got some quiet acknowledgement from locals passing by who recognized this, and I felt happy and proud about that.

I visited the modern and well-designed Museo de León, which presents the vastly long history of of the city.

At dinnertime, caught up with L., E. and T. at the Plaza de San Martín. This is a classic place for far-flung pilgrims to serendipitously run into each other again, as described for example in Hape Kerkeling’s ‘Ich bin dann mal weg’.

After dinner we decided to go for drinks at the lovely and quiet Plaza del Grano. The Tinto de verano shown here, is a favorite drink of (at least modern day) pilgrims.

Later in the night, on the way back to where I was staying, nearby the cathedral, I saw it lit up in spectacular fashion.