** Rocking Time in Leon part 3 **

I liked Leon...can ya tell!  Getting there wasn't easy, and the people you came across...interesting!

At one point, Pilgrims actually had to get across this four lane highway....without the bridge!

Wonder how much for the cart!  The contrast between the old and the new was astounding.

On his way back from Santiago to Germany.

A painful reminder of Spain's 20% unemployement.

One of the beautiful fountains.

The main entrance to the Cathedral.  Loved the Blessed Mother here, She is so regal.

Details to keep you occupied by the hour, including hints of the original coloring.

There really was a hushed sort of reverence...till that choir from Madrid showed up! And then it was "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!"

Nothing to say .... just ahhhhh!

Ahhh!

Flowers in place, the choir as warming up...the wedding would begin soon.

Ahhh!  One bas relief that all pilgrims can relate to only too well! 

** Rocking Time in Leon part 2 **

OMG!  It's taken me forever, to figure out how to share just a snippet of what went on in the Leon Cathedral that lovely evening.  Patience wins!  The quality, well it's simply what my little camera will provide..but you get the flavor.  These guys were awesome!

Rocking time in Leon!

Funny someone just turned up the radio here in Acebo, as I started typing this...and it´s swing music...Rockin again!

So back at Leon, in the lovely ethereal Cathedral, walking quietly thru the church I was having a lovely time.  Quietly.  Taking respectful photos.  Whispering to my friend Christina from Toulouse (sic).  And then.  She spots a man in a tux.  Her curiosity piqued, she went over to inquire.  Apparently he was with a choir from Madrid.  They were in town for a wedding.  That night at six.  So...not being shy, she asked if it was possible to stay. It was totally allowed.

So, two totally inappropriately dressed Perigrinas (beggers at the feast) sat tucked in a corner right next to the  choir area.  The practice began and the rest of the stunningly dressed choir arrived.  Lovely songs.  Lovely gospel songs.  Lovely rockin gospel songs!  The did "Swing Low Sweet Chariot", a totally hip arrangement of "Ave Maria".  They then went into "O Happy Day".  I felt my head turning almost on it´s own, rather like something from Exorcist.  Ratcheting it´s way around.  I locked eyes with one of the men in the choir, who looked rather puzzled.  When practice was over, grinning like a fool, I pointed to my self and said in my best Espanol, Los Estados Unidos, and gave him two thumbs up.  He started to laugh too!

For all the formality and for all that we were in a cathedral where most of the others were wearing evening clothes, this was the most rocking wedding I have ever ever ever been to!  The recessional was "O Happy Day"!  After the bride and groom exited stage left, the choir continued singing, with the pilgrims who´d hung in snapping fingers, clapping hands and singing along.  The choir totally loved the feed back too! 

Over a dinner of paella, the two of us simply could´t stop grinning and pinching ourselves.  Christina is now walking her way to Oviedo as some of the crowding is too much for her.  She´ll then make her way to Santiago from there.  I will miss her company.  But I will never forget our Saturday night in Leon.

The best laid plans....oft go awry!

Well the original plan was to take a bus into the center of Leon.  Small problem, its Saturday.  The buses aren´t running so often.  As a result I wound up walking with Joseph from Berlin, and we got a little lost or rather off the track for a bit.  Right now I am in the Municipal Alburque and need to decide whether or not to push on to Virgen del Camino.  Another friend said there was a place reserved for her and I was welcome too it.  Gotta think about it as it is currently 1:00 and I´d need to make a connection to get there and then take the bus back to see the city.  Decisions decisions!  Again I need to remember if this is my biggest complaint on the journey...life ain´t really that tough.

This mornings walk was really not that hard or that far, barely 20k, but just not pretty.  It parrallels the highway and even with a bit of rerouting for saftey´s sake, it just ain´t nuthin to write home about.  Oh wait...that is exactly what I´m doing!  Ah well.

The Cathedral popped up around the corner as we crossed the second bridge over the highway (can NOT believe people used to do that stretch without those bridges!) and looks lovely, even from a distance.  It is strange suddenly being in the midst of a real city again.  It feels like I´m a real stranger, truly forgein.   I just feel so comfortable in the coutry now.  Here we become sort of a side show.