It's my lucky day ... I get to meet Miss USA's brother! I think he is her brother but he's different, he's coachable.

I will get to Mr. USA momentarily but first my time in Leon. I think I covered the walk to Leon. Short at less than twelve miles, flat, but it's warm. It's a perfect tourist day at the plaza around the Cathedral and all of the narrow little streets with one little specialty shop after another. The benefit of having been here before is that I know where to go for the things I need. There is a Norstrom type store where I can buy a couple of things I need which will let me get rid of those that have seen their last days. 

I also know where the Camino shop is. I need desperately to buy some new socks. The old ones are really shot from the sink washing. Let's just say that I have not been using any softener. So I run my errands including the purchase of soap powder. It only comes in a large box so I will measure enough to take care of the last twelve days, yes that's whats left, twelve days to Santiago.

I have a salad at the Hotel for dinner but have to wait until 8:30 although it's supposed to be a open at 8:00. No problem, but I have a call with Robin at 9:00 my time, noon her's which had to be pushed back. There are only three of us in the Hotel dining room but that does not matter. We will still go at a speed which is just a bit slower than most of us might expect. All good. Robin and I  have a nice call although her Mom, Mary fell and is still dealing with a nagging cough. Robin is also dealing with jet lag and getting things at the house squared away. 

So it's Friday morning and I'm awake early and decide to skip the Hotel's carb fest and get started early. It's going to be warm today but when I step out of the Hotel it is really very chilly. It's also refreshing  because the Hotel was really warm, too hot for me but I can't change it.

As I leave Leon it's really a completely different view. The crowds are gone, the cafe's furniture lining all of the streets are stored and I get to see a completely different Leon from the one I have seen both yesterday and on the first Camino. It's nice, it's peaceful and the sun is rising. I'm on my way to Villadangos del Paramo, a walk of about fourteen miles on the road route. Not pretty and it is very noisey. I chose this route because it would be different from my first Camino.

When you leave Leon you will first walk about five and a half miles to La Virgen Del Camino where you must choose which route to take, Mazarife or Del Paramo. It is also important to note that if you choose the Mazarife route this will be your last chance to buy water or whatever you need for the next eight miles.

Initially I am less than happy with my choice but I have decided to go as many new routes as I can this time regardless of the view. The route is as was described in the guide book. I really don't care. The last four days have been long, flat and hot. So who cares if there is another. There is a benefit to this route. There will be more places to stop and rest.

I planned on going to La Virgen del Camino where the "Yogi" is located because I have been to the little cafe at that point before. If you read the first blog it's the place where I showed the Vivian ( our cat) video to the mother and she went nuts. I had to replay it several times. I get there and Mom is in exactly the same place. I order but don't attempt to explain that I've been there before. I have breakfast and move on to the road route which will be about eight miles. I am making good time. The route while noisey is flat and dead straight. I'm about four miles into the road route when I reach San Miguel. I walk past a small cafe with a patio and as soon as I am fifty feet past I decide to go back, take a break. If I'm lucky they might have wifi. It turns out that's its really a nice little place. Impeccably clean and organized. I drop my back pack and go to the counter. I'm the only customer. I order I short beer. It's about the size of a half bottle. The little lady behind the counter hands me the beer and I give her a two Euro coin. She puts my change in a little dish and I say thank you and push back the dish. 

I sit and then ask "wifi ?". She quickly points to the wall where there is an eight digit password posted. Here is what I have learned about the Camino. If you need help, want to use their bathroom or their wifi, you should first purchase something, anything, before you do any of these three things. It's really simple. 

The beer I ordered is a fraction more than a Euro so my "tip" is nearly one hundred percent. Big deal. The wifi is working and I'm starting to send photos from my departure from Leon this morning when the little women brings me a dish of Sosnish rice with a small shrimp and a mussel. That's nice, and it's good. See how it works?

With that out of nowhere this guy bursts into this tiny cafe and shoves his guide book in the little women's face ( the same one i have as well as just about everyone else) and in a very aggressive tone demands to know where some Hotel he's looking for is located. The women speaks very little English and when she does not respond he gets angry and more aggressive. I've had enough. 

I get up and get between them and simply say to him "calm down". I go on to tell him that whatever is wrong I will try  to help him. He immediately goes back to the same voice and aggressiveness. I put up my hand and just tell him to stop. If you want help you need to calm down. Again I ask what's the problem? He finally slows down and proceeds to tell me that he cannot find his Hotel which should be nearby. He shows me his guide book and points to the location. He is at least five miles short of where he needs to be. I point that out to him and he starts to go back to being Miss USA's brother and once again I give him the stop sign. He starts to tell me that his wife, sitting outside on the patio cannot go any further.

Okay. Once he calms down I tell him that first you need to order someting. He looks at me with that "what" look on his face. Again I tell him to order someting and we will find a way to get him to his Hotel. He then turns to me and says okay I'll have a beer and my wife will gave a cup of tea. Great, now I'm working here. I turn to the little lady and order both the beer and the tea and she gets right to it. I turn to him and tell him to give me five Euro. He looks at me, hesitates but reluctantly gives me a five Euro note. The little women puts both the beer and the tea on the counter and I hand her the five Euro note and when she try's to give me the change I just say thank you. That's about a one hundred percent tip but it's also about two dollars. 

I grab the tea and head out to the patio where Mr. USA's wife is sitting. It's  no wonder she can't go any longer. She's dressed lke it's going to snow and it's at least 80 degrees. I simply explain that they are at least five miles from where they want to go and then ask if they want to have the women call a taxi? I point out that a taxi will get them to where they want to be in less than twenty minutes. There is no hesitation, the wife says " yes, please yes". Mr, USA does not get a vote and I go back inside and with that universal hand signal where you hold your hand next to your ear like you are getting a call or calling someone else I just say " taxi ". She says simply, Si. That's it. In less than ten minutes a taxi arrives and takes them to wherever they are going. I don't know their names, he never thanked me and they are gone. 

I am back inside and I order a small beer and the little women just smiles at me and then brings me a little sausage on a small piece of bread. I pay her and then return to the Camino. I'm actually pleased that I took the road route today. I had a Camino experience. 

I arrive at my Hotel located right on the freeway at 3:30. It's not the Four Seasons. My only hope now is that if I decide to go to the Pilgrim dinner that I don't get stuck sitting next to Mr. USA. My goal is to get to bed early because tomorrow my walk to Astorga will be nearly twenty miles! The longest distance of any of my schduled walks. 

 When I arrive in Astorga tomorrow I will have 164 miles to Santiago. Good night and Buen Camino.