Day 1 - Leon to Mazarife

Today was my first day on the Camino and it has been quite kind to me.  On my way out of Leon I ran into a group of 3 gents (Allan from Ireland, Neil from the UK, and George from the California wine country) who were kind enough to let me tag along and lead me out if Leon.  I would have never found my way out.   The first stretch up to La Virgen del Camino was boring and a but hilly which my legs were not used to. After a caffe con leche in La Virgen, the rest of the day was an absolutely beautiful walk.   

Along with the 3 lovely gents, our route today was along the quiet country side to Mazarife. Along the way we passed a couple of tiny villages, a guy selling soda and bananas in the middle of nowhere  (which came in quite handy as a mid-morning snack), and a nice break at a bar in a tiny little village I don't even know the name of.  In the little village with the bar, I met a guy from Hungary, named Zoltan, and a lovely woman from Florida, Lianne.   Leanne and I walked together to Mazarife  and arrived into town arrived 2:30 in the afternoon  where we decided to stay in a double room instead of the shared bunk bed accommodations.  It looks like Leanne, Sandy and I are the only ones in the little building where our rooms are.  That should make it for a quiet night with no snoring from other pilgrims.  

Arriving in town early in the afternoon gives one plenty of time to spend a few hours in the courtyard with your fellow peregrinos (over 3 rounds of beer or in my case vino tinto), some shared snacks and some good conversation, still with plenty of time and sunshine in the day to do laundry and dry your clothes, and of course plenty of time to relax in solitude while updating this blog ;-). 

This day has certainly caught me of guard with the enormous amount of hours in the day to do whatever you want once your job for the day (of walking from one place to the next) is complete.  When I return to my normal life my first mission will be to figure out where to find all these hours - I must be doing something wrong in my daily life if I don't have enough time in the day.  

As I finish writing this post, my new friends have emerged from their rooms after showers and laundry doing in time for dinner, time to go enjoy the rest of my Camino evening.  

Asta Luego mi amigos!