Camino de Santiago LITE: Day 1: León

We are finally in Leon, our starting location on the Camino. On the way from the airport, we spotted walkers and could not help but observe how fast they are going, how far they may have walked today and how much they are carrying. "That will be us tomorrow."
The tour packet from Tee Travel was waiting for us at the hotel. But the second battery to be sent by TEP did not materialize so we will have to manage the portable wifi battery which lasts 3-4 hours.

We headed out to the old town, which is just north of our hotel. The first stop was Santa Maria de Carbajal Monastery, where we picked up, for one and a half Euros each, the "credenciales" which are to be stamped along the Camino. They needed to see our ID, so it was the U.S. passport to get the "pilgrim's passport." We also bought a shell to place on our backpack for 5 Euros each. The nuns there run an albergue mentioned prominently in the guidebook by Brierley. There was a long line to get a bed, and we thought, "it is not even noon yet, and these people have already done their day's walk?" At 5 Euros a night, no wonder there is competition.
Among people who just walked hours and still wearing clothes and shoes to reflect it, I started to feel strangely comfortable, my attire including an oversized hat and a vest bulging with photo lenses which must make me look ridiculous.

We were excited to spot our first scallop shells and yellow arrows on the pavement, and since this is our Day 1 after all, we followed part of the Camino in the old town. It was a pleasant walk through tidy alleys and atmospheric squares. Sights included the bustling Plaza Mayor, the Gothic Cathedral, and the Romanesque Church of San Isidro, which boasts superbly preserved 11th century frescoes overlooking royal coffins, a scene that reminded me of murals inside Egyptian pharaohs' tombs.

Our last stop was Plaza San Marcos, the last point on the Camino within the city of Leon. The splendid Parador sits here, which was featured in the movie, "The Way," when the foursome splurged and nearly let their hair down. I thought I could use the fact that we are staying at a lesser place than the Parador whenever hit by the guilt in the presence of the peregrinos who are roughing it. However, it sounds like a number of people are choosing this location to do their one splurge themselves. I could not resist the temptation of one pre-Camino splurge meal and we ended up ordering the tasting menu. In fine Spanish style, the excellent lunch lasted till mid afternoon, which will make us skip dinner as well.

Onwards tomorrow.