Camino: Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas

20/05/19
Days on the meseta start to blur. While flat, they do provide endless vistas of flowers and distance mountain views. Villages appear to be just a few kilometers ahead but somehow keep inching just out of reach. Cottonwood tops flit through the air & gather like piles of snow on the sides of the trail... so many that restaurants move dinner inside. We can't complain as our heavenly temps have made walking oh so pleasant.

Mansilla de las Mulas is a quiet walled city, one of the last gateways into the bustling city of Leon.
28k to Mansilla de las Mulas (population 1900)

Camino: Ledigos to Bercianos del Real Camino

19/05/19
This was one of my favorite days on the Camino.
We purposefully planned a meandering day, waiting for our friend, Bill, to join us for breakfast #1 in Ledigo as we knew our crew would split off today. We then walked through small villages, enjoying a tasty breakfast #2 in tiny Bar #2. It is a joke on the Camino as pilgrims pile into the first bar/cafe they find in a town as they are eager for sustenance & a bathroom, often ignoring a superior and empty Bar #2. Today we went to bar #2 for my first taste of avocado on the Camino. I know, crazy talk.

We said so long to friends after touring the historic town of Sahagan to finish our long walk to Bercianos del Real Camino where a surprise awaited us. After touching goodbyes & hugs, Laura & I headed off for the remaining 10k only to find we were headed the wrong way. We had to slink right back past our crew admitting our poor sense of direction.

We had reserved a private room in a cute aubergue in Bercianos only to find we had been placed in a group room in top bunks- Laura's first introduction to aubergue stay. We practiced our quiet gear prep, quick showers & silent getaway at sunrise. Next, heading off to Mansilla de las Mulas on our way into the province & city of Leon.
30k to Bercianos (a whopping 1900 population) via Sahagan (population 200)

At adorable Bar #2

With pals Laura & Bill

So glad someone had the foresight & kindness to plant miles of trees