Day 27 – Rest Days Are Heaven!

Breakfast!

The LDS Branch in Leon.

That good-looking guy up 

there must be the Bishop.

And these are the darling sister missionaries.

Here is the missionary pool, from left to right:

Elder Kiser from St. George, Elder Smith from

Bountiful, Sister Kroeber from Highland, 

Sister Robinson from St. George, all in Utah.

A visiting General Authority? No doubt! 

 The chapel. At sacrament meeting, every

chair was filled, 50 or so people in all. Nice 

testimonies and a new member confirmation.

Off to the Catedral de Leon!
(Also known as The Church of Light.)

Church bells, ringing in the square!

A glorious sound.

Inside was spectacular! 

Amazing stained-glass windows. 

Just remarkable, really.

Care for a closer view?

Such vivid colors, such intricate patterns!

(One stained glass picture too many.) 

We admit it.

Look at the depth. Incredible!

Another view of this Gothic, 13th Century church.
Begun in 856, it's built above the old Roman baths!

Mike, listening to a recording about this
magnificent cathedral and its history.

A Jeremiah carving for Dave's grandson of the

same name. (Our Jeremiah has long hair, too.)

A Hercules carving, hiding in the choir seats.

Grandson (Alcide's) name means Hercules.

One last, lovely church: Basilica de San Isidoro.

Three hard-working pilgrims grace

the plaza in front of our hotel.

Lone, bronze pilgrim, lost without our company.

A great layover in Leon yields to
tomorrow's 13-mile walk to Mazarife.

A story from Dave:

Today is Sunday. We were able to attend church, a small Mormon branch in Leon, and it was wonderful to be there. Mike and I have been away exactly one month. During that time, we have seen many large and small churches along the way, some beautifully adorned and some modest as can be. A few are known around the world; most are known only to local residents. This morning, I caught a glimpse of my favorite. This was neither a large building, nor one that looked like a church. Rather, it was an ordinary, commercial-type building. It had no stained glass windows, but the light did come shining in. There, in that space, was a familiar feeling...that feeling of peace and comfort and of being among friends, even if I couldn't speak their language. The Spirit found me today and so, for a short time, I was home.

Two stories from Mike:

Regarding the missionaries: They baptized nearly an entire family a few weeks ago. The dad was just baptized Saturday, so the kids and their mom are really happy. He was confirmed a member of the Church during our meeting today; later, he stood to bear his testimony. He was excited, and while I understood not a word of his Spanish, I heard the joy. It felt good to me.

We have become friends with Jane and her daughter, Sarah, of whom we spoke earlier. I got to thinking about Sarah, who has walked the Camino before. In fact, several years ago, this is where she met her boyfriend. She has a tattoo on her arm, one which she spotted on the Camino and decided to adopt for herself. This tattoo reads, "To the truth...To the end." 

This Sabbath day, it occurs to me that the most reliable method of walking "to the truth" is through Jesus Christ (The Way). In studying the things He has said and done, we learn to live well; we stand in His light. What greater truth could there be? In considering the phrase,"to the end," I am reminded that no end exists. Because of Jesus Christ and His gift of everlasting life, the grave will be denied its victory. By Him and through Him, we can overcome our earthly challenges: physical, mental, and spiritual. What a wonderful blessing that is. . .on this Sunday in Leon and always.

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and mental health, the causes Mike and Dave 

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Day 26 – Laboring on to Leon

Before leaving Mansilla, Dave took one

 long. last, longing look at that big trout.

(now dubbed El Señor)

Farewell, Mansilla de las Mulas!

We enjoyed our stay.

This is where the two ways of the Camino meet.

Large home with ruins surrounding it.

River and scenic views – video bomber Dave.
(Don't you love those birds singing?)

Snuck up on some patches of red poppies.

It's good to see them wave to us again!

Dave on the Meseta, heading for Leon.

Mike, gazing down upon the Rio Porma.

The Rio Porma, a lovely sight to see.

Puente del Castro, home of the storks!

Check those critters out! Huge!!

Coming into Leon at last. Great city.

Ancient walls in Leon's old town.

One of many churches in old town.

A look inside this neat old building.

Here's the name and info on the exterior wall.

Our lady friends from Mansilla...

(New name: Womansilla.)

Fresh from DC, Seattle, Holland, Norway.

Catedral de Santa Maria de Leon.

A little video flavor.
(Note that Mike is attempting a Spanish accent.)

Attending pilgrim's mass at the Cathedral tomorrow.

Also found an LDS church to attend!

Can't go inside today, as there's a wedding.

Hoping to get some interior pics later.

Our hotel, from across the Plaza.

Tonight's accommodations.

It is our one night of luxury.

Lobby of our beautiful hotel.

Time out for a day of pampering.

Lovely view just off the lobby.

On the way to our rooms.

(This place used to be a convent.)

Not too shabby, eh?

And this is Dave's view, complete 

with magical maze garden!

Went to a restaurant that Mike's brother,

Jake, suggested: Bogeda Regina. Loved it!

Dave's fish soup was to-die-for.

Dave's cheesecake and vanilla ice cream.

Mike forgot to photograph the sirloin,

which was a pretty big misteak! So punny.

A wonderful meal at this family-owned eatery:

run by Dad, cooked by Mom, served by their son.

Thanks for the great tip, Jake!

Flashback! We were younger and unafraid,

 atop the Pyrenees.

Layover in Leon tomorrow!

A story from Dave:

We ate dinner last night with three of the women pictured below. The one on the far right with a blue coat hails from Bergen, Norway, the city where my paternal grandmother (Judith Jensine Jensen Anderson) was born in 1887. Our Norwegian friend had a few questions about Grandma's name, so I opened my Ancestry.com app to show her my family tree. She was excited to see my heritage portrayed in this way and recognized many traditional Norwegian names. I told her my grandmother left Norway as a young girl to marry my grandfather. Because they were poor, she was never able to return to see her family again. Our Norwegian dinner guest, who had an unpronounceable name (for me, anyway), described the city of Bergen with considerable enthusiasm, saying that I must visit there to see my relatives. She also mentioned a pilgrimage in Norway near Bergen, which has a climate like Seattle. It sounds appealing. For many years, I've felt a need to reconnect with my Norwegian family on behalf of my extended family in the US, no member of which (to my knowledge) has ever returned to the homeland. Sounds like my inner Viking is calling me to come Home!

A story from Mike: 

Our fifth day on the Meseta was long and straight and hot and fairly boring. This middle phase of our journey reminded me that there are two things going on with us every day: (1) what is on the outside, and (2) what is on the inside. The outside, we cannot change. The Camino has been a path for over 1,000 years of pilgrims, most of whom walk it with the goal of crossing Spain and reaching the other side. The weather, of course, cannot be altered. It is what it is. Rain may fall; wind may blow. It might be stormy or sunny. We are not in charge and can only accept what is offered us. The road lies outside of our control as well. It may be rocky with big boulders, paved in asphalt, cobbled with stone, covered in nice gravel or soft dirt. The conditions are not up to us. Again, it is only on the inside that we can exert control. As I walked today, I felt a closeness to those who have walked before, those who walk today, and Dave...who has walked beside me now for 26 days. So many pilgrims with different needs, challenges, and hardships...hundreds of thousands before me, with many more to come in the future.

Today, my feet hurt more than they have so far. Somewhere along the road from Mansilla to Leon, I developed a big bone bruise, but my mind told me to just keep putting one foot in front of the other until I reached Leon. I didn't want to accept the disappointment of catching a cab. I kept thinking of my wonderful wife, Lynna, who lives with constant pain each and every day of her life. Yet, in all our pictures and all our situations, she continues to smile. She does not let the pain ruin her plans                                                                                 or steal her opportunity to be with the grandkids; her attitude is predictably positive. Quite simply, Lynna refuses to dwell upon the heartaches and challenges. When shadows fall, she looks up and finds the sun. When darkness envelops, the moon and stars are hers. This is a good way to live, because none of us can control the outside elements that impact us every day and throughout our lives. What we can control is our attitude, how we look at things, and how we let the events of the day affect us. It's not what life does to us that is important; it's what we do with what life does to us that really matters.

Click below to support suicide prevention

and mental health, the causes Mike and Dave 

are championing with their walk.