Leon to Villar de Mazarife

For dinner, I went to another old haunt: the   Restaurant of the Posada de Regia. I had hoped to stay there, but it was fully booked. I discovered that a large French group had commandeered the place and were already eating dinner when I arrived. This is a traditional place which doesn’t serve food before 9.00 pm.

I enjoyed a delicious meal of fat white asparagus, (vegetarians close your eyes) roast suckling pig, followed by a nightcap of a tot of Grand Mariner- to ensure a good night’s sleep.

This morning, I shed my load and employed Jacotrans to convey my pack to the next place (worth it at €5). I also took a local bus out of the boring Leon suburbs to Virgen del Camino and then set off for the 13.5 km walk to Villar de Mazarife. I stopped twice for coffee on the way and once for a small beer. I like to give some business to these small Camino towns which would otherwise be dead! They seem to be on their last legs already, with many houses empty or even falling down with their insubstantial adobe construction.

The alternative route from Virgen was really pleasant. We were soon on a sandy track or else a quiet country road with few cars. It was desolate moorland with the first signs of yellow broom opening, lots of purple orchids and poppies dancing in the breeze. Nearing Mazarife I saw about 8 storks in a field. They seemed to be huge birds (normally I see them high up in a nest). They were following a tractor that was ploughing a field - hoping for food to feed their young.