On Yellow Arrow Dependency and City Reunions

The 18k (roughly 12 miles) into Leon yesterday was pretty ridiculous. There were some points where the camino stopped and we were just walking alongside the highway. It´s very strange entering a large city on foot especially after having been in the middle of a desert for a week. My senses were totally overwhelmed by horns and exhaust fumes, and eveytime a large truck drove by, I was worried I would blow over backpack and all. Luckily, I made it off the highway and into the city streets.

It was the first time I had entered a city on my own. The group was lingering at a picnic area, and I was feeling spry and eager for a hot shower, so I charged ahead. Luke had our guidebook, so I was completely dependent on the yellow arrows to guide me into the center of the city. You know how hiking trails have marks on trees to show you where to go? Well, the camino is blazed with yellow arrows painted on sidewalks and signposts, and the occasional bronze seashell embedded in the road. Sometimes bars or other businesses will use the arrows to guide you into their establishments, so it can get kind of confusing.

So, there I was, completely on my own, senses reeling, following yellow arrows blindly into the city. Of course, I got lost. Finally, I just began asking people where the cathedral was and hoping I would meet up with the group there. Just as I was about to step into an icecream shop to make myself feel better, Luke jumped out from behind a wall. YES! We headed towards our hotel and had the best showers of our lives in a tiny one-star tub. Then, we wandered the city for tapas, saw the cathedral´s amazing stain glass, and ate Indian food with the British brothers for dinner.

Oh, I forgot to tell you we ran into the British brothers again. In fact, all the characters we´d surpassed by going at such a quick pace across the meseta caught up with us in the city. We´ve been reunited with the Silver Fox, an adorable Dutch couple, and Bridget, a fellow W&M grad who we met in Belorado. It´s part of the charm of the camino the way we form attachments with people we´ve only seen or exchanged a few words with.

Since we spent all of today in the city rather than walking on, our companions will shift again. The "boy band" (our nickname for a couple of gap year kids from England) broke up when one decided to leave today. We´ve got 5 days left in the Camino of our Lives, so things could get interesting...