Journey Begins - Into León, Spain

18 September 2018

Our journey began today with our flight to Spain and then the train ride to León. We spent the day sightseeing in León, enjoying one last day of easy travel before the Camino de Santiago begins.

After arriving in Madrid, it was an easy journey to get to León. We just took two trains (one from the airport and another one from a nearby station) and we were in León in just a few hours. Surprisingly, the jet lag was not as bad as we expected.

We checked into our hotel (not a pilgrim hostel since we will have many of those to stay in during this journey). The hotel is actually part of a monastery, and they held a special pilgrim service in the evening (which we attended) with all the nuns singing in the choir.

León is a beautiful city with one of the most historic cathedrals in Spain. The cathedral has more stained glass than any church I have seen anywhere. It felt like a football field worth of stained glass was hanging in the air between narrow pillars of stone. How the building does not fall in on itself is a miracle!

Tomorrow will be our first day on the trail. We took a photo of one of the many brass scallop shells in the pavement. It is a symbol of the Camino found all along its course. We also purchased our scallop shells to attach to our backpacks. Most pilgrims carry these with them as they journey to Santiago de Compostela.

At least for today, it was sunny and beautiful. We hope to avoid the rains that may come once we get to Galicia near the coast. We just hope for good weather during our 200-mile trek.

We are excited about what the next few weeks will bring. Buen camino!

At the Chamartín Station in Madrid.

Our high-speed train to León.

On our way to León. 

León, Spain

Narrow lanes fill central León, a hallmark of this medieval city.

León Cathedral

So tall and narrow, the main transept felt like being in a canyon 

Incredible stained glass. How can this cathedral even stay standing? 

There is almost a football field worth of stained glass in the cathedral.

The cathedral has so much glass and such thin walls that it requires what are called 'flying buttresses' made of stone just to keep the building from collapsing on itself.

Scallop shell designs mark the Camino de Santiago.

We carry actual scallop shells on our backpacks, just like all the other pilgrims. The shell bears the cross of St. James (Santiago is the name of St. James in Spanish).

Final shot from León, a palace designed for an archbishop in the late 1800s by the famous Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi.