LIVE from the Camino León to Sarria

So happy to be back in Spain and back on the Camino! We- hubby and I, only have 10 days so walking León to Sarria via Samos.
Started in León today - much cooler. The heatwave has definitely broken, at least for now! Was 10°C when we started today.
Lots of liquid sunshine today. Given how dry the land looks, it definitely needs it, so calling it liquid sunshine instead of rain! Praying that Naverra is also getting it.
A lot less people than I expected, given all the posts about difficulty finding beds. We took the alternative route and currently in Villar de Mazarife at Tio Pepe. Very quiet here. The lady at the bar said there was no need to make dinner reservations because it is so quiet in the town.
I've activated my Find Penguins. I hope you can see it. Forgot to turn on the route tracking this morning

Reflection on 4 days.
In Foncebadón tonight. We have been spending nights in small villages and enjoying the opportunity to speak Spanish. The Camino remains quieter than I expected. Restaurants/Bars have a lot of empty tables. Our hospitalier in Villares de Órbigo said that mid June to mid July is always quiet...
The last time we walked on the Camino was in 2016 (SJPP -Logroño) Sept/Oct. The differences I note are:
1. Most of the rural churches are locked this time. Today was the first time I encountered one that was open - in Rabanal del Camino. It was such a blessing to go in there, pray, reflect and absorb the beauty in the simplicity of the place. I've been missing that.
2. I love the constant singing of the birds. This was not present in the Fall Camino
3. There are a lot less pilgrims, but there appears to be more cycling pilgrims.
4. There's a lot less toilet paper littering the trail!
I met a trail angel yesterday. One of my hiking poles would not tighten so we went to Deportes Huracán in Astorga to replace it. Instead of selling me a new pole, he offered to look at it and actually fixed it! Gracias! We bought some other things there as well as my husband's pack did not arrive in Spain with us and still hasn't!- a story for another time.
Tomorrow, Cruz de Ferro. I struggled with whether or not to bring a stone from home given tomorrow is only day 5, but did, to symbolically let go of my work-life stressors as I retired in Nov 2022.
Buen Camino!

Ellann said:

Cathy I have just completed the Portuguese Camino and vowed never again, 300 km plus was indeed a challenge, however since coming home I have begun a rethink. I certainly would never walk from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela, and don't need another compostela. So I started to think of a variation to this and like you, I now would like to walk from Leon to Sarria (not sure of the variant at this point).
I would love to hear more about this stage from you. I am also aiming for late May into June 2024. Thanks in advance.

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Hi Ellan. Sorry about the really late response to this. Direct message me and I'd be happy to answer your questions.
Cathy