Day 5 - Leon to Santiago

Day 5 - Leon to Santiago de Compostela

Today was a biking day to get us from Leon to Santiago on the North West coast. We travelled 255 miles today through amazing mountains and along some smooth but some really rough roads. There were quite a few that were not on our map and at one point we got quite lost and had to put on SatNav to find out just exactly where we were! In fact we were about where we thought we were and so didn't lost time nor waste mileage.

Storks Nest in an old bit of church.

Stork's nest in old bit of church

We saw quite a few stork nests but this was the most interesting and we braved stopping the side of the road to get a good pic. Lots of cars whizzed past our left knees and the odd truck too.

We basically followed the pilgrim route for most of the way and given that we did 255 miles and that was only a part of the route there were some quite weary folk on the trail. Some walked and others were cycling.

Slate roofs

Quite a few of the older houses have slate roofs. Not like at home but rather more random in the way they are put together - a bit like a dry stone wall but in slate-on-roof form. We got a few pics of this but most were just too far away from the road to get a good 'un - this one shows the gist of it.

Big bull!

Spain is really big on bull-fighting. Rob found this out talking to a leaf sweeper a few years ago when he asked him (in Seville) if it was true that Spanish folk still went to Bullfights. He waxed lyrically that he had his tickets for the six-week, three shows-a-day, eight bulls-per-show season and Rob was impressed yet mathematically distressed at the amount of carnage. An added statistic is that only ONE bullfighter had actually died in the 200-odd year history of Seville bull fights - quite a number of injuries but rather in favour of the humans. Presumably THIS bull is great advertising!

Maize storage

 We passed a lot of these maize storage things in people's gardens. Probably ornamental at this point but very like the ones in mid-France that kept corn for re-seeding the following year and keeping foodstuff safe from rats etc. These quite a lot smaller than the ones in France near Tours but having the same purpose according to the chap in our hostel in Santiago de Compostela.

Our Hostel is basic - we had to make our own beds (!) and share bathroom. That said there is quite quick internet and it works sitting out in the garden. Unlike any Youth Hostel I've ever been to there is Amstel Beer on tap at Student Union prices too......YUM!

There are some good videos of road riding but they take an age to process and then upload and this can only really be done in a more comfortable hotel and BEFORE Amstel draught beers.

More tomorrow - were out to explore Santiago now so pics and comments about this tomorrow. A cockerel crowed just as we arrived so he might not survive if he sings too early in the morning.

Tra-la-loodle-doo!
RobXX