Off to Hospital de Órbigo,

evening mass at 6 pm takes place in the cathedral of Leon. As a parisher you don’t have to pay entrance to the complex:)) it’s good to be a member.

At 5 am I start my Camino - many kids from last night are still celebrating the weekend  on the streets of Leon with charged drinks - they must think I am an odd one - but so do I think about them.

In Chozas de Abajo I see an air balloon landing - one of the things I had not tried in my life so far, which makes me think about things I should try before I die….serious but also funny question if I would write down all my thoughts here they would be too odd:)))))

When I pass by  Villavante I decide to finally have breakfast. Chris and Michelle from Australia try to snatch my table which I just cleared from dirty plates - ‚Come grab a chair and join me‘, I friendly invite them and of course they do! Cafe con laiche, freshly squeezed orange juice and croissant fill me up. I get to know that my Australian mates are professional hikers - that explains why it took me so long to pass by them before on the Camino. The Irish girls next table somehow get us into discussing naked sun bathing and I stir the conversation towards my birthday:‘ you all have beautiful speaking voices and I would like to hear a happy birthday from you‘. Rewarding my straight forwardness they start singing  in harmony; love my mates and Irish girls!

I make it to Hospital de Órbigo along a railway track and see a message from my hotel that my room is ready for check in - nice for a change that I don’t have to beg for a room before 12.00 pm. My hotel tonight is a ‚container‘ built hotel with brand new rooms - love it.

I make it to church with changed clothes - they have first communion on this Pentecost Sunday. The church is filled to capacity /200+ people)  for the three kids who have their big day. The priest has the big opportunity to kind of inspire the many friends/family who typically never go to church with a modern preaching. But he fails fatally: as he is 65+ years old he falls into old school preaching and looses the 3 kids and families after 4+5 minutes of his 20 minutes preaching.

During communion they give the kids also vine to drink, but the third kid/ girl turns her head in disgust - bravo to her: don’t drink what you don’t like just because of group pressure!

After church I have lunch at the best restaurant in town ( according to my host at the hotel) and brother, do they deliver: fabulous and fresh Spanish cuisine - I celebrate it on their patio overlooking the impressive mid-eaval bridge to which sides mid-eaval games ttook and take place.