we reached Asorga today – hit some hills but nothing too serious. However im getting twinges in my right knee and tbe next two days we climb a great deal[up to 4900 ft] and descending is particularly hard on legs in general.  So i purchased an elastic knee strap. I’ll wear it for next 2 days as a precaution.
We are trying to get away early each morning to avoid high pm temps but there are possible storms coming.  Should make for an interesting walk but they really need rain here.
Tonight im in a dorm that probably holds 40 or 50.pilgrims and the noise and logistics to wash clothes or shower or charge  a phone are sometimes problematic

Its fun to meet new people and sometimes you see the same person over again. I played doctor today patching up feet with the worst blisters ive seen. The 2 guys said they were going to rent bikes to finish the route.  Met a Minnesota girl who has been in Astorga for 3 days just because she loves it.  Last night at supper our entire table was made up of Canadians. In the past 3 days ive had to practice my French, German and Spanish. I saw the Quebecers in a park today and Bob, from Toronto is at the Albergue.  Im on the top floor and the heat there is stifling.  But i could be in Ontario where it rains

We had a quick breakfast today and headed out by 7:30.  By noon we had already completed the distance laid out in Dave’s plan (the alternative was to walk al the way to Asrorga and that would have been too far for me.  The terrain was very flat today, passing miles of cultivated fields. Ive noticed that each home we pass appears to have new doors, new windows and what appear to be a security panel.  Doors will frequently match from town to town but they may be brilliant white,  aluminum or dark hardwood.  I postulate that the homes are owned by an agency that leases them back to residents.   However havent seen many residents either – usually just shopkeepers. Tomorrow will be a longer day andAstorga has lots of Roman ruins.

Today we hit the road on our first day of hiking the buen Camino. After a large breakfast (in case it was my last meal) we struck out from Leon on our way to Villar de Mazarife.  It was a beautiful day and the path was not difficult. Still it was all i could handle.  The sun  became quite hot and my hips started to ache from the constant action under weight. Still the albergue we chose was excellent and im hopeful all will be reset in the morning

Along the route we were reminded by a voice why we were making tbis trek as the sound “cu koo’ repeated itself as we labored along

somehow i lost all my text so ill insert some words here

We travelled by high speed train to Leon hitting speeds exceeding 200 km per hr. The train ride wS very smooth but it had as bumpy start as we found on the station platform with only 5 minutes to spare that we needed printed copies of our tickets on our phones.  Leon is an ancient city with a basilica dating back to the 11th century.and cathedrals almost as old. Our hotel is immense and includes a museum. Unfortunately its Sunday and almost everything is closed.  After an early evening stroll we plan to get started following 730 breakfast tomorrow

Im pleased at present to  be seated in air conditioned comfort as the sun is particularly hot. Its only 25 degrees but i havent experienced this much sun since last year.  Toronto and London were both wet and cold

Today we took a walking tour.  Lots of standing and a little walking.  The guide did well to entertain a large crowd of 40.  Had lunch at the oldest continual running restaurant in the World. (GUINESS BOOK OF RECORDS)   To get to the tour and return we walked 11 kms so Dave continues to get us in shape.  Did some shopping for the trip to Leon tomorrow.

Since that time we walked to the Prado museum and back so i guess we are up past 15 kms walking to,as Dave puts it, get Steve and i in shape.  Near the end of the Prado, i had trouble with my knee and had to sit down.

Tonight Dave entertained us by buying dinner and treating us to a Tesla ride to the restaurant and back.  Ive been doing better getting out of cars since i took a bicyclist yesterday.

Today we moved closer to starting the pilgrimage but it certainly wasnt difficult. We began with a bus trip to see Camden market a huge complex of stalls selling eclectic goods and then we walked home via huge parks,Lgymondon zoo, Primrose hill- all the better as it wasnt raining. Then travelled by subway to the airport
With the time change we arrived after 10 pm and cabbed it to the LUXURY Bnb where we each had a king size bed. Then we checked out the night life which turned out to be really active

Last night took an Uber cab to meet friends of Dave’s at a Spanish restaurant. Daniel’s mom was also there and she lives near the restaurant. Needless to say service was excellent. But the Uber ride through crowded streets was very exciting. Cant imagine driving in London
Today Steve and i visited National Gallery and St Paul’s cathedral. Getting pretty good at using the Tube, buses and an APP called citymapper. It makes wandering the streets easy but chews up expensive GB on my Sim card

Tonight will be Curry with more friends of Rebecca and Dave

steve and i ventured out in the rain to see downtown by bus.  We discovered there are no wipers on the top level windows.  We managed to see Westminster abbey.   Ate some British fish and chips and strolled the courtyard of St Paul’s.  My rain gear got a pretty good test.  Tonight we eat Spanish food with Daniel from Calgary

Flight was uneventful but thats a good thing. Arrived with Steven Scribener just a few minutes late, bought a transit pass, and roughly 1 1/2 hours later we were with Dave at his home. Took a few walks to shake off the jet lag. In all we walked 7 1/2 kms today. Its warm and humid in London