We took the early train from Madrid to León and enjoyed the world’s smallest café con leche. (Why did passenger trains never make it big in the States? So convenient, so relaxing.)

The end of yesterday was bleak. Our flight from Frankfort was delayed, we wandered the airport only to arrive at the train terminal right after the last train, and so taxied to our hotel, which was so close to the train station that it might as well have been in the train station. We saw a Burger King out the window and I joked that we should remember it in case we were desperate. Half an hour later, we were desperate, and even though my chicken was somewhat grayish, hunger is a good seasoning. But then we slept, and it was amazing.

León is really lovely. Our albergue is adorable: small kitchen, uber-friendly owner (Juan, a million thanks!), shared bathrooms, bunk beds.

We had a few tasks—hiking poles for Will, get a stamp in our Camino credential to officially start our journey, adjust to the time zone, and (oh yeah, sssshhhh) one of us had a transatlantic job interview. Oh the wonders of Zoom.

We went off in search of an Internet cafe. Reader, while I wasn’t traveling for the last three years, the world changed. Everyone in the world got cell phones, and Internet cafes became a place for hard-core gamers with dim lighting and pulsing music. So that was a hard pass, but a nice walk around the city.

Have I not mentioned yet that everyone in this city has a dog?

We’ve been meeting a ton of people. Maria and her friend who welcomed us to the albergue, the couple we met at lunch (Jason? Alyssa?) who donated our leftover food to an organization that fed homeless, of which we’ve seen very few, Daisy from Grass Valley, other people whose names have already slipped my mind. Everyone is wonderful, supportive, kind. It’s the kind of world I hoped existed somewhere.

Tomorrow, because we’re insane, we’re doing a 17-mile walk. Send prayers.