Into the Unknown

Mansilla de las Mulas was nice, but now I am plunging into unknown territory. Yes, last time I was in Spain I skipped the roughly 50-mile stretch between Mansilla and Astorga, so for the next couple of days everything will be completely new to me. As for now, Léon is quite the place! Let me bring you up to speed.
Last night I had a homemade dinner of pasta and wine with my German friend, an older Danish woman, and a young German man. It was very good to have mass quantities of food for such a good price, and the company was superb. After dinner I went to mass, which was nearly empty but still meaningful. I find I´m getting more and more used to the Catholic way of celebrating the Eucharist, and God is using it to touch me despite it being different than I´m accustomed to, not to mention the different language! After mass the hospitalera treated a rather nasty multi-layered blister between my big toe and second toe on my left foot with a needle to drain it and iodine and gauze to dry it and protect it. Very nice, and an idea I would like to bring to my own albergue/teahouse.
Today I walked with my friend from Alabama for the second half of my approach to the city and we had a very good talk about ministry in general. She´s quite the traveller! Afterward we got a couple of beds in a convent/albergue (I´m on the top bunk right next to my new German friend from last night, and I mean right next to him) and explored the beautiful and magnificent cathedral. Seriously, it was amazing, and free as well so it´s better than Burgos for more than one reason. Might go back there after the siesta hours to just sit and look.
The medieval quarter of the city is a little touristy, so I did most of my shopping for food in the modern portion in order to get more reasonable prices, but I might go back just to walk around and take in the sights and hopefully not get pickpocketed. (That´s where the hang-around-your-neck wallet comes in handy!)
Not much else to report other than I heard from my Alabamian friend that my Irish friend is still on the Camino and not too far ahead of us and also that my French friend is taking a week as a volunteer hospitalera somewhere and then she will try to finish as well. Haven´t seen my Quebecan friend in a while, but I think she was planning to bus through Léon in order to be able to walk at a normal pace for the 12 days she has left to walk. Christ will see them all through this!
That´s about all I´ve got left to report, so I´ll check back in tomorrow or whenever I can. God bless!