I was headed to Leon, Espana, one of the popular starting points on the Camino de Santiago. I had booked a flight from Miami to Madrid with a connection in Charlotte, NC. It didn't occur to me with the level of adrenaline that I was on that day, that an electrical storm in Miami before I left could delay all outbound flights. I was already at the airport and decided to wait it out as "part of the adventure". My flight actually left 2 hours late which caused me to miss my flight from Charlotte to Madrid. I ended up on a flight to London that night and later the next morning connected to Madrid.
This put me in Madrid at 2pm the following day and I was able to catch a bus to Leon (a 4 hour drive with stops along the way).
In spite of the fact that I had spent the last 24 hours without sleep and flying halfway across the world, I was still surviving very nicely on that dose of adrenaline. I saw the sun set on the hilly road in Spain on the way to Leon. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the scene moving past me which so resembled the many pictures and videos I reviewed before setting out on this journey.
The bus finally arrived in Leon after dark. This was a disappointment because my plans were to walk to my albergue which I had estimated to be about a half hour and would give me an opportunity to walk thru a good part of the city. But that was not to be. I took a taxi and received a "mini tour" from a very friendly driver directly to the door of the albergue. Leon is a Renaissance city built on a hilltop. I was in a daze, coming to grips with the fact that I was there. Dazzling architecture at every turn. I was afraid to blink for fear that I might miss something.
