Pola de Lena September 19

Today's route was 15 miles, but it seemed to be all either steep uphill or steep downhill. Plenty of exercise, but why can it not be more gradual sometimes. I think they want to keep us away from the highway, but walking through a narrow canyon means we have to walk up and down the sides of it to get away from the highway. I guess it is better than walking on pavement and smelling Diesel fumes all day.

I got into the albergue here in Pola de Lena about 1:30, then had a mid day menu del dia ( lentils with potatoes and baked chicken) with the Spanish man that i met two years ago on the Camino Primitivo. Then another amazing coincidence happened late afternoon in the albergue- in walked Axl, a German that I met in Portugal two years ago on the Camino Portugues. Marge and I shared a meal with him then, but he is a fast walker and I did not see him again. He is still walking on paths all over the world, including the pilgrimage trail in Norway and in the Negev desert in Israel. He is walking the Camino San Salvador in reverse towards Leon, then the Camino Frances, so I'll probably not see him again. Two big coincidences is too much!

I'm having trouble with Google's game of uploading photos to Picasa before I can load them on my blog, so will just go ahead and post this, then try to add photos later.