Hola from Nanette.
Today we are in Leon and the students discovered the Spanish department store El Corte Ingles. I think many purchases were made.  We had a very informative tour of the beautiful cathedral in Leon and learned alot about Gothic architecture, flying buttresses, and stained glass windows.  We also toured the Romanesque church of San Isidro, the ancient Roman walls of the city, and saw the Casa Botines which is an early work of the architect Antoni Gaudi and was originally built as a drapery shop.  We will see another Gaudi building tomorrow in Astorga, the Bishop's Palace.  Today was a rest day from hiking but tomorrow we have 16 kms to walk before we arrive at our hostel for the evening.  Everyone is gearing up mentally and physically for the big climb up the hill to O'Cebreiro on Friday.  We have all carried a stone from home to leave behind at the Cruz de Ferro before we start the climb.  Traditionally pilgrims leave a stone to symbolize something they no longer want to carry forward in their lives.