My unexpected day off in León was wonderful. I toured their impressive catedral, roamed the barrio gótico, and ran into Camino friends I hadn’t seen for days.

 And almost vanished, never to be heard of again.

 

  
  

My preference is to walk alone when I can and chat and socialize with my fellow peregrinos at café stops and in the evenings. I treasure this time by myself — to have time to think and time to marvel at my surroundings. It’s possibly the nicest thing I have ever done for myself (the bathtub last night being a close second).
With all this walking and fresh air my body feels strong and healthy. And I feel calm and happy. Actually, there is only one part of me that is taking a real beating on this trip. 

I’ve always had claustrophobic tendencies. I try not to think of myself as an actual “claustrophobic” as that sounds a little too neurotic. I like adding “tendencies” – it makes it seem almost trivial, just a little touch of the claustro here, nothing too serious, haha.

Well now I can see I’ve been in serious denial. 

  

As the trip has progressed I’ve developed a terror of getting locked into the bathroom of one these ancient cafes or bars. The doors stick, the walls are crumbling and the locks jam. Usually right when the timed lights go out (apparently the Spanish do everything more quickly). 

I’ve taken to just leaving the door unlocked. I much prefer a stranger walking in on me than getting stuck in one of these airtight vertical coffins. (Ok, that does sound a little neurotic doesn’t it?).

And today? After my tour of the catedral, I decided I would pay the extra euro and tour the cloister and its museum. A stern woman wearing a dark suit and carrying a big key ring started rapid firing Spanish at me. 

As I’m an agreeable sort,  I just kept nodding. Do I want to see old statues? Si!  Old paintings? Why yes. Treasures from the Middle Ages? Of course!

She led me down a long corridor, stopped at a low door and slowly unlocked it. Cool! A secret door – what a great tour! 

   
 

After saying something else in Spanish she let me in to the room and then hurried out. And then she locked me in.  AND THEN SHE LOCKED ME IN. 

Oh no! I realized what she actually had been saying to me was “do you understand that I will lock you in the windowless basement vault with no fire exits and that no one will hear you scream? And they will find your bones next year?”

I huddled by the door whimpering until miraculously a school tour group came out from another room and then I stumbled out after them into safety.

I need to learn Spanish.