Late yesterday afternoon I went to the bar where I saw Bren, Ang  and other pilgrims earlier in the day,but they weren’t there, so I texted to see where they were for a catch up. Bren texted back to say they were doing a pub crawl and would be back shortly.I thought he must be pissed by now as even the text he sent back looked a little wobbly.so l got a beer and joined other pilgrims. A while later Helen, Mark and their friends arrived, as did Adrian and Linda. So we had a crowd going but no Bren or Ang. After a couple of beers, we went and had pizza and wine. On the way back to the hotel, I saw Ang staggering the street amongst locals looking homeless. He hugged me and suggested we go say hi to Bren. I would have loved to,but I know I  wouldn’t have got back to my hotel till probably midnight, so I politely declined. Luckily l didnt as Mark said this morning there were people partying all night and they struuggled to sleep with the noise Apart  from losing Jeff, Gary and Miranda, Helen and Mark’s friends, were catching a bus last night to go home. Adrian and Linda were staying in Leon another night at least,  as his Achilles had flared up. Bren and Angelo were leaving the camino today, so our herd has thinned right down. Bren and Ang probably might not have been capable to walk today, but I will really miss them. All those people have become like family. Every time I walk into a bar, I’m sure Bren will be there in spirit. This morning I waited for Helen and Mark,but I thought they must have already passed, so I texted to say, catch up later. As I left under more heavy clouds, they were just walking by. Another large city to leave, the thermometer on the pharmacy told me it was nine degrees. I don’t think it reached double figures as the wind was chilling, and then the rain came, and believe me, it wasn’t pleasant. Throw in a muddy track along a main road, and that ended up almost being the best part of the day. When we reached the halfway point of the day, it was lovely to get a hot chocalate into me. The thermometer hadn’t shifted, but at least the rain stopped. When we reached the three quarter mark, and only six  to go, we stopped at some seats with cover above. I got my flask out and started sipping on hot tea,and eating my left over pizza from last night. Then the rain started again, ending our picnic as the cover above had a million holes in it. We then left the road for a beautiful canopy of trees, which lasted three hundred metres before we were back with the main road two metres away. The weather took a turn for the worse. The wind doubled in force, the rain doubled, and the last six kilometres were possibly  almost the worst weather I have walked in. I walked as fast as my legs would take me, but that didn’t feel fast enough.I tried walking faster. The track was flooding, and by the time I reached our destination, I had left Helen and Mark in my wake,  my feet  swimming in my mud runners. As soon as I saw the albergue, the rain stopped. After a warmishshower and finding some paper to put in my shoes,I finished my pizza and my flask of tea. I just ventured outside, and although it is still quite cold, the sun is shining. Relax now and stay warm, wishing and hoping for better conditions tomorrow. Although I know Jeff is bitterly disappointed he had to leave, he can consider himself lucky he didn’t walk today. Soon I will leave the warmth of my room and catch up with Helen and Mark and other pilgrims to discuss how much we all enjoyed or not our path today.