Pilgrimage Day 19

Well folks our intrepid duo have done 42.13K today and up till they saw the 15Km sign it was a piece of cake and Ben said to Paul that they had only another 10m to do... then they saw the .... hills! That last 15k took an hour and a half.
Ben likened them to the hills at Little Bytham - only magnified by TEN! You get up one, then a plateau, then another hill followed by a plateau, then another hill followed... you get the idea. You could see the first tow, you get to the top them then then there's a third ... then you get to the top of that and there's another ...... ten you get to the top and then there's a fourth one.
They would have been alright if hadn't been for the wind. Ben says they are technically getting better at the hills but when you have got the wind chucked at you and then a third hill - this point our Vicar said something that I didn't catch but Ben made reference to the fact that Paul was a vicar and Paul responded it's being with him!
They stopped in Leons for about and hour and looked at the Cathedral - at this point Ben asked me if i could hear the thunder, I couldn't but he said that this was the second storm since they had been here and it is really going for it. Thunder and lightening and when it rains here it chucks it down but he says they are under cover and so...
The guys are 'lost' in that they have travelled so far and seen so many places that they had to ask me where they were last night! Having reminded Ben he reiterated that the place (Mansilla de los Mulas) was all ripped up and nothing doing. They had had a nine Euro Pilgrim's menu and it was the second to worst meal of the trip so far, but at least they got fed for just 9E and they throw in the bread, wine and water. They are pushing the boat out a bit tonight and paying English prices but it will be back to Pilgrim's menus tomorrow. The Pilgrim's menus vary from 9 to 19E the food, certainly in France, has been excellent.
Ben is still pondering the eating habits of Storks, and he now realised what they only ever see one bird on the nest - the other is out looking for food. They saw four in a field and Ben surmises that they are looking for frogs, but he is only guessing. All the towns they have been through have had a stork stand except Astorga - for some reason they don't seem to like them here.
No decent pictures of the cathedral due to scaffolding but Paul has taken my email address so he can send what he gets as and when.
The boys just now have Santiago in their sights and just want to get there. 180 miles to go but there is a big hill tomorrow about 1500m climb over 25-30k which will be interesting!. Then they will have a day of rest and then another big hill so in three days time they should be over the worst and going downhill!
When you get to the top you come down in a ... hurry. They have been advised to stop every so often (2-3Km) on the downhills and check that their brakes are not over heating - sound advice!!
Spain is not as half as interesting as France and Ben feels this may be because they have been through all the emotions and seen the sights and they just want to ... get there now - probably about five days of riding.
As you all know Jenny is over there now and got soaked in Santiago - we assume it is the storms that Ben and Paul are now encountering moving eastward.
A factoid from Paul - they have been travelling 1400 miles, they have been there 35 nights and stayed in 33 different places, can't remember what or where, it's been good but hard work sometimes on the hills.
Well, they are both in good spirits if sounding tired and with some big hills ahead of them let's hope they take a deserved rest day and tackle the hills with renewed vigour.

Malcolm