Leon Sightseeing - May 28

I has another great day yesterday in Leon. The weather has been fantastic, as you can see from the pics blue skies for the last week and temps in the mid to high 20s for the last several days and more of the same for most of the week. Perfect weather! Interesting is the range of temperature in a day. It is 7:00 am now and the temp is 15 degrees, warmer than many mornings and it got as low as 5 degrees one day. That said, the sun is extremely hot, so as soon as it is up a bit in the morning the temps begin to rise and it continues to warm until about 6 pm, which is quite unlike Canada. I guess Spain is at a lower Longtitude, but it sure is welcome.

Leon is a vibrant City, much more than Burgos and much more than it's Cathedral, as lovely as it is.

My first stop was the Cathedral and the audio tour of the Cathedral was 3 EUR was worth the money. I have previously posted pics from the front, here is the side plus some interior shots.

The Santa Maria de Leon Cathedral was built on the original 2nd century site of Roman Baths, which were subsequently converted to a Palace, a Cathedral and then a grander Romanesque Cathedral. Built in the 12th century, it is apparently the finest example of French-style classic Gothic architecture in Spain and is also famous for it's spectacular stained glass windows, next in grandeur only to Lourdes. Hard to believe when looking from the outside the stained glass is only visible from the inside. The building is also know as the House of Light or Pulchra Leonina for that reason.

The audio guide also I formed me that the building was almost lost in the due to some engineering and material quality issues the ceiling started to fall in sometime during the 15th century and there was risk of the whole building coming down due to the failure of critical supports. Thanks to some careful interventions and restorations it stands today.

There is parkland all along the Rio Bernesga. Pathways are lined with trees and pruned to provide maximum shade, encouraging new grown close to the trunk.

 

 

A sightseeing train ride to get the lay of the land

I took a train ride to get the lay of the land. While the ticket was only 4.50 EUR for a 45 min ride, it was very frustrating because the English language narrative was not working well and the last few minutes of every explanation was cut off!

The Casa Botines is a Modernist building designed by the well known Antoni Gaudi is at the entrance to the old part of the City.

The Monastery of San Marcos is now houses the Paradour San Marcos (part of a luxury hotel chain operated by the Spanish government), a consecrated church and museum. It was built in the 12th century and at that time housed a Pilgrim's hospital.

Mugging with the statue, outside the Parador. I went into the Parador for coffee and a good look around.

The Basilica of San Isidoro.

Remains of the City wall.

I had an excellent meal at the cafe by the Cathedral. The Pilgrim's meal had great choices - I had gazpacho and Salmon, just delightful,

In my travels today I found the bus station and bought my ticket to Astoraga (3.85 EUR). My bus leaves at 11:30 and it is just an hour's trip. I will be there one night before busing down to Zamora.

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