Welcome to Leon!
September 28, 2010
If you think that Rose window looks amazing from the outside, just wait until you see it from the inside on a sunny day!
Mind blown!!
The Leon Cathedral is from the 13th century in the Gothic style and has some of the most amazing stained glass you will ever see! In fact, it has the second most stained-glass (only after Chartres in France) of any cathedral in all of Europe. It houses 737 stained-glass panels, 70% of which are original!
Here's our little group hanging out in the wooden choir at the center of the nave.
This is the burial spot of Bishop Martin Fernandez, friend and confidant of Alfonso X, King of Castile and Leon from 1252-1284. It was this man and the King together who built Leon to be a major cultural city with a remarkable, massive, attention-to-every-detail cathedral at its center.
Me standing in front of the glass door of the choie with one of the three rose windows above.
The cathedral is the main attraction of the city, but after seeing it, you'll be hungry and want lunch!
Leon is known for its tapas, so we decided to sit outside at Jabugo Bar on this beautiful day.
Yum!
Leon is also a major stop on the Camino Frances (French Way) Camino de Santiago, which is one of the most popular Camino routes. Only 186 miles to go to Santiago!
Leon means "Lion" in Spanish and it has this cool statue coming out of the ground in one of the squares.
And this other statue of Antoni Gaudi overlooking his Museo Casa Botines, which he was hired to design and erect in 1892. This was one of only 3 buildings that he ever designed outside of Catalunya.
And then, after walking the Roman Walls, we made our way to Plaza San Isidoro. This door is known as the "door of forgiveness." During the original pilgrim days of the El Camino, the trek was so arduous that there was a 60% mortality rate. For those that were too weak to continue, they could stop here, pass through or touch this door and gain absolution even if they didn't finish their trek.
Here is Dave touching the door. You know, just in case......
My cousin Seth inside the chapel paying his respects.
And then we wrapped up our day of Leon sights with delicious (highly recommend) ice cream at Holy Cow.
VERDICT: The city is cool and historic and we had a great day there. But the only "must do" here is the Cathedral. So as a whole, I don't think this city is a "must do" before you die. BUT there are several "must dos" in the surrounding area (Madrid, Santiago, Salamanca, etc) so you may as well...... But honestly, I'd make it a day trip and spend the night/more time somewhere else.
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