Day 82: Leon, Spain

We checked out of our hotel at noon and got on the road to Leon, which is about a 2 hour drive. Leon is the capital of the province of the same name and is in the Comunidad Autonoma of Castilla y Leon. We are staying in one of the paradors again - government-owned hotels usually in a building of historic significance. This time the Parador (Hostal de San Marco) was in one of the oldest buildings in Leon, a monastery that originally served as a hospital and hostel for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostela. Driving up to a Parador always feels like you're driving on a pedestrian area that cars shouldn't be allowed on. This one was no different and we pulled up behind the Parador which faces onto the beautiful Plaza de San Marco.

This is the outside of the Parador and museum/church:




This is one of the public lounge areas inside with a coffered (one of our new words after this trip) ceiling.




Here is one of the massive chandeliers hanging in the entrance area:




Here Frank leans over a balcony as we explore the many random hallways of the Parador.




This photo of one of the interior courtyards was taken from the second foor balcony level of the Parador:




All of our exploring led us to the Library area which happened to have a balcony that overlooks the Iglesia San Marcos. It was very creepy/interesting to have the view all to ourselves in the evening and to look down on the church from high up.




Here is a video Frank took this evening of us discovering the library/balcony area:




Out and about in Leon, we saw some beautiful buildings including the Casa de Botines (the turreted building on the left), which is one of Antoni Gaudi's early works (the famous architect known mostly for his buildings in Barcelona).




We had a tapas lunch at El Rincon del Guacho, where you get a free tapa with every cana (small draft beer). This place is famous for its garlic potatoes - and rightly so.




Here is the Plaza Mayor:




This is the facade of the Leon cathedral - another beauty particularly known for its beautiful stained-glass windows.




Here is the inside of the cathedral - this gives some idea of the amazing stained glass windows that are on all sides of the building.




Here are some of the old city walls:




While wandering around, we came across a toy store and I went inside to see if any of my dad's games were there. And I found one!




This is one of Leon's parks, complete with fountain, where we sat for a while to enjoy the sun.




This is the Puente de San Marcos which leads right into the Plaza in front of our Parador.




Just to show that not everything in Spain is old, I put together a bunch of photos today of some of the modern sights we came across...

This is a bridge we crossed on our way to Leon:




This is a very modern looking bathtub in a store window in Leon:




Here is one of the many roundabouts in the city, with a modern sculpture in the foreground:




This is the city's auditorium which is used for concerts and other events.




The same awrd-winning Spanish architects that designed the above building also did the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (Museum of Contemporary Art), which has a facade inspired by the stained-glass windows in the cathedral.




Another city to check off our list! We are finishing the phase of our trip where we spent 1 night only in 4 different locations. We finally get a small break tomorrow with two nights in one place - Santiago de Compostela. We are becoming experts at finding our way to our hotel, checking in quickly, and getting right out there to explore the historic points of interest...

Oh, I would like to send a congratulations to my cousin Jonathan and his new bride Ellie - they just had their wedding on Sunday and we were very sorry to have to miss the festivities!


ILM