The City of Leon - halfway!

Reaching the city of Leon was another milestone on the Camino. We are now just over halfway to Santiago!

During our travels across the Meseta we crossed over onto yet another provincial area- Castille y Leon. We left behind the Province of Castille y Burgos and crossed over into the surrounding agricultural region which spread out before us its table of corn, potatoes, harvested sunflowers and winter vegetable gardens and fruit trees. The Way often took us along rivers and it was very refreshing after the high plains of the Meseta.

One day we stopped in a village for lunch with a beautiful and remarkable church built by the Templar Knights in the 1200s. Dedicated to The Virgin del Blanca, it was a very important stop for pilgrims to ask for a blessing before they arrived at the city of Leon. In those days pilgrims were vulnerable and cities were often dangerous places. It was very peaceful inside and simply decorated.

Leon is a provincial city with a Roman heritage. Settled by the Romans it is named after the 5th Legion who was posted here and who built many of the roads and infrastructure for the city then.Read more