Rest day in Leon

It was so nice to sleep in and not have to get up and on the road early. Yesterday afternoon, we pretty much chilled out in the hotel and then walked around Leon... It's such an awesome city. Dinner at a local restaurant overlooking the Cathedral was amazing. Although the street our hotel is on looks extremely dodgy..the hotel is amazing and the sleep was excellent.

While Emily and Lucy slept in Michelle and I did the tourist things, the photos don't do it justice. We visited the convent of San marcos,a 12th century inn rebuilt in the 16th century, it was a prison (Francisco de Quevedo was held captive there), a cavalry barracks, a hospital, and currently the National Parador, a hotel...also houses the León Museum, with remains and pieces of great historical-artistic value, among them the Christ of Carrizo, a spiritual figure from the 11th century, as well as objects of prehistoric, Roman and medieval art (can you tell I did a cut and paste...) we checked out San Martin and Mayor plazas and a couple of cool cafe/shops (the city has a lot if beggers...).

The girls met us at 12 to check out the Cathedral, they provide an audio tour which was incredible...the Cathedral built between 1205 and 1301, has a magnificent array of stained glass windows,the Cathedral of Santa María de Regla, a true jewel of Gothic art, became Spain’s first officially declared monument by Royal Decree in 1844 (cut & paste).

We then checked out the Roman walls. León has preserved intact most of the Roman and medieval walls that enclose the city’s historic quarter. Some parts of the walls that have survived to the present day are Roman, while others are medieval, so some parts are from the first to the fourteenth century (cut and paste).

We visited the Palacio de los Guzmanes. This sixteenth-century Renaissance edifice is now the headquarters of the Provincial Council and the city’s most important palace. It was built by the architect Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón on the orders of the noble and leader of the Comuneros’ Revolt, Ramiro Núñez de Guzmán.

After all this, the girls headed for Burger King and the hotel, and Michelle and I had a nice dinner by ourselves...Baca selengkapnya