León

12 Sept 2025

Long post, but I am sure to most of you it is no surprise that I have much to say. My Albergue last night was run by a woman who prepared a totally vegan meal for us pilgrims of chickpeas and veggie stew with ginger and tumeric (which all pilgrims need for anti-inflammation) served with rice. Fruit for dessert! Delish! There was a resident dog there who I believe was part Spanish greyhound (Galgo) and sweet as could be.

Walking today into the big city I was not looking forward to the miles of paved “suburbs” but I fell into step with two nice young men from Washington state – Jeff and Zach – who again provided hope for me for the future of my country and the world. We chattered away about everything from careers in science, computers, and medicine to architecture to music and movies, to the Hapsburg dynasty and more. The miles melted away and before I realized it we were in León and I hadn’t thought about my sore Achilles for hours. Thank you gentlemen for listening to me drone on, and providing stimulating conversation and distraction!

León means lion in Spanish, however the city is called that because it was one the headquarters of a Roman Legion. There is tons to see and do here but unfortunately I only had time for some strolling around the “old town” and a visit to the cathedral. Having just toured the one in Burgos, I find I liked this cathedral better. Also Gothic style, because of its relatively “rapid” build, it stay truer to the simple gothic style, with less flourishing influences from later architectural styles. The Cathedral of León has the largest amount of medieval stained glass in the world. It is truly breathtaking. I lucked out with a sunny day and the windows absolutely glow.

It is miraculous to me that this building still stands because of a variety of factors- the foundation of this huge structure is built upon ruins of a former Roman bath house; it is not the most solid base. Also, the stone available in the region to build with is limestone and sandstone mostly, some of the most “erodable” (is that even a word?). It underwent a very extensive renovation and restoration in the late 1800s and is now almost constantly being maintained for these reasons.

The city has taken great pride in its Roman history and has preserved many ruins and walls. One of the best preserved is actually directly under the plaza to the side of the cathedral.

I wish I could stay and see more and eat more delicious local cuisine (my lunch was fab!) but tomorrow I move closer to the end of the Meseta and into the hills.