Exploring León: Day 04

Meaningful Moment

 One of the the many, many, many stained glass windows in the cathedral of Leon. What is simply amazing is the detailed artwork that is unique to each of the many thousands of stained glass windows.

Date	26 Jul 2026 (Sunday)
Total All Caminos:	2450 miles
Lodging (Deb & I):	Apartamentos MK77 Zuloaga @ € 361 day 3
Total Lodging:	€ 361
Airplane(s):
Total Airplane(s) / Trvl Insrnc:	$ 1000 / $ 199
Buses / Trains / Taxis & Rides (Deb & I):
Total Transportation:	$ 125
Food (Deb & I):	€ 5 coffee / toast € 10 p.m. drinks € 50 Cervantes Barrio Romantico
Total Food:	$ 263

Random Thought of the Day

2,000 years of history and more in the city of León, and we're trying to fit it in 4 days of visiting. Lol 

We really are tourists here, since we are not walking the Camino. Each day has time for rest and relaxation amid the many sights without the feeling of trying to fit something else into a limited time slot.

On the Road / Notable memories

8:30 a.m. Coffee and toast to start the day. 

9:15 a.m. Laundry time.

10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

Deb and I had an outstanding tour of Leones old district. We heard a lot of history about what they would call the Casco Antiguo. 

Our guide spoke his Spanish clearly so that we could understand while speaking at a natural pace for everybody else in the group who were all native Spanish. 

The free tour was thoroughly enjoyable.

In fact, there were just so many interesting and fascinating details that they become a blur. 

One advantage we had is that all the walking around we had done over the past day and a half gave us familiarity with what we saw today. 

So we were really able to focus in on so much history dating back 2000 years for this city, rather than be inundated with both the visual and the auditory.

Interesting facts : 

Although Leone means lion, the roots of the town's name come from the word for Roman legion. 

Much of the original walls built by the Roman regions still exist. Parts of the original Roman walls are encased in homes and the city is slowly buying those homes back. And tearing them down to restore the original Roman walls. 

Visiting the cathedral of León

( The text below the photos is AI generated. The photos are taken by me. )

The Cathedral of León features nearly 1,800 square meters of stunning medieval stained glass windows, spanning 130 windows and three large rose windows. Known as the "House of Light", it contains a rare and mostly original collection dating from the 13th to the 16th century.

The windows with small figures alongside massive upper clerestory windows and rose windows filter brilliant cascades of colored light into the Cathedral interior.  

Most windows were created between the 13th and 15th centuries, a rare survival rate for Gothic architecture. Inspired by French Gothic design, the walls are mostly glass instead of heavy stone.

The cathedral underwent careful repair and replacement in the late 19th century and again starting in 1992 to save the fragile glass panels from decay.

(End of AI)

This statue of St. Simon is 900 years old. To emphasize, it is the original.

One of the interesting statues in the cloister.

The cloister of the cathedral

Relaxing on a Sunday afternoon

Plaza de Regla around 6:30 p.m. We are having a refreshing drink at one of the bistros.

Out for a Sunday evening stroll 

The Barrio Romántico is a trendy area in the old town of León, Spain, famous for its tapas bars, its lively yet calmer atmosphere compared to the neighboring Barrio Húmedo, and its proximity to major historical monuments.

Our tour guide told us that the name for this barrio is simply a commercial appellation designed to compete with the more famous Barrio Húmedo. It is not about the Romans nor about romance.

Barrio Romantico on a Sunday evening at 8:30 p.m.

Sitting at Restaurante Cervantes for a Tapas run.

Calamari de anzuelo a la andalusa & Cecina

Fried squid and smoked beef

Cathedral of Leon at night. We are returning from a Tapas run in Barrio Romantico.