Sunday, May 30, 2010

Day 1 Leon


Our study tour began at 10am in front of the Leon Cathedral. This 12th century Gothic church towers over the rest of the Medieval town. We toured the outside of the building identifying biblical scenes carved into the stone and wooden entrances. Upon entering the Catherdral we were all awed by the stained glass that has survived throughout the centuries. Our second stop was St. Isodoro, a building whose architecture is comprised of baroque, gothic, and, renaissance styles. We visited the museum and pantheon which contain many treasures from the medieval period and the tombs of kings. Our final stop was the Parador de Leon, a building which originally served as a hospital for pilgrims on the Camino but is now an expensive hotel.

The rest of the day was spent exploring Leon, testing out our Spanish on the locals, and enjoying beauty of the town. We thought the best way to overcome our jetlag was to stay awake and visit several bars, which served complimentary tapas with each beverage. We were amazed to find cheap drinks, young children in the bars, and were dumfounded by the sun setting almost at 10pm.

We returned to our hostal to prepare for our first day of walking, which would begin at 7am.

1 comment:

  1. I am very surprised that the stained glass has survived all these years.

    --Rudy

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