london1967 | Entries tagged with león

We loved León. It has a mixture of styles from medieval to modern and a lovely, vibrant atmosphere.

Even Antoni Gaudí left his mark on this building.

The Romanesque Real Basilica de San Isidoro (with the pantheon of royal tombs) is outstanding

but the masterpiece is the Gothic cathedral.

The outside cannot quite prepare you for what awaits when you step in.

The interior is gloomy and solemn, but the profusion of stained-glass windows with their vibrant colours makes it a magical and uplifting experience.

The carved choir stall:

Two of the rose windows:

The cloister is also so beautiful.

I have to confess that I felt rather overwhelmed by it all!

Here's Plaza Mayor

and the medieval cobblestoned Plaza Santa Maria del Camino.

Yesterday we travelled from Avila to León, stopping on the way a couple of times.

Mondays are not a good day to visit monuments and museums as most are closed.

Out first stop was the town of Tordesillas which is of historical importance as it was there that a treaty between Spain and Portugal was signed in 1494 to divide up Latin America between the two countries.

The museum dedicated to it was closed.

The second stop was Medina de Rioseco which Adrian loved. The streets are lined with old colonnaded arcades and most columns are tree trunks.

The so-called 'Sistine Chapel of Castilla' was closed and so was the museum dedicated to celebration of the Semana Santa (the Holy Week) in Castilla.

It was a nice and relaxing drive. The landscape is mainly flat but not monotonous thanks to the golden fields and the cloud-studded sky.

We drove up to the city León where we're staying at the magnificent Parador. Its official classification is 5* GL and, well as you can see from the photos, it is well deserved because of its wonderful public spaces.

The bedroom is quite swish too (I can only imagine what the suites - out of reach of my wallet! - are like!)

The Convento de San Marcos started its life in 1173 but was rebuilt in the early 16th century when it was already used as a 'hospital' for the pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela; the facade from 1513 is a Renaissance masterpiece.

The cloister - on two levels - is superb

and so is the chapter house, now a sitting room for guests:

The parador was taken over by the Brits; as you can see from some of the pictures the outside square (normally pedestrian-only) was sieged by vintage cars, all with British plates.