Living the good life in Spain: León

Arriving here from Madrid or from the Picos de Europa National Park, LEÓN, the capital of the Autonomous Spanish Community of Castille-Leon, seems a little lost in the middle of nowhere, but upon arrival in the city itself, it feels like the center of the universe, its own universe of Spain in a nutshell. Leon does not receive huge amounts of tourists, and those that do come to town are here usually for the St. James' Way, the famous pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela - from Leon it is a convenient week to walk through Castille-Leon and Galicia to Santiago - perfect for visitors and pilgrims alike. Many Spaniards also know the name LEON along with nearby Burgos as the places in Spain with the highest temperatures during the summer and among the lowest in winter. Yet within a few hours in this gem of a Spanish city, it becomes clear that LEON warrants worthy mention and a visit in its own right offering various attractions, first and foremost its magnificent GOTHIC CATHEDRAL. 

Locals are justifiablty proud of their city - while the rest of Spain is undergoing serious economic hardship with over 20% unemployment in many parts, LEON continues to thrive and boom. Much of its economy is based on the finance and service sector, earning the city the nickname "Spanish Switzerland" some years ago. Thus a walk around LEON is also an introduction into the Best Spain has to offer - and what Spain COULD be like if the economy were to perform better nation-wide. We start our discovery of Leon near the central PLAZA DE SANTIAGO, from which we walk the main pedestrian street of CALLE ANCHA towards Leon Cathedral. At the adjacent square PLAZA DEL OBISPO MARCELO we find the late 19th century CASA DE BOTINES built by none other than ANTONIO GAUDI from 1891-94- his earlier work was much more conservative than his later projects in Barcelona and beyond, but the CASA DE BOTINES still dominates the square and its surroundings by way of its extraordinary architecture. In front of the building itself, we find a recent cast-iron sculpture of GAUDI sitting on a park bench and overlooking his controversial masterpiece.

As we proceed along CALLE ANCHA, we are also impressed by the many flowers decorating windows here, a city-wide project sponsored by the municipal administration and local government. We then arrive at Leon's magnificent Gothic Cathedral, built within only 50 years from 1280-1330. By way of its beauty and architectural purity it only rivals the Sainte Chapelle in Paris or the Cathedral of Chartres. Featuring pointed arches, flying butresses and spectacular stained glass windows, Leon Cathedral is Gothic Art at its best. Here we learn about the VIRGIN OF THE DICE legend, according to which a young Flemish soldier was converted here after he lost his fortunes at a local pub gambling with dice and in his fury threw the set of dice against the Virgin Mary, who subsequently began to bleed. He took the incident as a call to change his ways and became a monk shortly thereafter. Leon Cathedral is also a great place to study the art of Stained Glass windows themselves, those of smaller size being originals dating back to the 13th century and windows with larger pieces of stained glass produced much later in the 18th and 19th century.

We then leave Cathedral square to head towards PLAZA MAYOR at the heart of Leon's nightlife and entertainment district, the so-called "BARRIO HUMEDO" (Moist Quarter) - here we find the highest number of bars and restaurants in town. Visitors and locals alike enjoy flocking to the BARRIO HUMEDO to enjoy drinks and complimentary TAPAS, the tradition of which is still alive and well here in Leon.In recent years, the area has also become more upscale with various higher-end restaurants and wine bars catering to a more affluent clientele. And then, beyond the Old Town and Barrio Humedo, LEON also has lots of attractions to offer - starting from the magnificent Renaissance-era PLATERESQUE facade of the Parador de San Marcos (16th century), nowadays among the few 5-star accomodations in town, a walk along the scenic Bernesga River beckons. As we proceed past the Government Building of Castilla-Leon as far as the local shopping malls of PLAZA LEON or even further, the more modern Centro Comercial ESPACIO LEON, the overall impression is one of a city at perfect peace with itself and its role in the world as a quintessential slice of Spain.