Rest Day in Leon

Our hotel room left something to be desired last night. My bed was horrible. Springs poked me all night. Ugh!  Dave says his bed was just fine.

We trekked over to breakfast at a different hotel, the same place where we had dinner last night in their courtyard. 

A group of Germans were dining there as well. They had a great time. A sword, royal robe and crown showed up from somewhere. And a lucky guy was knighted. Lots of merrymaking. 

After a light breakfast of toast, juice and coffee, we took a taxi to our next hotel in Leon, where we left the backpacks and headed out to the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. But a funny thing happened on the way. We ran into a group walking along, dressed for a special event. 

Soon we heard a band, so had to investigate. We followed them and found ourselves in front of the Cathedral with all sorts of church and town dignitaries. 

Then we saw the little girls in white dresses and boys in uniforms. First Communion Sunday. We followed everyone in for mass and got a great spot to see everything happening at the altar.  Lots of incense and singing. It was a very high version of mass, with 25 priests, a special choir, the organ at full throat, and at least 50 new eight-year-old communicants. What a way to experience this 12th century cathedral in action. We stood through the whole mass, a true serendipitous Camino experience.  Our official cathedral tour later in the day paled by comparison. 

After the service, we watched the procession head off down the street. 

We left the procession to regroup and rework our plans for the day. What better way than to discuss it over a plate of paella in a cafe?  We bagged the art museum so we could concentrate on those relics that were uniquely Leon. 

Next stop was Real Bassilica de San Isadora. The Basillica not only is a church, but houses a museum, royal burial vaults, cloister, and a treasure house.  They claim to have the Holy Grail:

Mmmmm. Not buying it.  But it's a gorgeous piece. 

A library was part of the cloister. They had manuscripts on display from the 11th century and earlier. 

On top of one of the display cases is a valuable 17th century figurine - La Virgin de Los Buenos Libres. Just sitting there. Where some clown can get up close and personal.  

Full disclosure - shortly after this picture was taken, I got busted for taking pictures. No cameras allowed. 

The royal burial vault is the eternal resting place for 11 kings, 14 queens, and beautiful 12th century frescoes that have very little retouching. 

We wanted to tour the Santa Maria de Leon Cathedral next, but it was siesta time. As we wondered around the plaza, we found the archaeological dig near the cathedral wall - remains of Roman baths. As we were looking at the old walls, we became aware of more music and festivities behind the church, so of course we had to check it out. 

It was a great street party. Lots of tapas and beer and wine. Had to join them. 

Finally, the cathedral opened.  The Gothic architecture gives this church a much grander, lighter feel than the Burgos Cathedral. The stained glass is magnificent. 

The side doors are topped with scallop shells. 

There are so many sculptures, paintings and glass windows to see in the church (my iPhone camera can't do them justice).  However, both David and I agreed that the church had a more vibrant feel that morning when it was filled with worshipers.

We'd had enough touring. This is supposed to be our rest day, so we headed back along the old city wall to our hotel, 

got some pizza, and propped our feet up for the evening. Tonight the USA plays Portugal in the World Cup, but it starts at midnight Spain time, so we'll see the results at breakfast. Tomorrow we will take a taxi back out to Mansilla de Las Mulas to resume our walk into Leon, so our Camino walk will be unbroken. Recall that we came into Leon by taxi today, because we wanted to see the museums, all of which are closed tomorrow (almost all Spanish museums are closed on Mondays).  This switched our "rest" day to today. Because we will stay at the same Leon hotel tomorrow, we can leave some of our stuff here and travel the dreary Leon suburbs a bit lighter. Buen Camino.