Traveling west from Basque country, we crossed broad stretches of flat farmland in the region of Castille-Leon. The most important crops in this area are grains to feed animals. There were beautiful cloud formations in the blue canopy of sky, which looked enormous in the flat landscape. I wish I could have stopped our bus to take pictures. I couldn't avoid a reflection when I took this photo through the window of the bus.
Our destination was the city of Leon, one of the cities on the Camino. Once again, I had no idea what to expect during our stay in this area. And once again, I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered.
The city itself, with a population of about 130,000, turned out to be very inviting and non-touristy. After checking in to our centrally located hotel, I walked a couple of short blocks to the beginning of Calle Ancha, the main pedestrian-only commercial street. It was late on a sunny Friday afternoon, and the outdoor tables of the restaurants and bars were filled with locals sipping drinks and nibbling tapas.
view from my hotel room
I was tempted to do likewise, but instead, I continued walking up Calle Ancha until I reached Leon’s cathedral, a Gothic structure that dates back to the mid-1200s. It was often visited by pilgrims walking the Camino.
The cathedral has one of the world’s largest collections of medieval (13th-15th century) stained glass, second only to Chartres in Europe. I was awed by the vibrant colors and breathtaking beauty of the windows, especially the purely decorative (non-religious) ones. If you love stained glass like I do, this is a place that you shouldn’t miss.
Other places of historical interest in Leon included the Basilica of San Isidoro de Leon, which was built in 1063 on the site of an ancient Roman temple. The style of the architecture is mostly Romanesque. The carving over the doorway depicts Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son.
In the city center, you can still see portions of walls dating back to Roman times. In the 4th century CE, the sixth Roman legion was based in Leon. In the 14th century, walls were built on top of the Roman walls.
One unusual building is the Casa Botines, more commonly known as Gaudi’s “castle” because of its turrets and pointed windows. It’s even surrounded by a waterless “moat.” The neo-Gothic style building was designed by the Catalan architect in the 1890s for two families of textile owners. As a young architect, Gaudi was strongly influenced by medieval Gothic architecture. The lower floors of the granite building were used as the store for textiles. The families used the floor above, with its high ceiling, for their residences. On the highest floors were rental apartments. Today the building houses a museum devoted to the work of Gaudi and other artists.
The Plaza Mayor is Leon’s 17th century main square. The plaza’s large open area is surrounded by arcades and Baroque style buildings, many occupied by restaurants and bars. One notable building is the old town hall, called El Mirador. The plaza has long been used for public celebrations and a twice weekly market still takes place here.
Despite somewhat chilly temperatures, people in Leon seemed to enjoy outdoor dining. On our way to dinner one evening, our group witnessed the lively scene at Plaza San Martin.
On our last evening in Leon, I joined a few fellow travelers for dinner outside at Ezeqiel on the pedestrian street, Calle Ancha. The food (I had cod ratatouille) was excellent.
In addition, we enjoyed watching the parade of people passing by. We discovered that on the eve of a wedding, it’s customary for the groom and his friends to go out dressed in crazy costumes for an evening of carousing.
While based in Leon, we visited a farm in the countryside for our Day in the Life adventure. It was quite frosty (definitely winter coat weather) when we departed for the hour-long bus ride to Morgovejo, about 80 kilometers southwest of the city. During the hour-long bus ride, Natua reminded us of the phenomenon of “Empty Spain.” With 70% of Spain’s population now living in cities, many rural towns have experienced a declining population, and some have been abandoned.
We had a quick look at the town of Morgovejo before continuing on to the farm.
At the farm, called La Granja Morgovejo, we were warmly welcomed with steaming cups of coffee and home-baked cheese-filled pastries. Carmen, a veterinarian who owns the farm along with her husband Emilio, explained that La Granja Morgovejo is not an ordinary farm at all. While they grow potatoes and grains and keep sheep, goats, horses, chickens, and several dogs on the property, they also operate a therapy program for teens and young adults with physical, mental, or behavioral disabilities. In addition, they provide day camps for about 30 local children in the summer months.
We were all eager to meet the animals, especially the baby goats, sheep, horses, and donkey.
We saw a rare albino horse and a beautiful black stallion.
Several large dogs (mastiff shepherds) play an important role on the farm. They lead the sheep and goats to pasture and watch over them during the day. A virtual fence, which uses GPS, allows Carmen and Emilio to monitor the animals’ location. The sheep provide milk for cheese, and also meat.
Under Carmen’s direction, we made fresh cheese from sheep milk. Then we shared a lunch of bread, homemade goat cheese, salad, and boiled meat (beef and pork) cooked with potatoes, pimiento, and paprika. Dessert was a goat milk pudding.
The following day, the sun was shining brightly as we headed into the countryside again. We rode past farmland where wheat (a short variety) and alfalfa were planted, but we also noticed many abandoned houses along the way.
Our destination was the village of Colomba de Somoza, located in an idyllic rural setting about 70km west of Leon. Like Morgovejo, its population has shrunk drastically in recent years. In fact, we learned that the year-round population of Colomba is only 40 people, down from 400. Many former residents have moved to Madrid for employment and return to their hometown only in the summer months.
Colomba is known for its honey and we spent a very entertaining and informative visit with Oscar, a local beekeeper who goes by the name of Professor Swarm. Oscar is a natural educator. He constantly changed his headgear as he explained the roles of workers, drones, and queen. During his presentation, I learned that about 60,000 bees live in a single hive and that a hive must stay at 95 degrees Fahrenheit all year. He recommended that we search out local honey and bee pollen. Of course, we also had a honey tasting, which reminded me that it was time for lunch.
We had a group lunch in the rustic dining room of Casa Pepe, a restored 18th century hotel and restaurant in the center of the small village of Colomba de Somoza. Casa Pepe describes itself as a “Casona Maragata,” a term I hadn’t heard before. I did a little research and learned about the maragatos, the people who live in the maragateria, this isolated land-locked area in the province of Leon. They form a recognized cultural and ethnic community whose customs date back to the time of Muslim rule. The traditional clothing of the women, which we saw displayed in the restaurant, is unlike that found in other parts of Spain. The same is true of the architecture of their stone houses, with their very large doors. After we ate, the owner of Casa Pepe demonstrated the type of castanets used in the maragateria, which differ from those used in southern Spain.
After more driving through the beautiful countryside, we made a brief stop for refreshments and restrooms in Villafranca del Bierzo and climbed the steep streets of the village. Many pilgrims walking the Camino pass through here. The village’s Renaissance style castle-palace was erected in the early 16th century by the ruling marquis.
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