Esla (river)

Transcription

We are departing from “Mansilla de las Mulas” at sunrise. We are leaving behind its walls while we cross the Esla River. León is close, but there are not too many hostels. It should arrive soon. There is also much to see. The pilgrims walk through irrigated fields. Dew is part of the landscape. A pedestrian walkway allows us to save the “Porma river” while watching the 20 eyes bridge. We are in Puente Villarente. Arcahueja and Valdelafuente are small villages that we find in our way. The award of the stage is León, a beautiful city that deserves a walk around and get another one before leaving in the morning. The first thing we will do is to book a bed and leave our stuff at the hostel. Let´s go to visit León! The “Plaza Mayor” and the old town Hall in it. This square hosts a weekly market. It is the center of León. The square of the seventeenth century, has porticoes and arcades on stone pillars supporting two floors houses. The “Plaza de San Marcelo”, with the “Palacio de Guzman”, the sixteenth century, and the “Casa de Botines”, designed by Gaudi, finished in 1894. The “Casa de Botines” is one of the three works of Gaudí outside Catalonia. Another one we'll see in a few days in “Astorga”. In the “Plaza del Grano” we see the “Monastery of Carbajalas” a sixteenth century building that serves as a hostel for pilgrims. The square features a typical cobbled of medieval León. Alongside the river is the “Convento de San Marcos”, one of the most important monuments of the Spanish Renaissance, today is a “Parador Nacional” (National Luxury Hotel). We left for the end the “Catedral de León”, a jewel of Gothic art. Initiated in the XIII century and with French influence. The walls are reduced to a minimal expression in order to highlight the colored stained glass. The Cathedral of León, the "Pulchra leonina" has one of the largest collections of medieval stained glass in the world.