The bike ride from Carrion de los Condes to Leon flew by. It leads through the Meseta plateau, which is flat. I covered 105 km that day and then went for an extensive sightseeing tour on foot in Leon. And there is a lot to see: Roman city walls or the magnificent Gothic cathedral.
Just before Sahagun, the path passes the Romanesque chapel of Virgen del Puente.
The road to Leon passes through Sahagun, where there are several Romanesque churches to admire. In the picture 'San Tirso', a church from the 12th century and a prime example of Mudéjar brick architecture.
Just after Sahagun, the Way of Saint James crosses the Rio Cea via a Romanesque bridge (of Roman origin).
Now it became quite flat and hot. From Sahagun to Leon I crossed the Meseta plateau. Next to the pilgrimage route, a new accompanying road leads for many kilometers. Whether this is intended for cyclists?
Thousands of small trees were planted next to the Camino. In a few years they will provide shade.
The entrance to Leon was a bit exhausting because of all the traffic. Constantly I had to check on the map where I am and how it goes on. Suddenly I was standing in the Avenue Independencia in front of a Roman wall.
The red Roman chariot is not quite from that period.
In Leon we were accommodated in a Benedictine convent. The entrance is on the left in the picture.
This is what the dormitory for men looks like. Unfortunately, there were no pillows.
We had to be back at the hostel at 21:45, just in time to attend the Benedictine nuns' vespers.
Magnificent it stands there, the Gothic cathedral of Leon. One of the few finished, large Gothic churches I thought, then I saw that the left tower is a little smaller than the right, and it is somewhat simpler in design.
How it looks in the church and in the cloister you can read here:
The church of San Isidor is a Romanesque jewel.
Pilgrims once stayed here, in the former monastery of San Marcos. It was converted into a 5 star hotel: Parador San Marcos.
During the evening walk on the Calla Ancha we met to our great surprise the pilgrim "Sophie", whom we met in Burgos. My fellow pilgrim Hans wrote about her in his book "Encounters on the Way of St. James".
Photos: Gerhard Eichinger
Burgos - Carrion de los Condes
Leon
