Exploring history in London & abroad with my camera
I spent a week in Léon and I particularly loved going out on my own with the camera - just looking at what was happening, or perhaps setting out with a plan. On this particular day I wanted to walk down the walls, visit a park, and find a square. It was comfortably hot, and…
Present-day Léon is a quite magical city - the Romans did a good thing when, around 29BC, the Legio VI Victrix created a military camp, the beginning of today's city. The site was expanded with the creation of the Legio VII Gemina from 74 AD which was established by Servio Sulpicio Galba, the Governor of…
Léon was founded by the Roman legion Legio VI Victrix in 1C but the walls around the 'historic centre' of Léon date from both Roman and Mediaeval times. It was fun to walk around the city, looking for the walls, and I did this more than once! The oldest section that remains was built by Legio…
Saturday morning dawned somewhat grey - the first greyish day we had seen, but it was market day in Leon and off we went! The produce in the market is amazingly good - we don't see goods of this quality in the UK and it made me wonder why the UK supermarkets bother to import,…
I loved the Basilica of San Isidoro and popped in several times at the end of the day. It is situated next to, and attached to, the Roman Walls, on the site of a Roman Temple and in a quiet, residential area of Léon inside the walls. There is a good café on the square…
The Cloister of Léon Cathedral is accessed from the outside, from the Calle Guzmán el Bueno, and, just like the interior, it was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Built in the 14C, it is also very big. The floorplan of the Cathedral & Cloister, Leon (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Leon_catedral_planta.png) Calle de Guzman…
We were settled into a very comfortable AirBnB just ten minutes from the centre of 'old' Léon - comfortable beds, hot water, good cooking facilities, chairs, and fast wifi - and set off to begin our week in the city with a visit to the Cathedral. Léon is a city which was established by the…
