Our visit to Zamora had ended and it was time to move on from Zamora to Leon. It is a short distance and we stopped along the way and then spent a few hours in Leon. We needed the break because I couldn’t sit for the whole drive from Zamora to Cangas de Onis, and anyway we wanted to take our time through the mountains.
Zamora to Valencia de Don Juan
The countryside was flat and it looked as though there had been grain harvests. There weren’t many settlements and I think farming here must be very hard work, with searing heat in the summer and biting cold in the winter.
Valencia de Don Juan
We stopped in Valencia de Don Juan which is just south of Leon and which I had noticed in previous visits but for various reasons we hadn’t visited..
As is so often the case there was a fortification here in prehistoric times, then an Arab castle on the same site, and today’s Castle dates from the 15th century and is also known as Coyanza Castle because that is what the town was called in the 12th and 13th centuries.
We needed a little refreshment after all that looking and dropped into this cafe opposite the castle. We ordered coffees and were issued with absolutely delicious hunks of lemon sponge, free – Yum!
Leon
And then we were in Leon, inside the walls of the old town, in the hotel alongside the Basilica which was comfortable and allowed us to park safely and then walk into the centre of the town. The Basilica of San Isidoro is a wonderful building and I spent a lot of time here when we stayed in Leon in 2019 – do look up the link, lots of information and photographs. Now I just wanted to sit in the gloom and enjoy the atmosphere.
Leon Cathedral
We had spent a week in Leon in 2019 and I had loved every minute of that week. We only visited the Cathedral once and I took lots of photos and dug for information. Again lots on the link.
The Cloisters are very ornate, and very grand. As I look back at 2019 I start to wonder if the camera is coming to the end of its time – or is it operator error?
Leon at night
The Cathedral is lit up, as you might expect, and lighting in the steets was quite soft, and people were milling around. We really weren’t hungry so settled into a little bar with a glass of wine and something light, then collapsed into bed.
The day spent travelling from Zamora to Leon was marvellous, and the little taste of Leon was just what we needed to remind ourselves of the week in 2019.
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