it is Monday and we made it to Leon to begin our spring break. On Thursday we will head to Astorga for the rest of Holy week. If you read our previous posts you know we entered Leon by train from Sahagun to save ourselves from the meseta. It was a timing issue also to get to Leon and Astorga in time for Easter (and Semana Santa week).
In Leon we are staying about two blocks from the Cathedral and the main tourist district. The Camino passes right by and there are many pilgrims passing through. Leon is a big city and the train dropped is off about a mile from our hotel. The top of the cathedral is visible for most of the walk from the train but the whole view of it doesn’t appear until you come right up to it. And it’s stunning.
The hotel allowed us to check in at 10AM so we set out for the Cathedral after dropping off our bags. We’ve been to a lot of Cathedrals in Europe and this one is among the most beautiful.
Tourists started flooding into Leon not only for Semana Santa but also because there is a lot to see.
We didn’t realize how big a deal Semana Santa was until tonight, Wednesday. There are thousands of people on the street watching the processions go on through Leon depicting the stations of the cross. This is the most amazing religious experience we’ve ever seen in a public setting.
We went back into the Cathedral for a second time to see what we missed.
