We began our day with coffee using the Bialetti in the apartment, and illy coffee…always a good start to the day! Dale had purchased a bottle of fresh-squeezed orange juice from the grocery store (they have the coolest machine for creating this!) so we decided to walk over to a nearby panageria and bring back fresh food for breakfast. I iced my leg, rubbed in my gel, took meds and we headed out again.
Museum
We toured the museum, guided by a charming and very knowledgeable lady. It was a fascinating place with so much history. Their crown jewel is a chalice, with an original bowl (prior to added gold and gems), dates from the 1st century. In addition, the library holds some extremely rare books, including one dating from the first year of printing, and illuminated books.
The most inspiring part was near the end, when we were taken to the old burial chamber to see what is called the “Sistine Capel of Romanesque Art”. The style is much simpler than Renaissance style but very powerful.
The Cathedral of Leon is pure Gothic style with three stories of stained glass windows, and three stunning rose windows. It faces east and the windows are placed so that the stories they depict coincide with the sun’s position. OK. Enough already!
Festival
As good Camino luck would have it, our rest day was the first day of only 2 large festivals celebrated annually. This one is Medeival and was a lot of fun. We saw the parade (really, a pre-parade), ate festival food, and generally enjoyed a great afternoon and evening on our last day.
I was instructed to rest my injured, shin-splinty leg the next day, so I found myself working out a taxi. Ugh! But I’m back on the road on the 6th! God-willing, and the creek don’t rise.