I’d forgotten just how breathtaking León is even though I’ve been here twice before. There are many beautiful, historic buildings, pedestrian-only streets leading to the majestic Catedral de León in the Plaza Mayor (main square). It is Sunday, and the city is alive with activity! We had a little chat with Gaudí, or rather, with the bronze statue of him sitting on a bench, gazing up at one of his architectural masterpieces. We stopped for a bite to eat and some fun people-watching at an outdoor table. Fashionably dressed pedestrians strolled by with designer dogs trotting happily alongside them. A tourist train trundled by occasionally and a musician filled the air with lively tunes from his guitar. 

We struck up a conversation with a lovely couple from Brisbane who will start walking the Camino tomorrow to Santiago. We’ll be a day behind them since we are staying in León an extra day. They recommended places to eat: the pizza parlor just downstairs from where our apartment is and the luxurious Parador Hotel which we assumed would be way over budget. No! They assured us that they had a delicious meal including a bottle of wine for only 18 Euros each!

This afternoon’s “adventure” began when we tried to get into the apartment Janine had booked at Housing León Catedral. This simple process turned into something resembling a scavenger hunt. The first challenge was finding the keys, which were located in a building five minutes away from the apartment building. It took ages, but we finally managed to unlock a cabinet labelled “gas” and find our keys.

With keys in hand, we made our way back to our building, thinking the hard part was over, but no such luck! Figuring out which apartment was ours became a puzzle. The elevator had buttons for nine floors even though the building only has four floors, which left us feeling slightly confused. Janine eventually learned by texting the owner/manager that our apartment was one of two units on the second floor—but not before we tried to unlock the door to the wrong apartment first!

Thankfully, the friendly residents from the “wrong apartment” arrived in time to help us get into the right unit. Once we were finally inside, the frustrations quickly melted away as we took in the view from one of our three balconies of the cathedral. The adventure was well worth it in the end. 😊

Janine headed out in mid-afternoon to the Parador to find out more about having dinner there and to get her Credencial (pilgrim passport). I stayed here, happily kicking my feet up and soaking in the sounds of the city from the comfort of the apartment. The balcony doors are open, letting in the sounds of the lively street below and the perfect 27C weather. Today is a reprieve from the hot weather we experienced yesterday in Madrid/Chamartin but it won’t stay that way. Temperatures will climb.