The two old bats in Leon

The two old bats in León

Up and off bright and early, timed to get into the city at the end of any possible rush hour. We'd checked and found what we hoped would be suitable parking for Belinda (so much city centre parking is underground and with the van's height of 2.3 m we can't usually quite get in!)

The parking (Santa Nonia), turned out to be ideal, and it didn't even cost that much: it was a short walk from there into the historic centre where we wandered around seeing what we could see.

Finding our way into Leon

There are various Roman remains - the city was a Roman camp and is laid out on a rectangular plan. I suspect there's a trail around it which you find by following brass "Roman footprints" set into the paving.

One of the Roman sandal prints - life size, my
sandal for scale!

A rather tasty bit of granite marks the site of the West Gate.

We came to a large square where Jan enjoyed sitting next to Gaudi, surveying the Casa Botines which he designed in the 1890s

Jan with Antonio Gaudi - he is sketching the Casa Botines

And this is the Casa Botines

We ambled on, up narrow streets, enjoying various shop windows, until we came to the Plaza Mayor

Everything you need from pig to sausage...

Bread and cakes

The Plaza Mayor

 Finally we managed to find the cathedral, and a convenient café!

Cathedral spotted!

Yup - that's the cathedral

So clean!

And here's the coffee! We were feeling in need of the usual bun by now so ordered a couple of palmeritas... then found that the coffee came with a puff pastry cake (I think they are called hojaldres) each! We managed to force them down ;)

A brass plan of the city walls superimposed on (I think) the modern city centre

For my geologist friends, the local building stone - limestone with stylolites

And finally, just opposite the car park, medieval city walls

Over the hills and far away

Or over the Cantabrian Mountains to be exact: there is a choice of two routes north from Leon, the toll motorway (AP66) or the old main road (N630) which winds its way over the Puerto Pajares, and which we opted for.

The road cuts across the grain of the country, so plenty of rocks to look at!

The top of the pass itslef is pretty boring - a boarded up hotel seems to be the main attraction!

But there is a cafe a little way down the northern side so we sat drinking iced lemon being entertained

The entertainment was partly motor bikes heading up or down the pass and partly a couple cleaning up their toddler who had thrown up all over the entire interior of their car by the looks of things. The conversation probably went something like "can't you control your child?" "Well I told you not to drive so fast round those bends..." etc.

Cute little orange bug on an umbellifer

Lots of nice mountains up in this part of Spain

With curly rocks

And pointy bits

But wait... what is that stuff in the sky? Can it be clouds? Is the hot weather at an end?

Certainly looked as though it might be... 

We rejected one campsite (Llanes) - sun was out, but it was wall to wall day trippers coming back from the beach... then found another (Playa de Vidiago), sun had gone in again but it was tucked away down by a little beach and had these amazing showers that were built in right under an overhanging cliff (no hard hat needed). So we decided to park up here for three nights and have a break from travelling before going home.

Pebbles at the back of the beach

Breaking waves

More breaking waves

Playa de Vidiago