Bus into León from Mansilla de las Mulas.
Bus out of León to La Virgen del Camino
Lodging
NH Collection Leon Plaza Mayor €86.50 / $104.00 (partially paid in points)
Plaza San Isidoro, 9 24003 Leon
+34 987 33 00 69
Folklore
Ancestral Spirits – Disembodied spirits wander here. Among them, Huéspeda de Ánimas (procession of souls): A procession of deceased relatives and ancestors. There are specific times of the year when people welcome and celebrate them: Nov 1 – the night of the dead, the festive days between December 25 – January 6. Messenger spirits, souls of the dead, may take the form of an animal.
White Cows – La Vaca Blanca (the white cow): may come to the aid of anyone lost in a snowstorm.
Unicorns – (Alicornio): a creature of protection and good luck, but with added gender-bending powers: can turn women into men and men into women for one day.
Places
Catedral de Santa Maria de León. www.catedraldeleon.org. Open daily 9:30a-1:30p & 4-7p.
Construction began in 1205.
Food and Wine
Cocidos and Other Mountain-Style dishes – Stewed meats and vegetables served as a three-course meal. Come in varieties.
Cheeses – Most made from sheep’s milk (near León in the meseta) and cow’s milk (near Galicia in the mountains). The village of Ambasmestas is know for its goat’s milk cheese.
Botillo and Cecina – Botillo is a wide, fat sausage madee from scraps of meat mixed w/garlic and Spanish paprika, then cured with the smoke of Holm oak. Cecina is a dry-cured beef w/delicate and nutty flavor.
Lamb and Game – Lamb dishes are traditional. Game meats are wild boar, deer, hare, partridge, and quail.
El Bierzo Wines – El Bierzo wine, especially from the Mencia grape, is a rare treat since it is rarely exported. Velvety, medium-bodied, more mineral than fruit.
Orujo – A digestive infused with local herbs and considered medicinal and enjoyable.
Markets note: I will be in Leon Sept 29 & 30 (Wednesday & Thursday)
Food market: Every Wednesday and Saturday, 9am-2p, on the Plaza Mayor.
Flea market: Every Saturday on the Plaza Don Gutierre, just south of the Mercado de Abastos.
Weekly market: Sells general merchandise. Sunday. Along the Paseo Papalaguinda, running parallel with the train station fut on the other side of the Bernesga river.
Entertainment / Dining
Barrio Húmedo – “wet quarter” so named because the neighborhood contains well over a hundred bars. Filled with bars and restaurants. Located south of the cathedral and west of the Paza Mayor, radiating out from the Plaza de San Martin. Top Venues: Los Cazzurros (Plaza San Martin, 5), La Trastienda del 13 (wine bar) Calle Ancha, 1.