Day 38: Leon
From Diary of a five year old backpacker! in Leon, Spain on Aug 02 '06
This entry is about:
We found a great three star hotel in Logrono, Spain called the Condes de Haro and because it’s a small city, we have to pay for a garage parking underground. We have access to the internet here which is fabulous because we can call home and also post our pictures and updates. Billy gets on the Cartoon Network site and gets his fix of games.
Last night’s dinner was at the Burger King with nothing in English except Superman kid’s meal, but we managed to match the burger photos with the Spanish words! Billy happily played with the family of three local kids in the playground rather than eat so he was so excited…and we took the meal home.
The spires went forever and let in natural light. Billy figured out the walls were about seven stories high.
Today we are heading through northern Spain inland to the east coast, stopping overnight at Leon on our way. A cool day’s start of about 21oC going up to 35oC. We have a chilly bag so drinks and KitKats survive. At Burgos we stop for lunch and a chance to see through a Cathedral .Outside a Spanish tavern we had the menu special, three courses and wine. Our strategy is check for menu clues, order what we think it is, never get the same as each other, enjoy our luck if we are pleased and share if we aren’t impressed!! We got a very nice paella, and chickpea and chicken entrée, veal steak and meatballs, both with large “patatas”, followed by peaches and a slice of nutmeg mousse with cream washed down with local wines. Cheers….ohhh..Billy had “patatas fries”, bread and Coke. We ordered in Spanish only to find out later that waiter spoke English!! We had a big laugh. Burgos must also be a stopover for cyclists with some serious lycra doing its best to hold onto its seams. They were giving the wine a big nudge!! .Spanish wine is very drinkable!!
The Spanish Cathedral Burgos soared above the town in the centre of plazas and was very pleasant and peaceful, nothing like the madness of Rome or Venice. No queues, traffic and a most spectacular building with magnificent detail. The external arches and spires are each unique. Immediately entering, the Cathedral’s internal structure has many different areas for different functions with an overwhelming grandeur in carvings decorated in silver and gold, wooden carvings on furniture and wall panels. The spires went forever and let in natural light. Billy figured out the walls were about seven stories high.
Two massive sat high above the centre hall and while we were there, the clock tower struck three o’clock. Having been to Paris, Will said overwhelmingly this topped the best cathedral he had seen. Lots of religious symbols and a few explanations of what a crucifixion was for Billy and then he got into the swing of it with his own version of things to do with death and people getting flattened and the buried!!?? A few sword fights and his theory on cherubs bottoms etc..Regrettably the quote of the day was from me, Kimmy, walking into a elaborate chamber with a statue lying encased in glass on centre platform, and asking “I wonder who this dude must be”?”
For all you petrol heads, Will drives on the autopista averaging 140km and has been passed by cars traveling way faster. We nicknamed these makes of cars Gonzalez because of their speed!
Leon is a large town with many clean large parks filled with recreation areas for little kids and teenagers. Billy says “hola” to other kids; although one little Spanish girl had a lovely chat to Kim in Spanish and they shock hands warmly for goodbye! Our hotel at Leon, Hotel Alfonso V Spain was really funky, art deco and Spanish with an amazing atrium up 11 floors. Kimmy checked in while the guys parked out the main street. Will, with the help of smiling Felix, the concierge, parallel parked with a lot of hard turns of the steering wheel working within millimeters of bumpers. Once again we flung out bags into the room and walked a short distance to the plazas, laneways and cathedrals through Leon.
The afternoon was cooler and we planned to do cruise the small alleys of shops with “rebalais”reductions!! And got some funky items, then dashed to the supemarcado before closing at 9.15am for dinner. An average sized supermarket, with handbaskets on wheels which Billy took control of, we were stunned by the array and size of the fresh seafood section. The fishmongers had seriously big knives for slicing anything from eels, snapper, squid, crabs etc…Unbelievable, and we can’t figure where it disappears to at 9.15 just by it’s quantity. By the way Billy hasn’t had a fish finger or Weetbix for the entire trip, or maccas for atleast 10days.
Once we laid out the bed with dinner, Will flicked on the telly and there was an AFL game with two Spainish commentators. Billy and Will sat mesmerized.
Tool of The Day
Spainish Sportsmania for having an old 2005 North Melbourne vrs Adelaide, but then again they might have had to search the archives for a winning Hawthorn game.
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