{"id":2162,"date":"2014-06-17T20:17:28","date_gmt":"2014-06-17T20:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/josemariacastillejo.com\/?p=2162"},"modified":"2014-06-20T08:27:55","modified_gmt":"2014-06-20T08:27:55","slug":"camino-de-santiago-leon-un-tesoro-que-acabo-de-descubrir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/josemariacastillejo.com\/en\/blog\/2014\/06\/17\/camino-de-santiago-leon-un-tesoro-que-acabo-de-descubrir\/","title":{"rendered":"Lion, the Holy Grail and parliamentarism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some good friends have celebrated their 25th anniversary of marriage and they called us together in Le\u00f3n to do with them what we could each of us in our own way. Road to Santiago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They will walk from Le\u00f3n to Santiago. More than 300 kilometers. In my case, I have been able to join only for two days. The first day, Saturday, we walked 24 kilometers. Between Le\u00f3n and San Mart\u00edn del Camino. Most of the way, by the way, uphill! and with the air blowing hard and against us. So that things do not seem easy.<\/p>\n

The second day was spent visiting Le\u00f3n.<\/p>\n

The two days have been quite a surprise.<\/p>\n

\"Camino<\/a>
Road to Santiago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We start the Camino from the Parador of Le\u00f3n, the San Marcos Convent<\/a>which is almost in the center of the city.<\/p>\n

\"Convento<\/a>
San Marcos Convent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As soon as you leave the gate of San Marco, you cross the Bernesga River<\/a> and little by little, following the signs that are perfectly marked, you leave the city center.<\/p>\n

The first part of this Camino day is not particularly beautiful, to be honest. You go between highways and roads and you don't start to see the countryside until you've done about 16 or 17 kilometers and most of them uphill. You spend about four hours walking until you really start to be surrounded by countryside. On this Camino day we made it as far as the entrance of\u00a0San Mart\u00edn del Camino<\/a>. It appears that the stretch from there to Astorga<\/a>\u00a0is the most beautiful of this stretch of the Camino. I will miss it. I don't have the chance to do it now. But let's look at the positive side: what I have been able to do has been a magnificent experience.<\/p>\n

We spent Sunday getting to know Le\u00f3n a little bit. And... what a set of surprises too!<\/p>\n

I can't go on too long in this post because I would like it to be quick and easy to read. I will focus on a few pieces of information.<\/p>\n

A little bit of history, to position ourselves...<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the beginning of the new millennium, in the year 1000, the situation in the north of the Peninsula was divided.<\/p>\n

\"La<\/a>
The Iberian Peninsula in the year 1000<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Christian kingdoms had been consolidating, but there was still a great division among them. The Asturian monarchy, founded by Don Pelayo, had moved its neuralgic center to Le\u00f3n and the rest of the Christian territories were ruled by different heads.<\/p>\n

\"Reino<\/a>
Kingdom of Pamplona and County of Castilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The different kings and lords fought united against the invaders, they related through marriages, but they also fought among themselves.<\/p>\n

The first major defeat of Almanzor<\/a>The Christian warlord of the Caliphate of Cordoba in his advance on the Peninsula, was inflicted by the Christians in the Battle of Calata\u00f1azor<\/a>in the year 1.002. For the battle were united against Almanzor the armies of:<\/p>\n