We had a wonderful visit in Leon. Beside choosing to walk a lot, it was great being in a big city to get a taste of Spanish life. People walking the streets and sitting in the beautiful park by the river. We also took time to watch the equivalent of shuffle board Spanish style.
We made a special trip to see the cathedral of Leon. What an amazing site to walk around and just soak in the beauty of the height and space and color of the stain glass windows.
There were two points in the cathedral that allowed one to look at wall after high wall of light. Pictures cannot contain the full content or effect of standing in that cathedral.
The audio guide told some interesting points. As Europe was emerging out of the Dark Ages, two hundred churches were built in a span of one hundred years. The race was on to have the biggest, most spectacular church. This ran parallel with the emerging Gothic design that sought to have a person look up to new heights that the ceilings allowed and more light than ever pouring into the church in order to see God. Seeing God by being a disciple of Christ and experiencing the love the Church has for a dying world was replaced by civic pride and a structure. Resources were poured into a building, not into people that could be salt and light to the people around them. In the end it seems they got what they invested in, stone and glass that appears void of a community empowered by love.
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