Day 9 (4 April) — Not Much Until Leon — 11 Miles + 4 Miles

The day started before sunrise at Alonso’s Cafe-Bar for breakfast. When we entered, a fellow was sitting at the counter with Alonso serving up coffee. With the lighting just so, Keith and I thought that we were seeing Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks a la España. A really universal theme of lingering in a diner.

Keith and John went on from the cafe while I returned to our pension to make final preparations for the day. It rained during the night so more gear had to be worn. Turned out it didn’t rain at all this morning; the sun parted the clouds.

The landscape was pretty much what we experienced during the past two days, Kansas in Spain. However, the scenery changed quickly as I approached Leon. First, the auto mile. Then, a Home Depot knock off. After walking through a traffic circle, León appeared in the distance.

After another two miles of walking on city blocks, I reached my hotel named Silken, Luis de Leon which is located a few blocks south of the historic zone. A modern hotel – an upscale change from what I had experienced so far. I also added an image of the view from my room on the 6th floor.

After munching on my dried soybeans and raisins, I headed out for Casa Botine, a rare Gaudi structure outside of Barcelona. The building housed the HQ of the textile firm that funded the building, a bank, and twelve luxury apartments. Designing the building was a challenge for Gaudi because the weather is much colder and wetter than what Gaudi was accustomed to in Barcelona. Different materials had to be used. The style had to fit local sensibilities. Did you know that seven Gaudi buildings are designated World Heritage sites?

One can tour three of the six floors — on the third floor, Spanish art from the late 19th century to the present were displayed. I took photos of Salvatore Dali’s depiction of the Inferno from Dante’s Divine Comedy and Baltasar Lobos’s Chest Toward The Sun.

Visiting Gaudi buildings is like hunting for and viewing Frank Lloyd Wright’s structures.

Time to chill out for the rest of the afternoon. More to come when Keith, Andrew and lifelong friend, Brian, and I dine at Concinandos, a one- star Mchelin restaurant.

About 30 minutes before our reservation time, Keith decided to bow out of dinner. So, three of us went ahead for a splendid repast of nine courses and five wines and one local beer – the Menu Leon. Here’s Brian with other tables in the background. We shared the restaurant with only eight other diners. I could hear our conversation.

I will present a few of the courses and wines that we were thought were distinctive.

The first starter — a delicate skewer of bacalao accompanied by a Spanish sparking wine.

Three other dishes caught our attention — peas topped with a crispy crust, leeks, and the monkfish. Note the beer served with the leeks and the stylized fish knife with the monkfish.

Of course, three types of desserts were served. The denouement was a tawny port with added brandy and fruit essence. A port sangria. We asked and received a second glass. We left very satisfied despite facing the walks back to our respective hotels in the rain.