Astorga

Astorga is about 40kms from Leon, Fredy and I caught a bus to go there,  mainly to see Placa Obispo - the Bishop's Palace.  In 1887 Joan Baptista Grau, tge bishop of Astorga entrusted his friend and countryman Antoni Gaudi with the construction of the episcopal palace. After 4 years of working on the design the bishop died,  at which point Gaudi abandoned any further work on it. But authorities of the church at the time went ahead with the building anyway.  Just across the road from the palace is a rather grand cathedral as well, Catedral de Santa Maria de Astorga, was started in the 15th century on top of a roman church and not completed until the 18th century.  Both buildings gallantly stand atop the ancient roman fortified walls of the city.
Unfortunately for me I'd quite misjudged the severity of the icy wind that morning (by choosing my sandals over my sand shoes) and cussed the knife edge of the chill - thus expanding Fredy's knowledge of the common English language.
I didn't take many photos of the cathedral . . . So to help you not be confused as to which building is which ... I'll put them here now and continue with the rest of Astorga here after.
Again ... the detail of decoration and the enormity of the buildings ... astound me. Especially in an era when life is not easy, the tools are basic and machinery - nil. They seemed by this to convey that "time" is simly not a matter to be taken into account by any means.