More of Leon

Fredy and Santiago's university hours mean they leave home at 9am (it's a 20 minute walk to uni from here) they're back for lunch at about 2:30 leave  for uni at about 3:30 pm and home again around 8:30 pm 6 days a week.  Last night Fredy offered to walk with me to some of the sights in Leon, so we left about 9pm.
We went through what used to be the old roman entrance archway through the protective walls of the city, with a roman soldier standing guard above. (The next day in daylight I took some more photos. ...an walked around the outside of the remaining protective walls, in the photos they are the large cylindrical stone walls, , with peep holes to safely check for enemies.    Just inside the archway entrance (under the roman soldier) is a huge old church of stone with grand wooden doors.  We went silently inside .... the smell of myrrh swiftly enshrined our senses.  I'm sorry I didn't take any photos of the interior. ... a few people were praying and I felt it would be disrespectful.  Its really quite hard to describe. ... we could feel the silent detailed stories these walls and pillars held in their sturdy porous solidarity.  I was taken by the incredible quality of the mortar that held these stones together.  . . As it is now outer most protruding with perfectly flat edges as if sliced. ..  leaving the surface of the stones slightly receded, the mortar as good as the day it was layed ... not even chipped! Amazing,  really.!  The  ceilings high and curved with detailed coloured pictures framed by solid curved beams (they must have been installed before borer were invented). The light pine-coloured glossy modern pews (without any dents or dings came complete with electric radiators to thaw religious feet) and looked like foreigners in a mosque. They had an intrusive air about them,  they clearly didn't belong.
Outside high above the entrance is the bishop (his hat gives him away) gesturing gallantly with both arms as his steed rears up. I love looking up  at the gargoyles that seem to exude an ageless wild defiance  that adorn these ancient roof edges. I often think it would be satisfying to see their function in action during a decent down pour, but I've not had the opportunity yet.
Leaving this Iglesia (church) we came to realise these beautiful brass scallop shells embedded in the pavements here and there are signs of direction for the pilgrims of Camino de Santiago.  The shells are made slightly different (by way of being pointed) from their natural Shape.  They direct the pilgrims to the next predetermined religious site.
Which we also went to from there, being at the further out reaches of town (in the opposite direction of our home) to Plasa San Marcus,  what an incredibly enormous building this is, apparently it was an original dwelling for peregrinos de camino de Santiago!!! Surely a most humble and generous purpose for a such a building that can easily be mistaken for a castle or even a palace.  I found it  slightly amusing but more incredulous that it is now a very ritzy Hotel!  And likely not a single pilgrim would be able to afford to step inside just to shelter from the rain let alone sleep the night.  Fredy took a couple of photos of me sitting beside the bronze pilgrim who has taken his sandals off for a breather (I did the same just after the photo was taken, the new shoes keep my feet warm but they're still giving me blisters).