We had a much needed rest day in Leon today, reveling in the luxury of sleeping in until 7 and starting the day at a leisurely pace. The moons aligned this time and it's Saturday, as in market day in Leon. Plaza Major is packed with food stalls and purveyors of all sorts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, olives, flowers and sausages. At the Mercado del Conde Luna, a central covered market, the vendors are mostly meats and seafood. Seafood stalls have fish of all shapes, sizes and colors, plus prawns, crabs, snails, and shellfish. As for the butchers, let's just say no part of the animal is wasted. Ears, snouts, feet, tripe, tongue and brains join hearts, livers, kidneys and who knows what all. Add in the assortment of sausages, whole lamb carcasses, and every cut of meat or poultry you can imagine and then some. Moving right along, the next plaza was the garment district with shirts, pants, socks, undergarments, hats and shoes. Ceramics and art were featured in a few other parks and squares. At one point we heard music and spotted a folk group/band marching with bagpipes. Bagpipes in Spain? The Celts were among the people who came to this area, though not as well known as the Moors. The population of Leon was out in full force, shopping, socializing, and enjoying morning beverages and snacks. We hopped on a cute little city sightseeing train that made its way through town, past all the major sights. It took us out past the Convento de San Marcos, a monastery built by the Knights of Santiago back in the 12 century. Over the years it has served as a hospital for pilgrims, a prison, and now a five star luxury hotel (the posh place featured in The Way with Martin Sheen). It's currently under renovation, so no opportunity to recreate those scenes. We ended up in front of Casa Botines, an incredible trapezoid building created by the famous Spanish architect Gaudi (of Catedral Sagrada Familia in Barcelona) for textile merchants. Combining function with artistry, it has been restored as a museum of art, history of the building, and tribute to the architect. Outside a bronze sculpture of Gaudi sits on a park bench, admiring his creation. We managed to cover a lot of territory on our "rest" day, but hope to find dinner before the traditional Spanish seating at 9 pm so we can get to bed early. Tomorrow we are on the Camino again.