Leon, Part 2: Felicidades!

Just behind that enormous red flower pot--Ed's only a few inches taller than it--we spotted the first of three wedding parties we witnessed in Leon. We think wedding #1 was more of a municipal service but everyone was brilliantly dressed for a Saturday late afternoon/early evening. By the time we made it to the cathedral we had seen all kinds of people in tuxes and long gowns. We couldn't get into the cathedral but we didn't really grasp why until they opened the doors and there was wedding party #2, getting their photos taken at the altar. This cathedral, which I mentioned in a post a while back as being the boldest in Europe for its floor-to-ceiling walls of stained glass... so much so that the walls have to be held up entirely by banks of flying buttresses. But by the time I could take photos of either the windows or the buttresses, we got caught up in wedding #3 and it really felt like we should leave again to give them some privacy. I'm pretty sure our family is in a number of their formal and informal photographs--oops--as we tried to escape out the doors of the cathedral.

As bride #3 exited her Bentley to go into the front of the cathedral, bride & groom #2 exited the side door where guests pelted them with confetti and set off firecrackers (roman candles?). Ed was just explaining to the kids how these particular fireworks were good at blowing off people's fingers, hands, or arms, when this priest came up and took a hold of Ben good-naturedly telling him in Spanish not to fool around with fireworks. I figured if you touch my kid without permission I'm taking a photo of you without permission. But he was benign after all and quite the joker (we think). A very exciting day for 3 families and what appeared to be the rest of the town invited to the soirees.

I took the photo of the empty streetside cafe because at other hours of the day, Leon was so empty and silent that it seemed like everyone was gone. Siesta is taken very seriously in Leon. Don't even try to get a bocadillo or a cafe con leche. Or go inside a church or museum. You are meant to be resting so get off the streets!