I am a hardworking individual who tries to strike the perfect balance between work and play, not always successful. I firmly believe in putting my best efforts into everything I do.
Eternally curious and proud of it, I try to approach every interaction with an open mind and a willingness to learn. I believe in the power of connecting with people from all walks of life, as I truly believe that everyone has something unique to offer.
I am an avid traveler that does not travel nearly enough and I plan to change that. Through Couchsurfing, I hope to meet like-minded individuals who share my zest for life, exchange stories, and create lasting memories, or not.
It is aaaaaall good.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I think it is the perfect way to meet interesting people all over the place. I am writting a book (which I am in no way shape or form qualified to do) and I need ideas and stories that I can use so be careful what you say in front of me ;-) Also, I plan to do some traveling in the not-so-distant future, and I want to give before I take. I will be hosting a few/many times before I become a guest myself and let's see how it goes.

Interests

• cooking
• gardening
• technology
• movies
• reading
• business
• logic
• marketing

Music, Movies, and Books

I love 80´s and 90´s music. I looooooooooove movies, maybe not horror and musicals but almost everything else. Examples of top of the top movies of all time:
Spartacus, it goes without saying.
Chinatown, that is to be expected.
Pulp Fiction, that goes without question.
Goodfellas, that is a given.
One flew over the cuckoo's nest, that is self-evident.
Snatch, that is without a doubt.
Clockwork Orange, that is unquestionably true.
Matrix, that is an obvious fact. Anyone questioning my choice will have to watch the movie with me at least once and then hear my dissertation on the subject. For this task, we will need at least two bottles of wine, a pound of cheese (either one or several kinds, your choice), a charcuterie display from León, and three-quarters of a good loaf of crusty bread. I say three-quarters so we do not look too overzealous overindulge rapacious ravenous voracious insatiate eaters, but the truth is we should have a whole one. Oh, by the way, the amounts were per adult in the room. In any case, let me get back to the movie list.
Lord of the Rings, that is obvious. But, should we treat them as separate movies.... naaaa too much work for that.
The Sting, is common knowledge.
The Godfather, a known fact.
Casablanca, without question.
Gone with the Wind, an undeniable truth even though there is enough racism in this movie to fill a swimming pool.
and many many many more.
Books I am kind of boring. I love Heat by Bill Buford. I have read it about 15 times. Most of what I read are business, marketing, and such which it seems are not a crowd favorite.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Uffff, this is a trick question.... be 51 and still alive?

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to learn, I like teaching but does not pay enough. Share.... I have no problem sharing my home or what is on my fridge, but as far as feelings are concerned.... that is a different story.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I will try to give you a proper tour of the city. But, just in case I cannot host you or if I host you but cannot spend much time with you, here are some pointers for a short stay in León.
I will try to give you a few pointers about what I think would be must-see monuments and places I recommend. Then I can give you a list of other things to do so you can pick and choose among those.
Most museums close for lunch, typically from 13:30 or 14:00 until 16:00 or 17:00.
I would start with the San Isidoro Museum and Basilica. I think I paid 7€ last time I went. They close on Mondays. I like to do this before the Cathedral, otherwise the Basilica will feel like a toy church. This is one of the jewels of the Romanesque period and even though the architecture is not nearly as impressive as the obstentuous Gothic architecture, I think it is a must-see. They have guided tours in Spanish which I think are worthwhile. If your Spanish is so-so every room will have a QR code that you can scan for an audio tour. The translation is not very good. for some unknown reason, they did not use native speakers for the audio tour but.... well, not much we can do. I seriously recommend having earbuds or AirPods or similar as it makes listening to the audio tours much easier and better. Also, if you are close by on Saturdays from 11 to 11:30PM they have a nice light show or display. I do not know what to call it though.
Next to San Isidoro, there is a bar called La Rivera which I love. If you want to have a glass of wine/beer and a tapa it is a great place. Highly recommend the "oreja", braised pig's ear, and fried chips with aioli and/or cayenne pepper. Everything is good so feel free to try the pig's lung (asadurilla), and mussels with tomato sauce, the callos (braised cow's stomach) The tapa comes free with the drink. It is closed on Tuesdays. This is a good place to go with friends and share a "ración". A racion is a bigger plate than the tapa that they give you for free. When bar hopping it is very tipìcal to have a racion or two in your favorite places and along with the tapas in the other places you may have dinner like that instead of going to a restaurant. At night it is almost always packed so I kind of prefer to go before lunch so I can enjoy myself without the crowds. From La Rivera to La Calle Ancha, is the Romantico neighborhood and it is very popular among Leon residents. Right in the middle is another good one bar La Trebede. Here you get a plate of picadillo (pork, smoked paprika, garlic, salt, and oregano) with some potatoes. It is a very typical dish from Leon, simple but delicious. A shame that they do not give you a small piece of bread to soak up the rendered red fat that you will leave on the plate.
The second monument would be the gothic Cathedral. It is just breathtaking. Almost twenty thousand squared feet of stained glass. This is also 7€. The quality of the audio tour here is better, at least the voice. I think it is not very intuitive as when you scan the QR code you get a page with five choices from 1 to 5 but it is not very easy to know from the beginning how it will work. Follow the numerical order and as you listen you will be able to go to where the audio directs you.
From there you can follow the Calle Ancha and go to Casa Botines which is very close by. Casa Botines is one of the three buildings that the architect Antonio Gaudi built outside of Catalonia. It is my favorite secular building in Leon, no doubt. They usually have some exposition that is usually free to check but you can check their website at casabotines.es There is a paid visit for 9€ and a guided one for 12€. I have never done that one and I should as I do not know if it is worth it or not. (update, currently, the exterior is being renovated)
You can walk to Plaza Mayor (Saturday morning they have a farmer's market) and get a drink in El Barrio Humedo (The Wet Neighborhood) This is the old part of town. If you are with two or three other people you can share one racion de morcilla (Leon blood sausage) which is very different from others. It is fresh when cooked instead of being semi-dry like in other places. I recommend La Bicha for this. Some people might say the owner is an asshole, but I have only seen him being rude to rude people so in my opinion.... that is acceptable. But one morcilla racion is way too much for one person as it is a strong dish. That is why I recommend it if you are with other people. Other places I like to have a glass of wine/beer would be El Flechazo for potatoes, El Gaucho for bread and garlic soup (especially in the winter) and the picadillo and morcilla are good here as well, La Gitana has several good things, the last thing I ate where the chicken wings but.... I think we might have paid for those. El Barrio Humedo is where I used to go as a kid but nowadays it has changed a lot. It is still ok, but tourism has taken a toll on it. I really cannot complain as tourism is a big part of Leon's economy so that is a price we pay for the changes we have had.
In the morning, the market of Conde Luna is very cool to visit even if just to see the fishmongers, butcher shops, casquerias (animal entrails' shop), fruits and vegetables and such. It is being renovated and until they finish they have lost a bit of the enchantment. Mornings only.
To the right of Casa Botines is the Guzmans Palace. Nice building. You can visit the patio, and gallery from 10:30-12:00 and from 17:15 to 18:45. This one is free. I used to go in as a teenager as my high school was right behind Casa Botiness and they had cool armored knights on display and such things that I have always found fascinating. I have not checked it out for a long time so I do not know if it is worth it or not.
Around the corner in the Plaza de Sto Domingo there is the Museum of Leon. I think this one is very inexpensive but I do not remember if they have guided visits or not. They also have a website.
The facade of the San Marcos Hotel is also worth visiting. To the right side of the hotel, there is a museum, I think they call it the Museum of the Church of San Marcos. Tuesday to Saturday and it is free. This is new, and I have not made the time to see it, but if you go during visiting hours you may as well swing by. Next to the right, there is a very nice restaurant, one Michelin star, and the price is not outrageous if you feel adventurous.
If you want a proper lunch or dinner, you have Alborada close to San Marcos. In this restaurant I recommend the Pastel de Cabracho (rock fish pate) as an appetizer (mollejas de ternera-beef sweetbreads are also good) and then go directly with the main course. Their main courses are amazing. A bit in the pricey side but because of the quality and flawless execution I think well worth it. Hake´s Neck for two, amazing. Oxtail, incredible, Salted Cod Tavern style, delicious (a tiny bit spicy), the small monkfish, great, roasted baby lamb for two, to cry for. All their main dishes are good.. Casa Rafa is in the center of the city but far enough from tourist trap areas. If you go there, I recommend a salpicon de mariscos (seafood salad) as an appetizer and then the Cabrito (baby goat). It is a bit fattier than lamb but very very close in flavor. Golden brown on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. I like to order it by itself as if I eat appetizers I will not clean the plate of all the fatty goodness, and when eaten with a good piece of bread it is delicious. If you want something less filling the grilled monkfish is delicious too. I am not much of a desert person but I think most of them if not all are good. The price for the plate of cabrito is 18 or 19€ If you add a bottle of local wine for 12-15€ you are set for a very reasonable amount of money.
I think for your stay this should be enough, but let me give you a few other things to do and/or see.
Always check Leon's Auditorium to see if they have anything going on. Usually, the prices are 1/2 or less of what you pay in a big city and if they have a show during your stay it is likely to be worthwhile.
https://auditorio.aytoleon.es/espectaculos.php
There are several other museums you can go. Check MUSAC (contemporary art), as their expositions are usually good.
Right in front of the cathedral, there is another interesting bit, Museo Sierra Pambley. It is the house of a very rich guy from the XIX century who was responsible for setting up schools for the lower classes. Unlike the US, we did not use to have public schools back in the day. The house is kind of like a trip back in time. I do not know if I would pay for it, so I would recommend it if you go by on Thursday which is for free.
You can go to La Plaza del Grano, or La Plaza de San Martin. If you want to sit down for a bit without having to order a drink you have the Cid Park right in the center of the city or the Quevedo Park just across the river from Hotel San Marcos.
A walk down the Bernesga River (Paseo de la Condesa) is in my opinion recommended. If you go down the river, you can go from San Marcos Hotel all the way down to the bullring. It is a long walk, I am not saying to do it. But, if you feel like it, it is a pleasant way to exercise a little and you can do as much as you want.
If your stay was to be a bit longer I would recommend visiting Astorga, easily accessible via public transport. If you had access to a vehicle I would also have some more recommendations such as the Valporquero caves and surrounding area, or the Roman gold mines in Las Medulas. The Compludo Blacksmith (close to Las Medulas).
The mining and siderurgy museum in Sabero. The Fundación Cerezales Antonino y Cinia in Cerezales del Condado. It is worthwhile the drive just to admire the building, and if they have something going on.... the better.
You can do a long walk in the mountains with La Ruta Del Cares, or go to La Bañeza to eat some delicious frog legs. You can go to Castrillo de los Polvazares for a robust Cocido Maragato or to the el bierzo area for a botillo.
I will spend a few hours one of these days laying out most of the other offerings not mentioned here. There is no doubt that León can offer a lot of things to do and outstanding delicacies to eat. If you stay a day or two or a week or two, let´s make sure you are not bored.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, Spain, United States