León (pop. 165,000) is the last major city along the Camino de
Santiago before the final stop of Santiago de Compostela itself. Though the old city
retains vestiges of the Romans and the Middle Ages, the modern city that surrounds it has
broad avenues and a cosmopolitan feel. The city’s name (originally Legio in Latin, but
changed over time to León) means “lion,” and its inhabitants are appropriately proud of
their city and identity, having been known to take down the occasional gazelle. The Roman
walls still stand in part today, and the once heavily fortified city was a launching
point for the knights of the Reconquista. The city is best known for its spectacular
cathedral and its infamously boisterous nightlife.