Spain is full of great surprises and the 13th century cathedral of Santa Maria in the city of León is certainly one of them. Modelled on Chartres for its interior and Notre Dame for its exterior it houses the best example of stained glass in Spain and the second best in the whole of Europe -all 19,000 square feet of it. The glass just seems to jump out at you, especially when the late afternoon sun streams in to ignite the magnificent colours. The exterior when lit up at night is also a magical sight to be seen.