Kevin Whitten
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Sept. - Oct. 2012
I have been itching to tell this story so here it is!
In April, 2015 I was approaching Leon on the Camino Francis for the 3rd time. As it turned out, I was with my brother in law but he was a day behind me, so I decided to spend an extra day in Leon in order for him to catch up.
I had heard a number of stories and good things about the Parador de Leon and I decided to indulge myself with a 2 day stay at that amazing hotel.
When I went to check in, I thought "why not have some fun with this" and I approached the young lady at reception with my considerable Canadian charm. I should point out that this is the same charm that normally gets me a full body and cavity examination when I use it on female immigration and custom officials.
Anyway, with my roguish smile, I asked if Emilio's and Martin's room from the movie was available, "wink".
I can only surmise that there were some serious disfunction between management and staff, as she looked at me for a long moment and then asked me to wait after which she disappeared into the back room.
While she looked a bit glassy eyed when she came back, she was kind enough to advise that "yes" it was available though I had to pay another 25 euros for the 2 nights. What did I care? I was going to share a bathroom with Emilio, Martin, Yorick, James and Deborah. Yes, I know, how bad that sounds!
So the porter decides to take my backpack, like I needed it after walking 32 km's, but who am I to interfere with the division of labour. Plus the gentleman looked a bit like the cat that swallowed the canary.
So we go upstairs and when he opens the door, I found myself in the President's suite. Of course he is smirking like a mad man to see my reaction. Equally nonplussed, I had to pretend that I expected this and in my best Canadian pretentious "idiot" voice, I asked if there was anything bigger. I don't think he bought it even a little bit.
You see the suite consisted of the main living room, the dining room, a shower stall that was bigger than most of the places I had stayed in to that time, a bedroom with canopy bed and sundry smaller rooms that had no meaning to me as I had no servants accompanying me.
For those of you that have stayed at the Parador, when you enter the building, there is a little balcony over the front door and this is the Presidential suite. The bedroom doors open out onto it and I believe that if you had an "Il Duce" complex, this was the place to exercise it.
Anyway, I am going to cut to the chase here.
In the movie, when "Martin" (my new best friend as we shared a toilet) goes to the door to let the people in, it was in fact the living room as it had access to the outside hall. The real bedroom had a long hallway to get to it and as such, wouldn't have allowed for filming.
Apparently, they took all the furniture out of the living room and replaced it with the bedroom furniture for the filming.
Sorry if I am the one to burst your bubble about how it all went down. Hollywood can be a cruel fantasy.
If it makes you feel any better, they only left 2 sheets of toilet paper on the roll. They never mention that at the Oscars!
In April, 2015 I was approaching Leon on the Camino Francis for the 3rd time. As it turned out, I was with my brother in law but he was a day behind me, so I decided to spend an extra day in Leon in order for him to catch up.
I had heard a number of stories and good things about the Parador de Leon and I decided to indulge myself with a 2 day stay at that amazing hotel.
When I went to check in, I thought "why not have some fun with this" and I approached the young lady at reception with my considerable Canadian charm. I should point out that this is the same charm that normally gets me a full body and cavity examination when I use it on female immigration and custom officials.
Anyway, with my roguish smile, I asked if Emilio's and Martin's room from the movie was available, "wink".
I can only surmise that there were some serious disfunction between management and staff, as she looked at me for a long moment and then asked me to wait after which she disappeared into the back room.
While she looked a bit glassy eyed when she came back, she was kind enough to advise that "yes" it was available though I had to pay another 25 euros for the 2 nights. What did I care? I was going to share a bathroom with Emilio, Martin, Yorick, James and Deborah. Yes, I know, how bad that sounds!
So the porter decides to take my backpack, like I needed it after walking 32 km's, but who am I to interfere with the division of labour. Plus the gentleman looked a bit like the cat that swallowed the canary.
So we go upstairs and when he opens the door, I found myself in the President's suite. Of course he is smirking like a mad man to see my reaction. Equally nonplussed, I had to pretend that I expected this and in my best Canadian pretentious "idiot" voice, I asked if there was anything bigger. I don't think he bought it even a little bit.
You see the suite consisted of the main living room, the dining room, a shower stall that was bigger than most of the places I had stayed in to that time, a bedroom with canopy bed and sundry smaller rooms that had no meaning to me as I had no servants accompanying me.
For those of you that have stayed at the Parador, when you enter the building, there is a little balcony over the front door and this is the Presidential suite. The bedroom doors open out onto it and I believe that if you had an "Il Duce" complex, this was the place to exercise it.
Anyway, I am going to cut to the chase here.
In the movie, when "Martin" (my new best friend as we shared a toilet) goes to the door to let the people in, it was in fact the living room as it had access to the outside hall. The real bedroom had a long hallway to get to it and as such, wouldn't have allowed for filming.
Apparently, they took all the furniture out of the living room and replaced it with the bedroom furniture for the filming.
Sorry if I am the one to burst your bubble about how it all went down. Hollywood can be a cruel fantasy.
If it makes you feel any better, they only left 2 sheets of toilet paper on the roll. They never mention that at the Oscars!
What a great story, Kevin. I'm a bit jealous. This last October after reaching Leon from SJPdP, and while I was waiting for my son to arrive from Denver to meet me, I had wanted to stay at the Parador. It was, sadly closed for its renovation.
