Day Trippin in Burgos

Burgos is a city in northern Spain and the historic capital of Castile. It is situated on the confluence of the Arlanzón river tributaries, at the edge of the Iberian central plateau. It has about 180,000 inhabitants in the actual city and another 20,000 in the metropolitan area. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The Burgos Laws or Leyes de Burgos which first governed the behaviour ofSpaniards towards the natives of the Americas were promulgated here in 1512.

 

It has many historic landmarks, of particular importance; the Cathedral of Burgos (declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984),^[4] Las Huelgas Reales Monastery and the Cartuja of Miraflores. A large number of churches, palaces and other buildings from the medieval age remain. The city is surrounded by the Fuentes Blancas and the Paseo de la Isla parks.

 

Castilian nobleman, military leader, and diplomat El Cid Campeador is a significant historical figure in the city, as he was born a couple of miles north of Burgos and was raised and educated here.

Window shopping in Burgos is a contact sport in the early morning while busy workers are trying to get things done before getting to work. We managed to buy Annie a new belt and me a nice olive wood picnic knife. Afterwards, we were off to the main cathedral in St. Maria Plaza. We enjoyed the walking audio tour thru it and were overwhelmed by the ornateness and grandeur. It was well worth the time.

Coffee con leche is the drink of the day. A sidewalk cafe just outside the Cathedral was just the spot for our second cup.

 

A short walk along the Rio Arlanzon, thru the treelined lane we happened upon another of Burgos top 10 must see historical sites; the Monastery Santa Maria la Real de las Huelgas. It was closed, but we still enjoyed a stroll around the historic grounds. The word huelgas, which usually refers to "labor strikes" in modern Spanish, refers in this case to land which had been left fallow. Historically, the monastery has been the site of many weddings of royal families, both foreign and Spanish, including that of Edward I of England to Eleanor of Castile in 1254, for example. The defensive tower of the Abbey is also the birthplace of King Peter I of Castile.

 

This shady vendor followed us around all day! He had many disguises but the cone always gave him away! We did not give in, but surely will once we start our trek.

On the way back we stood under the Arco de Santa Maria. Are you noticing a trend here? It seems that all things "Santa Maria are here in this one city!

Further along the promenade, we cross the Puente de Santa Maria, hmmm, to the Plaza de Mio Cid. What, no Santa Maria!

Our lunch consisted of fabulous delicacies from the local mercado (supermarket to us americans).

On the recommendation of our hotel we enjoyed a very nice dinner in a local tavern. We managed to walk 8.4 miles today and tomorrow it's about 13 to our next village.

 

Bon Camino!

 

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