Burgos

 The weather was getting hotter and hotter. Thankfully my hotel was close to the bus station with very few hills. A bonus. Actually, the first noticeable statues were these two! I loved them. They were very welcoming somehow!

Burgos is a relatively small city, but with high density living. Its narrow streets, many pedestrianised, always offer a chance to be in the shade, thanks to the multi-storeyed buildings on either side.

The central square is very picturesque with its colourful houses, greenery and an incredibly blue sky!

The city hall stands out because of all its greenery!

Surprisingly, this smallish city has the most incredible cathedral. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, as Burgos is on the Camino di Campostela. I was rather perturbed seeing people exercising their dogs at midday, in 35 degree temperatures. Horrendous for their paws.

Wherever you view the cathedral from, it’s incredible. Luckily, there were very few tourists around in Burgos.

Inside is no less amazing than outside. In fact, it would be safe to say it’s one of the most spectacular cathedrals I’ve visited.

If you look carefully, there are always some quirky spots!

This room had the pictures of dozens and dozens of cardinals all around the room. Quite incredible.

And downstairs, part of the original church built in 1081. The work on the cathedral has been ongoing, and is still ongoing. Couldn’t help but think of our cathedral in Christchurch waiting to be restored!

Lunch was at a recommended restaurant called Morito! Wow, what a feast of salad I had in this bustling place. I didn’t quite finish, but I spent longer than most people there, determined not to waste such delicious food.

In the afternoon I went to meet my new friend, Catalina, who I met on the train to San Sebastián. Language certainly opens doors everywhere you go.

While I was waiting for her, I enjoyed a while watching a crazy dog, looked like a fox, but chasing all the leaves. He definitely had ADHD, never stopped!

There were some very interesting and good murals.

Not only on side walls

I met up with Catalina. What a great walk we had around the city. We tried as much as possible to stay out of the sun. It was soooo hot! Everyone else obviously had the same idea. Streets were pretty empty.

Another wonderful piece of street art, en route to the hill up to the ruined castle.

It’s such a pretty place, and compared to San Sebastián far less crowded. More my type of place to visit.

What a fabulous ‘ mirador’ lookout over this lovely city. It was such a pleasure to learn all about life there from my newfound friend. It makes so much difference wandering through backstreets you would probably not have seen alone. Of course, for my Spanish it was amazing and I came away feeling very confident.

At the Castillo, which has been partially restored, we enjoyed some time with a local lady who comes there every night to feed some strays. She’s been doing it for 15 years. Marvellous. She calls them, and one by one they come out from the ruins to feast on meat and biscuits, and to drink. Lovely lady. She was anxious about being stopped by the local council, so I didn’t take any photos.

Final stop was a bar in a very attractive square, the in place on a beautiful, balmy evening. 

Thanks Catalina for a fantastic afternoon in Burgos. It’s a truly gorgeous place.