Burgos, located in northern Spain, was one of the cities we visited during our trip. The city is known for its ancient cathedral and its location on the French Way of the Camino de Santiago. It is also known for Capaduira, which houses the tomb of El Cid and for being close to Katapuerca, where the remains of early European humans were found. Additionally, Burgos features the Santa Maria Arch, which served as the main entrance to the city for centuries. In the Middle Ages, it was one of the most important cities and traders had to pay a tax at this arch when entering the city. Today, these gates represent the entrance to the Historic Center of Burgos and welcome visitors. The gates are designed like a large triumphal arch and are filled with significant figures from that time. You can find four gargoyles that were used as water spouts and at the top, the Virgin Mary, the city's protector, stands tall.
Throughout the city, there are bike and car lanes, with the ultimate goal of one day having more bikes than cars. To me, this seems like a challenging task.
After the gates, we arrived at the Burgos Cathedral, which is one of the finest examples of Gothic art not only in Spain but in the world. Constructed in 1221 during the reign of King Ferdinand, it is the first Gothic cathedral in Spain. According to the information plaques, this structure inspired later cathedrals in the Kingdom of Castile and León.
Before entering, we decided to take a short break at the bar right across from the cathedral and try some local flavors. We went into Casa Minuta café and Diego, the friendly waiter, told us about their typical dishes. "We specialize in cheeses and sausages," he said. There were also various canned goods available. They had products from Gehoela and Salamanca as well. Everything looked very appetizing and we couldn't wait to try them.
In front of the cathedral, you can sit with a pilgrim who wears a seashell necklace. As Burgos is an important stop on the Camino de Santiago, pilgrims often gather in this area.
All these glassed-in balconies are noticeable; I think they're designed to protect from the cold weather.
The cathedral is built in a Gothic style. You can see it has a large window designed to let in as much light as possible.
And finally, we entered the cathedral. The interior is quite beautiful. You can see chapels and paintings from the 17th century, along with many other interesting things. The attention to detail was incredible.
This is where you'll find the tomb of El Cid, one of the great heroes of the Middle Ages. The remains of El Cid, also known as Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar and his wife Doña Ximena are here. These remains were brought here on July 21, 1921, coinciding with the 712th anniversary of the beginning of construction of the Burgos Cathedral.
Here's a very beautiful door and staircase. To me, it looks like the gates to heaven. One of the challenges in building this cathedral was its location on a hillside, creating a significant height difference between the northern and southern slopes.
When we arrived at the Santa Anna Chapel, we could see that it was quite large and magnificent. Besides the central tomb, there were also garments and paintings from the bishops of the time. The tomb held Juan II, the father of Queen Isabella. We left Burgos with wonderful memories and continued our tour of Spain. Our next stop was Astudillo, which I will discuss in my next posts. Thank you for reading.