Trip #4 (Part II)  - BURGOS

From Santo Domingo de Silos we went to Burgos in the heart of Castilla. I love Burgos. It is the home of a beautiful Cathedral, the resting place of El Cid, and a place full of legend and lore.

Let me introduce you to the city. After crossing the Arlanzón River, that runs through the heart of the city...

...you pass through the Puerta de Santa María:

Passing under the arch you enter a plaza with the Cathedral straight ahead.

As you walk around to the main façade of the Cathedral you enter a small secondary plaza. 

From there you climb a staircase that takes you past a place that most people miss, but is significant for those of us who study literature. In the late 15th century there stood on this staircase a publishing house. It was there that the first edition of Fernando de Rojas's La Celestina was published in 1499. The building remains to this day and is a small restaurant.

Continuing around to the north side of the Cathedral we find the door that represents the Final Judgment.

On our left you find those who are saved (that would be Christ's right hand). Those on His left hand are those who are condemned and carried down to Hell. Here are some details:

The interior of the Cathedral is magnificent. Inside you will find the tomb of El Cid. The main altar is dazzling!

However, instead of dealing with the big, I will focus on some of the details of this magnificent Cathedral. First, at the entrance to the Cathedral, high in the ceiling is a unique clock called "Papamoscas." When the clock chimes the figure's mouth opens and closes and his hand rings a small bell to the side.

Next, there is a constant reminder of mortality in the form of skulls. The one below is a simple decoration (pointed out to me by Grace) on one of the large columns.

This one is on the first seat of the Choir.

High on an altar in one of the chapels is the presentation of the baby Jesus to Simon. The detail here that caught our attention was the child Jesus. You see him in the detail below moving away from Simon and reaching for his mother. This is a very natural, child response when someone he does not know reaches toward him. Love it!

Finally, on the back of the Choir is this representation of Christ in Gethsemane. One of the beauties is the three sleeping disciples. The detail is magnificent and each one expresses an "unawareness" of what is happening in the nearby garden. Their innocence is represented perfectly.

After leaving the Cathedral, we move along to the Iglesia de San Esteban located at the base of the hill where the remains of a castle/fortress is located.

Backtracking to the small plaza, and just before going down the staircase, there is a small church, the Iglesia de San Nicolás, that houses a beautiful altarpiece. Discovered while doing some restoration work, the painting represents the Final Judgment:

Finally, one more site. Though this church is not the original, it is the location of a very important event in Spanish history. During the reign of Alfonso VI, there were some concerns that the king had been involved in the death of his brother Sancho II. El Cid challenged the Alfonso who was compelled to enter the then existing church where he swore his innocence. Known as the the Jura de Santa Gadea it is thought to be one of the reasons that resulted in the exile of the Cid from the kingdom.

Aside from the high culture, it is great to just wander the streets:

(the red line that forms a arrow down the street is part of the Santiago Trail that pilgrims walk on their way to the city of Santiago de Compostela).

This little restaurant had several dishes that had won prizes for their originality.We weren't daring enough to sample the more interesting sounding foods and opted for deep-fried squid (Yumm!!!)

So we weren't the only ones who introduced the students to new experiences. The students recommended that we visit VALOR, a restaurant that specializes in chocolate desserts!!!! So... here we are!

At the local library are stored the "gigantes" that are used for the Corpus Christi parade held in Burgos:

One of the newer cultural additions to the city is the Museo de la Evolución Humana (Museum of Human Evolution). It is very interesting and provides information regarding every aspect of primitive life, including agriculture, housing, hunting, and even a sound panorama.