Thursday June 2, 2016

Today is a non-cycle day and that was okay with us!  We met Rosita and Iago for a walking tour of Burgos.  This city is on the banks of the Arlanzo River and has some of Spain’s most outstanding medieval architecture. 

 

The spikey spires of the cathedral welcome you as you approach the city and they are beautiful to behold.  The other fact, important to Burgos, is it is the birthplace of El Cid, the part historical, part mythical hero of the Christian Reconquest of Spain.  I only know of El Cid, as Charlton Heston!  I have a vague recollection of that movie from my childhood, though I never saw it! 

                                                                     

Burgos is another city behind walls.  We walked through the different gates, depicting various sculptures of historical heads of state.  Today, the pilgrims on the Camino, use one to enter the city and another when they leave.  Burgos was born as a military camp (or fortress) in 884.  It was an early outpost for Christianity.  As we found out, Spain was always under siege by the Moors from Africa.  Actually, the north remained Christian, due to the Camino.  As the Camino became popular, more churches were built and the Way was guarded by the Knights of Templar, thereby dissuading invasion by enemies.

 

The Gothic cathedral is home to many art treasures.  The cornerstone was laid in 1221 and the final chapel (there are 13) was not finished til 1731.  The antiquity and beauty was a wonder to behold.  Jane made us laugh by ruminating that this cathedral was built to last and her house needed a new roof after 50 years!!  Of course, the tomb of El Cid is located in this cathedral.

 We lunched together, then it was a bus ride to Leon.  Leon is also on a river -the Bernesga.  This city was hopping- the streets were wide, shops, boutiques and many many bars.  Our hotel was on the Plaza Mayor, on the heart of the old town. 

 

 

 We began our tour at the Royal Pantheon, which adjoins the basilica of San Isidoro el Real.  The Pantheon has been called “the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art”.  Our guide took us through the Pantheon which was the first building in Spain to be decorated with scenes from the New Testament.  These frescoes have never been restored, only cleaned.  Twenty-three queens and kings were buried here at one time, but were destroyed by French troops during the Napoleonic wars.  We learned that the troops used the sarcophagi as troughs for the animal feed and the horses were actually kept in this space. 

Adjacent to the Pantheon, is the museum.  Beautiful artifacts, early handwritten bibles, wood statues could be found, all of which are meticulously preserved.   Here there is a decorated chalice with precious gems and stones.  The history around it goes on forever, suffice it to say that in some quarters, it is believed to be the Holy Grail.  With a shrug, our guide then led us to the library, where I could have spent hours.

Then it was onto the Cathedral.  Again, Gothic in design, it contains 125 long, thin stained-glass windows.  The windows depict abstract floral patterns as well as various biblical and medieval scenes.  The statue of a Madonna with child was a focal point of the visit.

 

It was 10 PM when we were strolling the streets after dinner, and the sun was still out.  It seems Leon is another city that never sleeps!