Afternoon in Burgos

After leaving the MEH, I headed for the Mercado Sur de Abastos, which is just next to the bus station, hoping I might find something for lunch. This baker's shop looked the most likely candidate, but none of the items on display were suitable.

So I just took pictures of stalls that looked attractive. Of course uncooked meat isn't lunch material.

The fruits and vegetables looked attractive, but not as a main course.

So back to the city centre via the Puenta Santa María, and Arco de Santa María.

There's a gap of an hour between this photo and the next and I do remember finding a restaurant so I must have had lunch then.

The Cathedral, very shiny in the bright sunshine.

The square it's in.

Burgos is on the Camino Frances, the most well-known one, so pilgrims would come here to get their passport stamp. 

Outside the city wall again, I walked along Paseo de Marceliano Santa María which has a topiary.

Udon is a Japanese restaurant on the Paseo Espolón, which delimits the park on the north. The shady canopy is pleasing.

Back to the topiary.

The municipal theatre which we saw yesterday marks the end of the park.

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, a knight, commander and ruler of 11th century Iberia is a national folk hero. However this theatrical production Rodrigo vs Ruderico, staged with the sponsorship of the city, shows that the Burgalés are not afraid of using humour and satire to spice up the legend.

Arrival in Burgos

I could have proceeded westwards along the coast, but I had planned a detour inland to visit Burgos. It's in the community of Castille and León on the eastern flank. The last time I passed through was when I spent a couple of days in Salamanca, on the western flank.

I passed the impressive looking State Library on the way to a laundromat. I grabbed lunch in a nearby cafe while the machine worked.

The Spanish language is called Castillian in many parts of the world, indicating this as the heart of Spain. The climate is continental with hot summers and cold winters (extreme of -22°C!).

Finally I had the luxury of a room to myself instead of shared backpacker accommodation, which I hadn't since Bordeaux due to the high prices in Basque Country. I rested until the evening when the light would be gentler.

I headed towards the Burgos Cathedral in the centre. On the way I passed this attractive fountain.

It's in front of the Evolution Forum Congress Centre and Auditorium.

This is a statue of Diego Rodiguez, son of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid.

Metres away is a statue of El Cid.  More about this famous warrior later.

It's in front of the Municipal Theatre. You can sense that the architecture here differs slightly from Basque Country. A cogniscente could tell you what those characteristics are.

A panorama of Plaza Mayor, the central square.

A side street in an attractive mix of natural and artificial light.

The section in the middle has an interesting facade. 

A couple of streets away from the Plaza Mayor, Burgos Cathedral is one of the major sights of the city. We will return to it later.

The Arco de Santa Maria, a restored medieval city gate.

The outside of the gate.

I crossed the Puente Santa Maria and took this from the other side of Rio Arlanzón, the river that flows through Burgos, but outside of the centre.

I couldn't resist another picture of the fountain outside the Evolution Congress Centre even shinier in the dusk.

I found a late meal and called it a day.