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These pages are a report
of our camino adventures, written and uploaded while we
were actually "on trail". The pictures and links
were added upon our return home.
Third Instalment
(of 5)
Burgos was established
in the Middle Ages. It was a royal town and the center
of trade and wool. After the Renaissance the newly discovered
South American regions brought in the riches for Spain.
Because of this Burgos' importance dwindled. The buildings
in the town are now virtually the same ones as then. Very
few new ones have been built since.
There are so many beautiful mansions
with their glass enclosed balconies, churches, abbeys,
arches, squares etc., but the undisputed showcase is the
cathedral. It was modeled after the French cathedral of
Bourges and reflects the Gothic style made popular in
Spain by the Cistercian Order some time earlier. The cathedral
was completed in 1222.
Two tired pilgrims
in front of the cathedral |
Burgos cathedral
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South door
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High altar
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The sculpture and the stone carvings
on the exterior, particularly the north wing, are spectacular.
It depicts "The Last Judgment", with Christ
and the apostles. The inside of the cathedral was equally
breathtaking. Gold altars, Renaissance Flemish paintings
(even a triptych by Rogier van der Weijden), wood carvings,
marble sculptures and stained glass windows. Enough to
fill 10 large museums.
After the riches of Burgos we continued
our trek west ward through fields, villages and the Meseta.
We so much enjoyed these beautiful hills and valleys.
For two days it looked like a huge quilt with many irregular
patches of different shapes and colors. All the greens,
yellows, ochres, siennas and even the brightest reds brought
about by the many types of trees, shrubs, grains, rape
seed and poppy fields.
The edges of each patch were sprinkled
with wild flowers. To name just a few: corn flowers, cone
flowers, butterfly weed, wild thyme, wild broom, rambling
roses, honeysuckle, wild geraniums, blue bells, bull rushes,
chamomile, dill, campanulas, delphiniums, purple sage,
purple lavender plus many more whose names I don't know.
In addition to this there were many different types of
butterflies dancing around and many birds, each with their
own tune spoiling us with their sounds. It seemed like
an ornicultural and horticultural show, superbly orchestrated
on a gigantic scale. You'll see many photos of these in
the "Slide Shows" segment on this website. Go
there after you finish reading our 5 instalments of the
trip.
Chicken in Hornillos |
Flowers on the Meseta |
A million daisies |
The villages and towns were interesting
too. Even the smallest ones had one or two churches, each
with beautiful art inside.
In Poblacion de Campos,
a village just after Fromista, we found
a refugio, but it was locked. A note said "Key in
the bar". There was one bar in the village. After
a few drinks we got the key and we went back to the refugio.
It was small, but beautiful. Three sleeping rooms, a sitting
area, a kitchen and an entry hall for the girls' bicycles.
All for us "peregrinos". We cooked our own dinner,
played some cards and enjoyed this place very much.
Two iron pilgrims |
Mud homes in Sahagun |
Mud bricks |
In the Sahagun area
many homes, and even churches, were made of mud and straw.
Quite different from the million dollar homes I've seen
in New Mexico-USA. These ones were built from mud bricks
and the resulting walls were plastered with a "stucco"
of mud and hacked straw. It is unbelievable what they
have created (and what has lasted) over all these centuries.
The weather has been generally sunny
and nice, but yesterday on our way to Reliegos
it was cold and windy. It also rained for most of the
day. My poncho was not water-proof anymore, so my clothes
underneath got soaked. Shoes also, but they dried out
overnight with newspapers stuffed inside them.
The men have not shaved since we left
Holland and we think that we look pretty good; just like
Clint Eastwood in those spagetti Western movies. However,
according to our wives there is no resemblance whatsoever.
They are (wrongly) convinced that we look like those faces
on the old wild West "Wanted" posters. Mmmmm.
It is now Friday, June 7. We have just
arrived in Leon. Reason to celebrate.
We have completed 500 of the total 800 kilometers.
Tonight we will be staying in a nice
hotel in Leon. More about this town and the rest of our
camino in the next instalment.
Go here to the next
instalment.
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