DAY 8 – Burgos, El Cid and a Free Motorhome Aire – The Road to Santiago
Welcome to the channel. It’s day eight of our motorhome journey to Santiago de Compostela in Northwest Spain and we’ve reached the city of Burgos, spending the night in its free camper van aire. Now, many years ago I did know someone from Burgos, but apart from that acquaintance,
I still knew very little about this city or its history. So, lets see if a walk around on day eight brings me up to speed. Symbols of the Camino are ubiquitous throughout Burgos and you’ll find them in every nook and cranny. There are no shortage of pilgrims either. They look enthusiastic now,
But that’ll wear off in a few hundred kilometres. Given that we had limited time to spend in Burgos, it was decided to head straight to the Cathedral, and see what we came across along the way. Burgos has a population of about 180,000 and is one of the main stop off points
Along the Camino de Santiago. With an abundant religious heritage, most of which is gothic, Burgos has no shortage of churches. There are also lots of interesting streets, facades, green spaces and cafés. The most popular area for restaurants and bars can be found in the old town. I once had a friend in Germany
Who won a photo competition in Los Angeles. The competition was sponsored by Pellegrino spring water and his winning photo was one of a Pellegrino bottle standing proudly on the sidewalk. This is me trying to recreate that moment. “There he is – El Cid”. Figuring out the correct pronunciation of El (S)id…
Or is that El Cid, was a continual source of amusement during our time in Burgos. Although Rodrigo spent much of his army life in the islamic territories of Zaragoza and Valencia, the city of Burgos is emotionally linked to El Cid. The 1961 movie of the same name
Starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, recounts his exploits. Every year, during the first weekend of October, The El Cid weekend is celebrated in the city in which the figure of el Cid is remembered through representations and medieval recreations. About three minutes walk from the cathedral
Is the Teatro Principal on Plaza del Mío Cid. It was inaugurated in 1858 but fell into disuse in 1946, and was declared a ruin in 1976. In 1997 it reopened and gave the city back its artistic and cultural heart. Paseo del Espolón is the main pedestrian street in Burgos,
Connecting the Arch of Santa Maria to the main theatre. and it owes its appearance mainly to the reconstruction On June 5, 1930 the flood waters caught the residents of Burgos off guard, with the rain that fell the previous morning, suggesting nothing out of the ordinary. The water reached a height of 1.74m.
These floods devastated the city. Many other documented floods from at least 1286 onwards to the16th century, also devastated Burgos, with the Santa Maria bridge being swept away on multiple occasions… and all before the invention of the internal combustion engine. I’ll let you think about that one. You’ll figure it out!
As we made our way through the narrow streets, we got a brief glimpse of the cathedral spire, and finally Its magnificence sprung into view, and what a view it was. This is the jewel in Burgos’ crown and is so breathtaking that it almost deserves a video of its own.
The first step was to stroll around its perimeter and take it all in. [Air Guitar Hero] “You can really see how old these doors are. Look at that lock. Look at those old faded carvings. It really is like touching history. I’m imagining all the people, over the centuries
Putting their key in there. It’s magnificent. It’s like some guy on his deathbed, the way he’s lying on his back. Inside it was overwhelming. Construction began in 1221 on the orders of King Ferdinand III in French Gothic architectural style, with its design is based on a Latin cross.
Many embellishments were added over the centuries. The Chapel of the Constable, the Golden Staircase and El Cid’s burial place are among the highlights. In my mind, this structure represents the epitome of man’s ingenuity, craftsmanship and artistic endeavour. If you’re coming to Burgos – this is a must see.
My recommendation is that you visit early in the morning while you are still fresh. We went in the afternoon, and such was its splendour, we were left feeling mentally exhausted by the end, with little energy for much more after that. What’s really great is that there is a free
Cathedral phone app with audio, that you can download using the provided wi-fi. This will guide you sequentially around the cathedral, and give you all the information you need. [Coffin of El Cid] “Take the last one”. [TIME FOR SOME TREATS] a bar of this? I’ll get us this,
…and I’ll get us one of these ones. Nuts with chocolate…or these ones look nice. Ok I’m getting this. Very tasty! I can’t stop myself. Our train is coming dear. All the tourists. You are one of them my dear. This is the main municipal aire in Burgos.
From here we were able to walk to the centre of the city in about 20-30 minutes, so it’s conveniently located. The good news is that it’s completely free, so its just a case of finding a space. There are no security barriers or anything like that
But given that there were a lot of other campers around also, I had no qualms leaving the van unattended. These are the designated motorhome spaces. We’re parked just over there to the right of that guy. One thing I did notice in the evening was a police car patrolling the camper area
Every so often, which gave an additional sense of security. The only downside I can think of is that the water and cassette service area was not being maintained at the time of our visit, so we gave it a skip. That silver one on the right is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a British one.
But you can see how popular the aire is. And I’m not surprised. There were so many wonderful places that we missed in Burgos, due to time constraints. But sometimes in life, one has to leave certain things go, focus on the bigger picture and keep moving on.
It’s day 8 and we wake up in the historic city of Burgos, famous for its magnificent cathedral and association with El Cid – the legendary Spanish knight. We have one day here so let’s make it count.
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What3words LOCATION CO-ORDINATES.
Parking Autocaravas Burgos (Aire) ///rooms.whispers.sticks
Cathedral Santa Maria Burgos ///wooden.shell.supposed
Teatro Principal & Plaza Mió Cid ///puppy.stardom.blitz
Paseo del Espolón, Burgos ///revisit.intervals.stumps
To find the locations in the video, download the what3words App or go to what3words.com.
MUSIC ARTISTS
Hallman/ “I’ve Found My Way”.
STRLGHT/”Rather Be Alone”.
JOYSPRING/”The Depth of Your Love”.
Will Harrison/”Sun Bathing”.
Ingrid Witt/”Calling My Father”.
Music Licensed to this channel by Epidemic Sound, Stockholm, Sweden.
#vanlife #motorhome #ireland #Spain #santiagodecompostela #Burgos #El Cid #campervan