Today would be the longest drive in the car for us. We are headed to Logroño, which is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja. The drive is 300 kms across the northern section of the meseta (plateau) that covers most of central Spain. The drive would take us through the city of Burgos, which historically was the capital of Castile and where Queen Isabella I sat on the throne.
The barren lands between León and Burgos are difficult to describe without pictures. The roads were once again empty, as we headed east.
The Camino de Santiago runs parallel with our route and in fact, we saw many pilgrims along the way. This part of the journey must be mentally challenging for those walking in the heat on the dry paths. The land is so flat and the scenery is only beautiful because of its starkness.
The closer we came to Burgos, the vast emptiness seemed never ending. Miles and miles of fields were visible with only stacks of hay bales larger than aircraft hangers to break the view. The lush green of Galicia was long behind us now.
Check in time in Logroño was 4 pm, so when we arrived in Burgos, there was roughly two and a half hours available to play tourist and grab something to eat. We had been to Burgos before, back in the 70s when as summer students in Salamanca we came on a field trip. There were only vague memories between the two of us about our day in the city. However, there were two things that kept surfacing, the grandeur of the cathedral and a statue of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known by his title “El Cid”. This legendary knight was born outside of Burgos and was laid to rest there in 1099. With only those two memories, we entered the old city of Burgos.
To our surprise! – Not! There was a very large cathedral surrounded by the city walls. This one, which is named Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos (Spanish: Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Santa María de Burgos) is huge!
Burgos was an extremely wealthy and important city from the latter half of the Middle Ages through El Siglo de Oro (The Golden Age). It would also become Franco’s headquarters during the turbulent 1930s. We decided to tour the cathedral before grabbing lunch and for a few euros we entered this beautiful building.
How is this for a side entrance into the sanctuary?
As in most cathedrals, there are many side chapels dedicated to a saint or a bishop of long ago. The side chapels in the Burgos cathedral are over the top. There is one called the Capilla de los Condestables that blew us away. The ceiling was at least 200 feet overhead. We just wanted to lay down on the floor and look up.
However, someone beat us to that idea. The Countess of Haro, Doña Mencía de Mendoza, and her husband, D. Pedro Fernández de Velasco, who were the constables of Castile played a large role in building the cathedral and this chapel. They called dibs on the floor first. They have quite an everlasting view.
This was just one of maybe 30 chapels, all of which were magnificent. And oh my… (not sure OMG would be appropriate) the different ceilings above each chapel were so impressive.
Throughout our trip, we visited a bunch of cathedrals and churches and have dragged you, the readers along, but the size, the scope, and the art housed in these historical wonders is worth the visit! How structures that were completed a 1000 years ago of this magnitude blows us away. It took eight years to finally complete a tram extension from Reagan-National to Dulles airport, it is hard to imagine what it would take to do one ceiling in this cathedral today.
We were running out of time, so we picked up the pace to the exit. Rounding around the corridor we came to screeching halt! Before us lay the coffin of El Cid. He died in Valencia in 1099 and his wife dragged his body across Spain to have him returned to Burgos for burial. He arrived in the city as a hero and many of the myths and legends began that day.
The biggest of those legends was the one portrayed in the movie when a dead El Cid is placed back on his horse and charges the Moors who all run to the sea. A myth started in 1099, some say by his wife, plays out on the big screen with Charlton Heston in 1961. Now that is a good legend!
Back through the entrance way to the modern world we returned. Rioja next stop!
The drive was beautiful during the second leg of the trip. We saw more farming going on and there was even a slight roll of hills along the highway. Cresting a hill, the beauty of Rioja slapped us in the face. The Sierra Cantabria was in the distance and the fields were populated with grape vines changing color. It was a sight that will not be forgotten for a long time.
The wine region of Rioja is nestled between two mountain ranges, the Sierra Cantabria and the Sierra de la Demanda. The Ebro River meanders through the center of Rioja and is intersected by seven rivers which separates the region into unique valleys of alluvial and calcareous soils. (Wine Geek Alert)
Arriving in Logroño, we were surprised by how modern a city it is in the land of antiquity. Our Airbnb was located on a pedestrian street and did offer parking underground again.
Still a little leery of dungeon parking, Tom scoped out the garage with our host. On a scale of 1 to 10, the spot was a difficulty factor of 5 for parking and so the car was retired to the netherworld. There was only one thing left to do and that was to get the suitcases and assorted other stuff to the room. When we booked the apartment, we knew it was on the 4th floor with no elevator. However, it was in a great location, the apartment looked beautiful, and it was a great price. All three were true, but it was on the 4th floor.
We settled in and began to plan our evening. Logroño has a famous street known for a pincho crawl. Laurel St was just a few blocks from the apartment. At eight o’clock the streets were empty and by nine o’clock, they were packed. With no camera in hand, we snapped a few photos on the phone. 😒
There are tons of tiny little restaurants, many with no seating, just windows so one can order what are “the pinchos of the evening.” Wine by the glass is crazy reasonable and bottles hardly marked up in price.
We stopped at a few places, standing outside while eating at a bar table next to the window. There was only one place that we even went inside and sat at the bar. These places really move some food and wine.
The later it got, the more people began to do the tapa crawl. Strolling from window to window grabbing a bite and glass of wine and then moving on. Suddenly everything changed! Tom saw a sign that made him shake and quiver. It is the dreaded Zamburiñas!
These are the little SOBs related to scallops that got him so sick in Vigo. After just seeing the sign, it was decided enough pinchos had been consumed and we returned to the apartment to work off our dinner. How was that you ask? By just climbing the steps one more time!
Good Night – It is a wine day tomorrow in Rioja!
Oh yeah, we got a chuckle when we saw this restaurant across the street from our apartment. We never did eat there. 😉
Another wonderful day in Spain!
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