We decamped and drove on to Burgos to see its famous cathedral. The town itself is beautiful but not very RV friendly. We wound up parking in a large free lot out by some new apartment blocks. Still only 1.5k from the cathedral and historic center.
I am still processing Burgos cathedral. It was begun in the early 13th century, but it was not completed until the 16th; it is of moderate size, is flamboyant Gothic inside and out and very impressive to look at from the outside. It's on the inside that I have problems. In most such churches, you can see the extent of the place, and, normally, are humbled and awed. In Burgos, the choir and chancel are of such size and height that you simply can't see from one end to the other. Disappointing, especially when the exterior is so impressive. Moreover, the church is literally surrounded by 15 different and sizable chapels, again limiting or distorting one's sense of the larger building. And then there are the cloister, itself beautiful, and assorted out-buildings that complicate matters. Whatever Burgos was/is, it is not a church for the worshiping masses. There's no place for them. On a more positive note, I should add that of all the cathedrals we have visited, Burgos had by far the best presentation of itself, via an excellent audioguide, its museum, and a variety of other historical exhibits. Most cathedrals have little or nothing, and certainly not in English too. Burgos was superb in this respect.
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| Along the downtown river-front in Burgos |
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| Main gate to inner city |
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Burgos Cathedral, from the southwest; there are actually two of the giant towers
on the west facade |
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| Inside, the "fly-catcher," opens his mouth on the hour |
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This is what I mean: the damned choir takes up almost the whole nave; where
would the people be? |
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Burgos was built was a hill-side and thus the port side is a couple floors higher
than the starboard; and thus these golden staircases; note the parade float on the
lower left, with the largest (silver) hood ornament I have seen apart from Dali |
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| Thus |
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| At the crossing, the tomb of El Cid and wife, the Cid-ess |
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| Looking up from the crossing |
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| Closer up |
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| Nice, but roped off |
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| Detail |
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You have to stand in the side-aisle to see the length of the
building, and this is all you can see from the chancel to the
stern; I rest my case |
