Medieval town of Burgos
Join me on another photographic walk through the medieval town of Burgos (founded in 884), the first-ever capital of Spanish Castile and the home of El Cid, city’s most famous personality.
Arlanzón river runs all the way along the core of the town of Burgos
I couldn't resist taking photos of these lovely ducks
Beautiful park by the river, perfect for a Sunday stroll
Arco de Santa María is one of the most symbolic monuments of Burgos. In the main six niches there are the statues of Nuño Rasura and Laín Calvo (the judges of Castile), the counts Diego Rodriguez Porcelos (the founder of Burgos) and Fernán González (the first independent count of Castile), El Cid (Spanish hero) and Carlos I (Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Duke of Burgundy and Lord of Netherlands among others). Above these niches there is a statue of St. Mary, city’s patron saint. For a close-up photo of this portal, check the Wikipedia page.
Arco de Santa María, the old town's portal: built in 14th and remodeled in 16th century
On the other side of the portal you are greeted by the enormous early Gothic-style cathedral, declared a World Heritage site. Richly ornamented, this cathedral was being built from 13th to 15th century, and is located in a corner, surrounded by two natural walls. Due to the multilevel terrain, which made the construction difficult, the cathedral’s exterior lies in several levels as well. In 1919 it became the burial place of El Cid and his wife Doña Jimena.
Cathedral Our lady of Burgos
On of the entrances to Cathedral
This little train can comfortably take you to the main sightseeing points in town
Burgos forms a part of Camino de Santiago, a major Christian pilgrimage route leading to Santiago de Compostela. On the photo below you can see a monument to the pilgrims. The scallop shell is a traditional symbol of Santiago (St. James) and is therefore very popular among pilgrims. These shells can be seen all over the old part of Burgos (carved into the facades of buildings as well as sold as a souvenirs in shops).
A statue of a pilgrim
Souvenir shop selling pilgrim's staves with shells of St. James
Souvenirs you are most likely to buy in Burgos include all sorts of things medieval
As the walk leads us past the cathedral into one of a many lovely pedestrian street, you will find shop by shop loaded with delicious local products: different types of legumes, vegetables, wines, liquors and cheeses. Let’s take a peep at some of them:
Local products of Burgos in a shop window display
Red beans
Wines, liquors and cheeses
A perfect present for medieval fans (I'm having hard times imagining the air transport of this particular piece though!)
Nope, this one is not a souvenir. 
Not sure of his purpose in the middle of medieval town, either
Bota bags, Spanish wine (or any other liquids) containers, traditionally made of leather (modern ones tend to have a latex liner though)
A restaurant in the old part of town, offering specialties of the region: lentils, lamb and suckling pig
After filling our bags with souvenirs and local products, we approach Plaza Mayor – the main square of Burgos (located east of the cathedral). This is the place of many social and political gatherings as well as meet up and starting points. I like to come to this square because of one book shop – I just adore books! These are a few images of the square:
Plaza mayor and its vivid colors - with a statue of Carlos III
Plaza mayor - town hall (the white building)
Buildings of Plaza mayor, from close
Buildings of plaza mayor - apartments
And as our walk is approaching the end, let me show you some fascinating images of the apartment buildings in pedestrian streets in the very center – I loved their vivid colors, they really made my day!
I hope you enjoyed this little walk through old part of Burgos, come visit later on for more images from our trip to Burgos and its surroundings.
