Day 8: Burgos & Santander

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Today we packed our suitcases and boarded our tour bus for the journey north to Burgos and Santander.

Suitcases outside our doors at 7:00 am for an 8:00 am departure.

The bus that will take us around Spain for the next two weeks.

Rugged mountains of the Castilla Y Leon province north of Madrid.

Burgos

Arco de Santa Maria (Arch of  Saint Mary) at the bottom of the picture) is the entrance to the old city of Burgos.

Catedral de Burgos (Burgos Cathedral), the third largest cathedral in Spain, after Toledo and Seville, was built between 1221 and 1567.

Ornate spires of the Burgos Cathedral

The elegant main entrance to the Burgos Cathedral. The doors date to 1663.

Tombs of alabaster and marble are located throughout the cathedral. The most elegant ones are prominently displayed inside some of the 15 chapels.

Chapel of the Relics in the Burgos Cathedral is said to contain bones of most of the apostles and many other saints, as well as small relics of the cross of Christ.

Capilla Mayor (Main Chapel) of Burgos Cathedral.

This intricately detailed cloister was built during the 13th and 14th centuries. Tombs can be seen on the right wall.

Tomb of the legendary Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar ("El Cid"), circa 1043-1099, the national hero of Spain, and his wife Doña Jimena, at the Burgos Cathedral.

Santander

Lush mountains and farmland near the summer coastal resort of Santander.

 An upscale apartment building in Santander, Spain

The writer at the Bay of Biscay on the Northern Coast of Spain.

Our hotel for the night on the Bay of Biscay at Santander, Spain.
Note the four (of five) stars indicating the ranking of the hotel. Hotels throughout Spain display their ranking this way. Seems like a good idea.

Our group, Carol, Ron, Sally, Elaine, Tom, (minus the one behind the camera).