Floored.

Yeah. It’s pretty.

Yesterday, I woke up in Burgós, España. I woke up to a breakfast of pastries and eggs, Spanish style. I have to admit… not a fan of those eggs. That’s fine. I can deal with the pastries.

I woke up to a tour of a city established in the years of Roman soldiers and city walls. We walked in the shadow of banana trees (although I don’t think they’re named for the fruit) whose branches had been cut and tied together, so that they were all connected down the path in front of the main wall that protected the city anciently.

I stood beneath the shadow of the main theatre, whose potential was never quite gained because the money ran out before the stone did, and so it was made of cheaper material than intended from the second floor up. Across the way stood the invincible CID, a man of legendary strength and heroism who lived in the 1400’s who is still honored today.

The theatre :) See how the stone ends on the second story? Apparently that's where the money ended too.

Another statue in the square- I get them all mixed up!

Smile, It's Burgos!

We looked at the lines of the floods that have hurt the city throughout the years.

And we finished the tour off by coming around the corner to this:

Mouth open, heart full, I walked inside with my group and found that the outside is only the beginning.

I cannot begin to describe to you how delicately breathtaking every intricate inch of that cathedral is. It. Blew. My. Mind. Absolutely. You walk into a hall of humongous size, and every square inch of stone and wood is covered in statues, all with a symbolic meaning. There, played out on the walls, were stories from the New Testament and Old. The barred door we walked through to get to the main hall was at least 15 feet tall. The dome we stood under was incredibly intricate to the top. And the thing was, from us up to the dome was 26 meters. From the bottom of the dome to the top was 23. And the people who built it had only their minds and their hands. No machines, no computers… only talent and motivation to build for God.

Stained glass- stunning.

The view of the dome from below. It seemed to go on forever. I love the 8 pointed star.

Those pipes sticking out on the left and right are two different, very old, very intricate organs. Sweet, no?

Blurry, but I loved this room, it was where all the priests would sit during mass- I am pretty sure. I can't say I'm an expert on catholic religious ceremonies :)

A view from below in the coro :)

The peregrino's door, with the golden staircase.

That dome was HUGE! Almost as tall as the floor to the bottom of it. And it was a very high ceiling in the first place.

Up in the top left is our friend, the papamosca, who opens his mouth every time he clangs the bells to signal that hour. Papamosca refers to the fact that he'll catch flies with his mouth open, and so will all the people watching him from below with dropped jaws ;)

This is a small chapel for Peregrinos. You'll see the three signs of the Peregrinos in red to the left: The walking stick, the cancha (shell), and the cross.

THIS WAS AMAZING. So much detail, and when you were up close to it, so so so many layers!

The artist of the facade, in the facade :) I like his spectacles.

A Tomb... They used granite, and since that was too expensive, you'll notice his left foot is lighter than his left. That's because it's a cheaper, lower quality rock that was used throughout the sculpture.

Da Vinci painted this face, and a student the rest of the body. The face has Da Vinci's strokes, and the strokes in the rest of the painting are nothing like his, let alone the fact that the body looks very masculine, even down to the hands. Exciting!

This was what adorned every inch of that cathedral- the intricacy never ended!

The Virgin Mary, sculpted from a whole elephant tusk

And a statue... that was naked :/

Our guide told us about every inch of that cathedral! The door where people used to cut through in order to get to market, which is now officially closed and has been for hundreds of years. The “Papamosca” who sits high above everyone since the 1400’s and clangs on the hour, every hour, while opening and closing his mouth. We saw nativity scene upon nativity scene, tomb upon tomb upon tomb, and heard story after story after story. Parts of the cathedral were ‘new,’ meaning they were built in the 15^th century.

Uhhhh yeah. I think maybe the land that would become the US was almost becoming slightly recognized by the western world maybe when that ‘new’ part of the church was built.

It’s Gothic structure was breathtaking. If you ever go to Spain, GO. TO. BURGÓS.

The city itself was fun and busy and beautiful too- but that cathedral is something you don’t want to miss.

We finished off the day by getting some gelato for 1E each and then hopped on the bus, and off to another little town with another little church.

Gelato! Don't judge the no make up/greasy hair look. I was sick again :(

Barefoot on Spanish ground :)

This one was smaller, and of Roman style rather than Baroque.

The special part was standing inside in a circle, where the acoustics were amazing, and singing “Abide with me, ‘Tis Eventide” and “I Feel my Savior’s Love” while the man who worked there listened. The spirit was present; the feeling was real.

We drove to León, and continued to find marks of “El Camino de Santiago” (which I will be walking someday. 700 k walk from France to Spain… me gusta) along the way…

The sign of the walk- the cancha, or shell. Most pilgrims carry a shell on their backpack too.

This way for the Camino de Santiago!

We found a church, and quickly learned the difference between that and a cathedral after slight miscommunications and me getting lost. Yeah. This is a cathedral:

and this is a church:

The cathedral is of the Gothic style and the church is of the Roman style. Did you know people have been walking the Camino of Santiago since the 10^th century? Of course, it’s become easier and less hazardous to health now, but we met a Spanish student who just finished his studies and a young adult girl from Miami who were walking together. 3 weeks, they said they had been walking, and they were 2/3 of the way there. Normally, it would take about 2 months. But maybe they’re just super in-shape. That’ll be me walking it someday… I might have time next year ;)

After buying some patches and stickers and using the bathroom, oh and having a lady tell me which size of shirt I needed (stinker) and thus not buying, we hopped on the bus and ended up in the middle of a Spanish village, lost in time. Take a look:

A little street that I loved :)

Just relaxin :)

1993- The year I was born!

I loved all of the buildings there.

A charming set of stairs, no?

Mary and I

The stairs from the side.

On a Spanish Street with an orange... so happy :)

A wall... but an interesting one, I thought :)

Guitar friend! And Mary.

Spanish Cookies on the bus. Love Pam Bam and Hope :)

We met a friend who played the guitar there too:

And now, we are just about 1.5 hours from Madrid, and I am content and happy to say that tonight I have a run and plenty of homework and unpacking ahead of me.

I am so blessed. I cannot believe how lucky I am to be here. Thank you for your support- I love you all. It’s easy to feel alone out here sometimes, but not when I remember how many people I have in Btown and the rest of the US cheering me on. I love you all J And I love the Lord- He’s cheering me on too, thank goodness. It makes life a lot more fulfilling when I remember that fact J

Talk to you soon-

Eli <3