A couple of weeks ago I spent over a week teaching and traveling in Spain. I enjoyed it so much! it was a bit of an adventure!
I arrived on the 13th to Salamanca, ahead of my first workshop at Scrap by Diana the next day. We went for dinner in the centre. Although there was a great atmosphere it was dampened by the disastrous Spanish football team performance.
But the next day, we were ready for a full day of scrap. In the morning we made a mini album.
There we all are. I think everyone finished their project.
For lunch we had some tapas. Palomas on the left and croquetas on the right. Amazing and cheap. Food in Spain is really great.
On the afternoon we did more messy stuff but always with a twist of cleanliness as its my style. On the right the layout that one of the ladies made using different colours.
And here we are!
The next day I left Salamanca at eleven to make my way to Zaragoza via Burgos through small roads that would offer me the possibility to visit pretty villages (albeit without stepping out of the car) like Simancas (the one above) and Tordesillas.
Soon enough I arrived to Burgos. A provincial Castillian city that is gorgeous. Its rich with history and architecture, its food is famous and the landscape surrounding it is truly beautiful. Besides, Atapuerca is nearby which is where the oldest remains of hominids have been found in Western Europe.
Burgos is famed as being one of the coldest places in Spain. But it was a lovely warm (but not too hot) sunny day when I arrived. I had lunch looking at the beautiful cathedral.
After lunch, I made my way to the inside. The late gothic cathedral is well known in Spain. It is ver unique in my opinion due to this amazing windows:
There are windows on top on the ceiling. There are three, two smaller in two chapels and the one above, over the transept. A beautiful bridge between heaven and Earth. It literally took my breath away.
Just under it there is a simple tombstone. It is where
EL Cid and his wife Jimena are buried. I had no idea that he was buried there so it was an great surpise. You see, El Cid is one of the most heroic figures in both Spanish history and literature. The photo on the right is of one of the most famous chapels, a very impressive work. Those were proper craft mans and not what I am!
The visit to cathedral ends with the two cloisters, one on top of each other, both beautiful both with interesting sculptures.
Burgos is not just the cathedral. It has gorgeous buildings and other interesting churches that make it a good touristic place. And as usual in Spain, highly underrated which means that not that many international tourists are there so prices are low.
I had never been to La Rioja before. Of course, everyone knows the name La Rioja because of the wine but I didn't realised that it is so beautiful! I am always amazed how every area in Spain is so beautiful and so different from the next.
After La Rioja, I drove a bit through Navarra, another Comunidad Autonoma
And just after I crossed into Aragon I saw a sign post that I couldnt ignore. Mallen. That is the small village that my father was born in. My grandparents were there not for long and did not have any family there, so there was never any reason to go there. And that is the church where my father was baptised, but I didn't know at the time.
Next stop Zaragoza, the city where I was born!