A Day Trip to Burgos Spain

Finally I was able to edit my day trip to Burgos, Spain, from my trip to Europe at the beginning of the year. I already wrote about our first stop in Paris, and you can read bout it here. So let’s begin…

I decided to visit Burgos, because of course, my last name is Burgos and I just wanted to experience the origin from my last name. After Paris, we arrived to Madrid (madrid post coming soon), and the next day we took a very confortable bus to Burgos. The trip was about 2 and a half hours and it transported us from Madrid to Burgos through the famous country's northern plateau. Because the trip was driving through different altitudes, we began driving with the sun and greens, and suddenly it started to snow and everything was covered in white. It was majestic.

The face you make when you are not ready for the cold.

When we arrived at Burgos, it was snowing and raining at the same time, it was cold and grey, but it was unique and awsome. Since we only had a couple of hours, we decided to go straight to The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos. The Church has a Gothic architecture and is known for it’s art, stained glass and tombs, including the one from El CID, which is the main character in this town.

My favorite part was the Stained Glass art. The light coming though them felt like an oasis in this heavy feeling church, because is so cold and full of tombs (a lot of tombs, too much for my liking, hahaha).

Then it was time to walk around the town and find something to eat. This trip to Europe was a culinary trip for my son. He is studying culinary arts, and he wanted to experience Spain and the food that originated our food in Puerto Rico, since we were colonized by the spaniards.

We were able to find a place with traditional food from Burgos. We ate blood sausage, veal and a sopa castellana, which consist of the interiors of the cow’s stomach (uhum, not vegan friendly). In Puerto Rico we eat blood sausage a lot, and soups like mondongo and sancocho are always in our menu. This plates are very heavy in fat, and they do this to keep themselves warm in the cold. Also Burgos has a lot of cattle, because of the topography. We finished with the perfect dessert, El postre del abuelo, which is fresh cheese from Burgos with local honey. The cheese is very soft, and not overpowering at all. This type of dessert we don’t have in Puerto Rico, so it was a nice surprise.

We then walked around the town for a little bit more, and went to the bus stop to drink a coffee, since it was really cold. There, we met the cashier and employee that was from República Dominicana, and like us, was not happy about the cold weather… islanders dilema.

On our way back to madrid, the northern plateau view was just like a dream, again, going from snow, to the greens of the Ribera. We really enjoyed this day trip, and will never forget it for sure.

Thanks for reading!!!!

2 Days in Paris

I went to Europe in the Month of March with my son.  I had promised him a solo Mom and Son trip to whatever place in Europe he wanted and he chose Spain.  Because arriving to Paris was cheaper, we took andvantage and spent 2 nights there.  I had already gone, but this was his firts time and he loved it. 

We arrived super early and it wasn't time to check in to the hotel which was in Montmartre.  We took advantage and went to climb the stairs to Sacré-Cœur, we even had the pleasure to watch the sunrise on our way up, it was Magic.

We then reunited with my friend Wanda (I talk about Wanda in this blog here and here).  She is an amazing puertorrican artist living in Paris for a long time now.  She took us on a very VIP tour of Montmartre where we stopped at the Clos Montmartre: Paris' Only Working Vineyard. 

In the early 30s a group of local artists led by Francis Poulbot, a famous illustrator, petitioned the government to grant them the land so they could replant the vines which were destroyed. Albert Lebrun's government approved the plan and Clos Montmartre was renewed in 1933.  Now funded by the Mairie de Paris, it covers 1,556 sq m and yields 1,500 half-litre bottles of gamay and pinot noir annually. Most of the wine, in bottles with labels designed by local artists, is auctioned for local charities during the festival, and is considered "decent enough" by critics.

Then we headed to the Louvre and  with Wanda, which was our personal tour guide that day and I can't thank her enough for the wonderful time and knowledge.  There is difference in going to a museum just to admire and going with a guide which provide you so many facts and details.

The rest of the trip was spent eating and browsing the streets of Paris like true Parisians.  We went to cafes, bistros, restaurants, boulangeries and patisseries, it was heaven.  We even had the pleasure to get a little snow and watch Paris transform in magic. 

Of course, as always, I was amazed by the street art.  Paris street art is raw, honest and authentic.  

Wanda had a very good book with her and she is a real Parisian, but even residents can benefit of a guide book with facts.  I think it was this one, I will definitely recommend it.

Here is a list of the places I went and enjoyed...

What we ate:

1- Pain Pain in Montmartre - Croissant and Tartine where the best, eclairs not so much.

2-Boulangerie Coquelicot in Montmartre - Best Baguette ever

3-Boulangerie Alexine, Montmartre - Apricot Flan and Cannelle...they were superb!

4- Cuillier Coffe Shop, Montmartre - Coffee is excellent.

5- Le Saint Regis Restaurant - Duck confit and salad with fresh goat cheese, both very good.

What we saw:

1- Louvre

2- Musée d'Orsay

3- I love you : the wall

4- Sacre Coeur

5- Notre Dame

6- Shakespeare and Company

7- Moulin Rouge

I recommend strolling the streets, there is a lot of markets, you can buy fresh cheese, fruits and make a nice picnic.  Also stores at Montmartre are awesome, super stylish and very unique. We had a blast in Paris, and it prepared us for the Spain adventure that I will post in a couple of days.

Thanks for reading!!!