Right now as I’m writing this, the Queen song “We are the Champions” is blasting from speakers on the street below my house.  No, Spaniards don’t just [...]]]>

A large screen was put up in the Plaza Mayor of Burgos this afternoon so that soccer fans could watch the final match of the World Cup.

Right now as I’m writing this, the Queen song “We are the Champions” is blasting from speakers on the street below my house.  No, Spaniards don’t just really like Queen — the song is being played over and over again because Spain won the World Cup this evening.  It goes without saying that, since the win, there has been some massive celebrating going on here in Burgos.  It’s safe to say that these Spaniards really know the meaning of the phrase ”party hearty.”

The afternoon started peacefully enough with almost everyone in the city heading to the Plaza Mayor to watch the final match of the World Cup on a large screen that had been set up just for today.  As you can see from the picture above, there was a big turnout of red-clad, Spain-supporting, Burgos-dwelling people.  The afternoon turned out to be a tense one: it was a really close game.  Still, Spain won in the end.

When Spain won, what did those watching the game in the Plaza Mayor do?  They went to the Plaza España, of course.  Why?  To jump in the fountain and celebrate the victory.  Now, I’m no soccer expert and I could be missing something, but I don’t really see the connection between “victory” and “jumping in a city fountain full of cold water to celebrate.”  Of course, that’s just me.  In any event, the celebration started about two hours ago and it’s now 1:00 a.m. and still going strong.  I have a feeling it will last well into the night.

In any case, I send my congrats to Spain’s team.  This is the first World Cup that Spain has won and it deserves the victory.  ¡Enhorabuena España! 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

I have memories from when I was a child of helping my mother set up the Christmas tree and the Nativity set in our home.  I never really liked doing the task that much because there were always so many lights to put on the tree [...]]]>

Visitors view the humongous Nativity of the Burgos Cathedral.

I have memories from when I was a child of helping my mother set up the Christmas tree and the Nativity set in our home.  I never really liked doing the task that much because there were always so many lights to put on the tree and so many little figures to put into the Nativity set.  In fact, I’m sure my mother would tell you that I complained quite a bit about having to do the chore. 

It turns out that I probably shouldn’t have complained so much.  Why?  My mother’s Nativity set was nothing compared to the monstrous ”Nativity on steroids” of the Burgos Cathedral.  In fact, I think my mom’s Nativity contained a Joseph, a Mary, a Baby Jesus, the Three Wise Men, and a couple of camels… it probably had no more than ten pieces.  The Nativity set of the Burgos Cathedral, on the other hand, contains over 1,200 pieces.  How’d you like to be the guy who has to put that thing up?  

All joking aside, it’s not all that uncommon to put up a very large Nativity set here in Spain.  They are usually put up around Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and remain up until the 6th of January — the day that the Three Kings visited Jesus.  In fact, Nativities like these are so common that I have seen them in several other churches (not just the Burgos Cathedral) and have even seen them proudly displayed in people’s homes (of course, you have to remove everything but the sofa from your living room to get one of these Nativities to fit). 

The very last scene in the Cathedral's Nativity depicted the death of Jesus.

As you can see from the above photos, the quality of these sets is amazing and they typically depict the life of Christ from just before his birth to his death.  In fact, the Burgos Cathedral’s set was laid out so that the visitor could “walk through” the various stages of Jesus’ life from birth to death.  Located at each stage was a small plaque explaining exactly what was being depicted.  It was a very interesting visit. 

If you’d like to see more photos of the Burgos Cathedral Nativity, check out my Nativity photos on Picasa. 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

I’ve decided to title this post “Merry (ongoing) Christmas.”  You may be asking yourself why I’ve put the word “ongoing” in the title and the answer is [...]]]>

As part of the Christmas festivities in Burgos, a "Christmas Fair" was set up in the Plaza Mayor in which people purchased crafts from local vendors.

I’ve decided to title this post “Merry (ongoing) Christmas.”  You may be asking yourself why I’ve put the word “ongoing” in the title and the answer is really rather simple: in Spain, Christmas is not over yet.  In fact, I’ve discovered that the Spanish love to “make the most” of their holidays — no matter how big or how small they are — and that’s exactly what they’ve done with Christmas (you’ll see what I mean in a moment). 

In the USA, Christmas is usually celebrated on the 24th and 25th of December with a large dinner, the exchanging of gifts, and the arrival of Santa Claus.  Later, we typically celebrate the coming of the New Year; but, once January 2nd arrives, the holiday season is pretty much over for us.  In Spain, on the contrary, Christmas is “stretched” from the 24th of December to the 6th of January.  How can this be?  The answer to that question lies in two very important words: the Epiphany. 

You see, here in Spain gifts are exchanged on the 24th and 25th of December much like in the USA; however, people then celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and then celebrate the Epiphany.  As a result, the whole Christmas season becomes a bit “blurred” and stretches from the 24th of December all the way to the 6th of January, which is the day that the Three Kings visit children’s homes to deliver gifts (much in the way that Santa visits homes in the USA). 

Personally, I have mixed feelings about this “stretching” of Christmas.  On the one hand, I think it’s a bit unfair that most Spanish children get to receive gifts from Santa on the 25th and then again from the Three Kings on the 6th — I wish I had been that lucky when I was a kid.  Also, because Christmas isn’t really over in Spain until the Epiphany, it seems to me that Christmas here is a bit perpetual – today is the 31st of December and I’m still hearing Christmas carols on the radio and people are still in stores doing Christmas shopping for Kings’ Day.  On the other hand, of course, I think it’s really nice that people in Spain have such a long holiday to relax and spend time with their families. 

In any event, I’d like to hear what you think about all this.  How much Christmas is “too much?”  Whether you’re from Spain, the USA, or some other part of the world, please leave a comment explaining your thoughts on the subject and your personal Christmas traditions. 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

The winter has finally arrived to Burgos. The days are darker, the temperatures are lower, and the people of the city are [...]]]>

During the winter, churros stands like this one begin to crop up all over Burgos. It’s easy to eat these delicious delicacies; however, it’s somewhat more complex to order them.

The winter has finally arrived to Burgos. The days are darker, the temperatures are lower, and the people of the city are sporting their “Eskimo attire” to combat the cold. Of course, if you don’t like bundling up to stay warm, you could try another “heat-seeking” technique: eating freshly made churros.

Since the weather has begun to get colder, churros stands (like the one pictured above) have been popping up all over the place around the city. For those of you who don’t know what churros are, they’re basically rod-shaped pieces of fried dough that are covered in sugar — the Spanish version of the doughnut. The truth is, nothing quite warms you up on a winter day like some freshly fried churros along with a little hot chocolate to accompany them.

Despite their delectable goodness, ordering churros from a street vendor posed a bit of a problem for me when I first moved to Spain.  It turns out that ordering churros is more difficult than you might think.   

You see, before coming to Burgos last year, I had never seen a churros stand anywhere. I had eaten churros in various bars and restaurants before; however, the whole “street churros experience” was something new to me.

When you’re in a bar and you want churros, the “norm” is to tell the waiter or waitress that you want “churros for one person” or “churros for two people.” In other words, you tell the waiter how many people are going to be eating the churros and then let the staff in the kitchen decide exactly how many to give you (they typically allot three or four churros per person). At the stands on the street, on the contrary, churros are ordered by the piece. The first time that I went to a street vendor to order churros, I applied my “bar logic” and asked the employee for “churros for one person.” Of course, the worker promptly responded with a puzzled look. He later asked me exactly how many churros I wanted.

Since my first “churros mishap” last year, I have ordered churros from street vendors many times. After so much experience ordering them, I have come to realize that the “norm” for buying churros off the street is to ask for them by the dozen or by the half-dozen.  I wish I had known that last year when I visited my first churros stand — maybe I could have saved the churros guy his puzzled look.

In any event, I’d like to dedicate this post to the discussion of Spanish snacks. What is your favorite Spanish snack for a cold (or warm) day?  Leave your response below.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Not too long ago I wrote a post about the exterior of the Cathedral of Burgos, a thirteenth century Catholic Cathedral.  As far as cathedrals in Spain go, this [...]]]>

A spectacular view of one of the largest altarpieces in the Cathedral of Burgos. Whether you’re Catholic or not, it’s impressive to look at.

Not too long ago I wrote a post about the exterior of the Cathedral of Burgos, a thirteenth century Catholic Cathedral.  As far as cathedrals in Spain go, this one is a bit on the famous side — and it’s no wonder why.  The building itself is beautiful. 

Just the other day I paid another trip to the Burgos Cathedral and I decided to expand upon my last post by taking some photos of the interior of the building to share with you.  As you can see, the interior is very ornate and beautiful.  Still, what’s really amazing to me is the fact that practically all of the art housed in this cathedral (sculptures, statues, altarpieces, etc.) dates back centuries.  To put it in perspective for you, work on this cathedral began before the continent of America was even discovered by Christopher Columbus — that’s a long time for a bunch of “old statues” to survive. 

The "Golden Staircase" links the interior of the cathedral with the outside world by serving as a point of entry.

If you like the above photos, you may wish to check out my complete collection on Picasa.  If you’re going to be in the Burgos area, I’d recommend that you visit the cathedral.  The building is open to the public seven days a week (hours vary by season) and the cost for tourists to enter is around five Euros.  The visit is definitely worth the price. 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

As most of you who read this blog probably already know, I recently took a trip to the Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos.  What you probably don’t already know is that I made another stop on that trip in addition to visiting [...]]]>

La Yecla is a narrow pass that many rare birds call home.

As most of you who read this blog probably already know, I recently took a trip to the Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos.  What you probably don’t already know is that I made another stop on that trip in addition to visiting the “singing monks.”  That other stop was to a nearby natural park known as “El Desfiladero de la Yecla.”

As you can see from the photo above, La Yecla is basically a very narrow canyon which happens to have a path constructed right through the middle to allow visitors to explore its depths.  The interesting thing about La Yecla is that it is home to many rare bird species — especially vultures.  I didn’t manage to see any vultures during my recent visit; however, I did enjoy the rock formations and the various man-made fountains that are fed by the river which runs through the bottom of the canyon. 

If you’re ever in the Santo Domingo de Silos area of Castilla y León, I would recommend a trip to La Yecla.  It’s something that is really quite unique to this region of Spain and you probably won’t find too many other places like it throughout Europe. 

Hasta luego,
Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

I just got back from visiting the Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos and thought I would share a little information with you about the monastery and the monks that live inside it.

The monastery is located about 45 minutes outside the city of Burgos in a quaint [...]]]>

The cloister of the monastery.

I just got back from visiting the Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos and thought I would share a little information with you about the monastery and the monks that live inside it.

The monastery is located about 45 minutes outside the city of Burgos in a quaint little village known as “Santo Domingo de Silos.” It’s home to a group of Benedictine monks. Certain parts of the monastery are open to the public and visitors can pay three Euros to have a guided tour. On the tour you will see things like the beautifully landscaped cloister of the monastery and some very interesting (and very old) religious sculptures and carvings which line the walls of the complex.

One of the many religious sculptures housed within the monastery walls.

Still, the tour of the monastery was not what I found most interesting about my visit. You see, each day around 7:00 PM there is a vesper held in the abbey church in which the monks of the monastery sing Gregorian chant. The thing that makes this special is that the monks of this particular monastery are very well-known internationally for their Gregorian chant and they even have released two albums — entitled Chant and Chant II — which have actually topped the Billboard music charts. Thus, for me, the most interesting part of the visit to Santo Domingo de Silos was not the actual visit to the monastery. Instead, it was being able to watch the “monk concert” (which, incidentally, was a much more solemn affair than a Kiss concert).

If you’re interested in hearing what these monks sound like when they chant, you can check out their CD on Amazon. You may also be interested in taking a look at their official website. I would absolutely recommend a visit to Santo Domingo de Silos if you’re ever in the area — it’s a visit that can be done in as little time as one afternoon and, whether you’re religious or not, it’s extremely interesting to see how these monks live and to watch them chant.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Here in Burgos, we are lucky enough to have a Gothic-style cathedral known as the “Cathedral of Burgos” (unique name, right?).  Construction on the cathedral began way back in the year 1221 and the marvelous building has been standing ever since [...]]]>

I never tire of walking past the Cathedral of Burgos on a sunny day.

Here in Burgos, we are lucky enough to have a Gothic-style cathedral known as the “Cathedral of Burgos” (unique name, right?).  Construction on the cathedral began way back in the year 1221 and the marvelous building has been standing ever since then.  As far as Spanish cathedrals go, this one is actually a bit on the famous side and, during the summer months, tourists flock to see it. 

You know, I have been living in Burgos for about a year now, have walked past this cathedral hundreds of times, and have made numerous visits to see its interior.  Still, I can’t help but stop and admire it every time I walk by.  When I think of the age of the building and the fact that its ornate artwork had to have been done by hand, I simply can’t help but be impressed — and believe me, the building is impressive both inside and out.  I guess having it here is just another “perk” of living in Burgos.

For those of you who are interested, you can visit the interior of the cathedral any day of the week (the times vary by season).  If you’re going to be in Burgos either the second or fourth Sunday of the month, you can enter the cathedral for free after 4:00 PM; otherwise, entrance costs four or five Euros.  The visit includes seeing the actual cathedral itself and a walk through a small museum that explains how the building was originally built and later restored.  I’d recommend you stop by, it’s worth a look.

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

Here’s a pretty cool idea that the Spanish Government came up with to both cut back on car pollution and keep people healthy at the same time: bicycle renting.  Basically, bike “docking stations” like the one pictured above [...]]]>

Bicibur bikes in their docking station, just waiting for someone to take them for a ride!

Here’s a pretty cool idea that the Spanish Government came up with to both cut back on car pollution and keep people healthy at the same time: bicycle renting.  Basically, bike “docking stations” like the one pictured above are starting to crop up all over Spanish cities.  The idea is that a user can go to a docking station, swipe his ID card, and take a city-owned bike out for a ride.  When the user is done with the bike, he can return it to any docking station in the city, eliminating the need to use a car to get from point A to point B. 

Burgos recently implemented one of these systems (under the name “Bicibur”) and I think it’s actually a pretty ingenious idea.  The cost of renting the bikes is really low — about two Euros for an ID card that unlocks the bikes and can be used for life – and the bike docking stations are pretty well-located within the city to allow users to pick up a bike at one location, drive it to their destination, and just leave it there without necessarily having to return it to its original location.  In short, I’m pretty impressed with the program.

Still, I do see one small problem, at least in Burgos.  Here, the bikes are really old and a tad on the crappy side.  They generally work to get you from one side of the city to the other, but they don’t seem to be very well maintained.  I suppose it’s too early to tell if the city is going to let the bikes deteriorate even more or step up and make repairs. 

Another slight problem with this system is that I don’t usually see too many people using it (at least not here in Burgos).  That leads me to something that we can debate in this post’s comments: if your city had a program like this one, would you use it?  Why or why not?  Please post your thoughts in the comments below. 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com

I don’t know if this is exactly what Quad City DJs had in mind when they created the song “C’mon Ride the Train” back in the mid-1990s.  It’s the Burgos “choo choo” tourist train and, for a small fee, it will take you to the most important monuments [...]]]>

The Burgos tourist train chugging along.

I don’t know if this is exactly what Quad City DJs had in mind when they created the song “C’mon Ride the Train” back in the mid-1990s.  It’s the Burgos “choo choo” tourist train and, for a small fee, it will take you to the most important monuments in the city of Burgos for your sightseeing pleasure. 

I still remember the first time I saw this unique creation creeping along the streets of Burgos at a whopping 5 miles per hour.  I was just walking along the sidewalk — minding my own business — when I suddenly looked up and my eyes laid upon it for the first time, a thing of beauty: the choo choo train.  You know, it’s not every day that you see a motorized, wheeled train chugging down the street, obeying traffic rules, and generally running without a train track; thus, my first reaction was to chuckle a little.  After the initial chuckle, I looked inside the train and saw all the tourists — cameras in hand – comfortably seated in the “passenger compartment” and I chuckled a bit more. 

Obviously, after seeing the tourist train, I just had to ride it.  A few days after the initial “sighting,” I got together a group of my friends and we had at it.  The ride lasted about 45 minutes and it passed by all the most historic places in Burgos.  The train came complete with an overhead loudspeaker which explained all aspects of the ride to the passengers: where the train was headed, what we were currently passing, etc.  To my surprise, the ride wasn’t that bad.  Of course, I don’t know if I’d rely on the Burgos tourist train to get me to Madrid (I suppose Renfe is better for that), but I guess it isn’t bad if you’re a tourist who wants to see the most important parts of the city. 

I love Spain.  What other country has choo choo trains running down the middle of busy city streets? 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com