Day 14 - rest day in Burgos

I had a perfectly horrible afternoon yesterday. I was preparing to explore the city when I noticed a message on my phone. I read the message and then, within an instant, the phone slipped from my hand and landed screen down on the footpath. In that instant, my phone was rendered useless. Unlike some phones which can still function with a shattered screen, mine could do nothing. So, I lost my camera, my ability to email, the phone I need to call ahead to confirm bookings, all of my prayer books (breviary and missals in English and Spanish), my guide books, and so on. I had no choice but to go and buy another phone and it cost me a small fortune (much more than the same phone in Australia).

I had to wait about 30 minutes for service in the shop, which was an extraordinarily painful wait. Then, having purchased the new phone, it took me a good couple of hours to download every app and book and set things up. Several times I could have just sat down and cried - as much at the loss of time and energy as the loss of money.

Having done this, I went to visit the Cathedral. My only good fortune for the afternoon was free entry! The Cathedral is amazing, as the photos I have published show. It is so big that I found it a bit overwhelming. I can really only look at so much art at a time. 

There was still a bit of time before Mass. I decided to have a refreshing beverage. I ordered a small beer and when I pulled out my wallet, I noticed that my passport was missing. My heart almost stopped. All I could think of is that I had left it in the shop when I purchased the phone. I had to show it as proof of identiity for a credit card purchase. I skolled the beer, Tony Abbott style, and then raced back to the shop, which was a good 15 minutes away walking quickly. The man behind the counter, who had served me earlier, had not seen my passport. He kindly took me to security who went to check the cameras. While the security guard was away, I finally remembered that I needed my passport number to install an app for my spanish sim card. My passport was in my room. All that stress for nothing.

I raced back to the Cathedral for the evening Mass and arrived just in time.... Mass was the start of things going well again. After Mass, I met up with the Frenchman and German with whom I had journeyed the past day or so and we went to eat something. MOre correctly, I went to eat while they came to drink whilst watching me eat.  We had an incredibly enjoyable dinner. Two highlights: the waiter poured the table wine through an icecube to "refresh" it; we were only charged for the meal - the waiter gave us the grog. We did, therefore, give him a nice tip.

After a pleasant evening, I slept very very well. The first 8 hour straight through night of the journey. 

First thing this morning, I went for a walk up above the city to the castle overlooking the city. There was a spectacular panorama of the city rooftops as well as a bronze guide to the rooftops, explaining what each important building was in the region.  I walked around the walls of the castle and then slowly I meandered my way back down. I finally had brunch at the bar under my hotel and then headed off to the Monastery of the Huelgas just outside the city.

On the way, while walking through parks along the city river, I noticed an important looking church. On my map, it was called the Church of Mercy. What a beautiful church! Inside, there was a lovely statue of Our Lady of Mercy as well as many other fine, but not elaborate, works of art.

I finally arrived at the monastery and discovered that they only do guided tours and that the next tour began in ten minutes time. What luck! The monastery was magnificent. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed inside. Thankfully, I understood most of what the guide said about the different rooms, chapels, and spaces. It was a remarkable hour and fifteen minutes of history and beauty.

I slowly wandered back into town along the old city walls and via various historical monuments. I was able to pop in to the Cathedral for 15 minutes of private prayer. Now lunch is almost finished and I will rest before exploring the city again.

Hasta la vista!