Burgos, Castile and León, Spain

Once again, welcome to my blog! Today, I want to share a bit of my experience—along with the photos I hadn't yet posted—from the last city I visited in Spain. In this case, that city is Burgos, located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, within the Autonomous Community of Castile and León. I spent only 24 hours there, but that was enough to allow me to delight in the beauty of the architecture and the weather—especially since, up until that point, I had never been anywhere where the temperature dropped to 0 degrees Celsius. Our concert was scheduled to take place in the famous Burgos Cathedral, but I also had the opportunity to explore various parts of the city on foot.

All the cities in northern Spain were very cold and characterized by powerful breezes—yet none quite like Burgos. Here, the cold wind struck with such force that I could barely hear my companions; however, that very fact made our day in Burgos unforgettable. It was the second week of spring, yet temperatures remained below freezing; in fact, even as we made our way into the city, there was snow on the roads—I believe it was the closest encounter with snow I have ever had in my entire life. The landscape was distinctly wintry, with trees that seemed oblivious to the fact that spring had already begun, and the sky that day was heavily overcast.

Puchero Cuernos Park:

In Burgos, we stayed at the Hotel Crisol Puerta de Burgos, located on Calle Maestro Justo del Río. Nearby lies the Parque Puchero Cuernos, and about a ten-minute walk away is the Camino de la Plata Shopping Center. It is somewhat removed from the Cathedral—where our concert was to take place—but it is situated in a beautiful setting with many amenities close at hand; moreover, it is a four-star hotel offering luxury service. I recall that we had only an hour and a half to go out for a walk, but we managed to pull it off—though I went with a friend rather than my wife, who was feeling somewhat vocally fatigued following our visit to the city of Oviedo.

Spain Square:

The distance between the hotel and the Cathedral proved perfect for getting to know the city's main avenues and buildings—all from the comfort of our bus. Many of the images I’m sharing with you today were taken from inside it; perhaps that’s why they aren’t quite so epic, but much like taking a walk, I feel I discovered a great deal about the everyday life of Burgos. I was always able to identify the fountains, monuments, and parks by checking the city signage or using Google Maps in real time—places like the Plaza de España or the Monument to the Armed Forces, which you may have spotted in the photos above.

Audiencia Promenade

The bus dropped us off on Calle Merced, across from the Santa María Bridge, which spans the Arlanzón River. The view is stunning—everything is Gothic in style, including the sky and the weather. As you can see in the photographs above, the towers of the Burgos Cathedral rise above the landscape and the Santa María Arch. Two grand promenades line the riverbank—the Paseo de la Audiencia and the Paseo del Espolón—and once you pass through the arch, you come face-to-face with the imposing cathedral at the far end of Plaza Rey San Fernando: a truly delightful and impactful experience for architecture enthusiasts.

Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos:

Our artistic experience inside the cathedral will be eternal. It was one of the coldest concerts the choir has ever performed—or at least the coldest for me, having only joined for the tours of Rome and Spain. The lighting was subdued, and the entire aesthetic was quintessentially Gothic—including the chandeliers and the pipe organ. Every aisle of the sanctuary was packed; while many people couldn't see us singing head-on, they could still catch a glimpse of us from the sides. Outside, amidst a heavy, freezing rain, a crowd remained queued up, waiting patiently to gain entry. I struggled to wrap my head around this; the wind chill outside the cathedral that night was a bone-chilling -4°C, yet there the audience stood—people who truly appreciate genuine art. For me, the cold was so extreme that, at the very end, I sprinted straight for the bus—and completely forgot to turn around and snap a photo of the cathedral illuminated against the night sky! 😭

As I mentioned at the beginning, Burgos was the last Spanish city we visited; after leaving it, we headed back to Madrid for the final concert of our tour. The breeze and rain made our stay in the city quite an intense experience, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. For those of us—myself included—who haven't traveled extensively, it is a truly unique place—one that perfectly embodies the spirit of Europe and everything I had always heard about the Old Continent. I hope you enjoyed this post, filled as it was with anecdotes. I also hope that if you ever visit Burgos, you will make a point of stepping inside this imposing Gothic cathedral; even if you aren't Catholic, you certainly won't regret it. That was a truly memorable Holy Thursday for me, and it feels fitting to look back on it right now, at the start of Holy Week 2026. Until the next post!...