Page 408 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

stately town with a heart Domingo de la Calzada, the most eccentric feature is
of tree-studded squares, Camino walking trail virtually the white rooster and hen
narrow streets, hidden traces the route of the fast, and that forage in a glass-
corners and a monumen- dull, A12 motorway. There’s fronted cage opposite the
tally good selection of really not much reason for you entrance to the crypt.
pintxos (Basque tapas) to veer off the motorway (none Their presence celebrates
bars. All up, this is the of the quieter, smaller roads a long-standing legend,
sort of place that you really follow the Camino). the Miracle of the Roost-
cannot help but feel con- er, which tells of a young
tented in – and it’s not TRIP HIGHLIGHT man who was unfairly
just the wine. The superb 8 Santo Domingo executed only to recover
Museo de la Rioja (Plaza de la Calzada miraculously, while the
San Agustin 23; h10am-2pm & broiled cock and hen on
4-9pm Tue-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun) Santo Domingo is small- the plate of his judge sud-
in the centre of Logroño town Spain at its very denly leapt up.
takes you on a wild romp best. A large number of
through Riojan his- the inhabitants continue The Drive » From Santo
tory and culture – from to live in the partially Domingo to Burgos it’s just
the days when dinner walled old quarter, a 57km and 50 minutes. Again
was killed with arrows labyrinth of medieval you’re sort of stuck with using
the A12.
to re-creations of the streets where the past
kitchens that many a is alive and the sense of
Spanish granny grew up community is strong. TRIP HIGHLIGHT
using. The other major The Catedral de Santo 9 Burgos
SPAIN 29 NORTHERN SPAIN PILGRIMAGE
attraction is the Catedral Domingo de la Calzada On the surface, conserva-
de Santa María de la (www.catedralsantodomingo. tive Burgos seems to em-
Redonda (Calle de Portales; es; Plaza del Santo 4; adult/ body all the stereo types
h8am-1pm & 6-8.45pm Mon- student/child €4/3/free; of a north-central Span-
Sat, 9am-2pm & 6.30-8.45pm h10am-8.30pm Mon-Fri, ish town, with sombre
Sun), which started life as 9am-7.10pm Sat, 9am-12.20pm grey-stone architecture,
a Gothic church before & 1.45-7.10pm Sun Apr-Oct, the fortifying cuisine
maturing into a full- shorter hours Nov-Mar) and of the high meseta
blown cathedral in the its attached museum glit- (plateau) and a climate of
16th century. ter with the gold that at-
tests to the great wealth extremes. But Burgos is
54 p412, p435 the Camino has bestowed a city that rewards. The
The Drive » For the short on otherwise backwater historic centre is aus-
terely elegant, guarded
45km (35 minute) hop to Santo towns. The cathedral’s
by monumental gates and
with the cathedral as its
centrepiece. This Unesco
World Heritage–listed
TOP TIP: Catedral is a master-
PILGRIM HOSTELS piece that originally
started life as a modest
In towns and villages all along the Camino you will Romanesque church, but
see very cheap pilgrim hostels. These are only for over time became one
pilgrims travelling to Santiago by foot or bicycle (and of the most impressive
able to prove it). As a driver you will be reliant on cathedrals in a land of
normal hotel-style accommodation. impressive cathedrals.
For more on the Catedral

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