Three weeks ago we left Kuala Lumpur and came back to Kuwait. Unpacked and wondered whether I should put away the suitcases…ummm…well at least one of them because I knew I had to start packing for the trip to Spain! I actually put them away because I hated the mess of having suitcases where they didn’t belong. Anyway, the trip to San Sebastián for Maria’s wedding was brought forward FIVE days so I had to pack when I wasn’t ready!
Since it was our first time to the Basque country, Maria and Iñigo had also planned to take us out on various excursions so I packed according to the weather forecast for the region at this time – 19 C during the day on average and rain, rain, rain. Of course we also had to bring the nice stuff to wear for the wedding…shoes and bags to match, suits and dresses. It wasn’t as difficult to pack as I thought but I think I missed a few things…we’ll find out when we get there.
The flight to Amsterdam via Bahrain on KLM was the one we usually took arriving in Amsterdam at 6am….then an hour or so and we were on the 2 hour flight to Madrid. I must have slept a total of four hours or so. It was OK. As soon as we had got our rented car and settled down, we started the drive to San Sebastian. Its always a lot of fun to drive within Spain because the views change ever so much depending on which part of the country you’re in.
More than anything, we enjoy the GREEN! Better than the monotone of the desert scenery we get in Kuwait. I had expected to see more autumn colours but the trees were just starting to change colour so there was still a lot of green with the yellows just coming in.
We stopped at Burgos – the city of El Cid – with great expectations of visiting a medieval city.
Somehow we left a little disappointed because apart from the Burgos Cathedral which was a UNESCO World Heritage site and a must-see, there was nothing medieval about the place.
The gothic Burgos Cathedral was impressive and interesting to see with its superb architecture and ornate artwork. It took three centuries to build and seems to have been very well preserved. It is said that the cathedral is the most impressive in Europe. El Cid was also buried here in a simple unmarked marble grave.
Outside, it was cold and windy – around 15 C…c..colder with the wind-chill and I began to wonder if I should have packed some jumpers! After checking out the cathedral we walked a bit and had our first meal in Spain at the Asador Restaurant which of course served the famous Burgos dish – roast milkfed baby lamb among other local delicacies.
This particular dish was served with a simple salad and must be really special because everyone in the restaurant was having it! I tasted some but it was too rich and I felt sorry for the poor little lamb! But hubby enjoyed everything including the tail of the baby lamb that came with our portion!
And so began what was to be our gastronomic experience on this trip to Spain!
