First Impressions Not Always Right - Burgos

Had a fabulous day driving from Gijon to Burgos over the Cantabrian Mountains. Heather read from the lonely planet chapter on the History of Spain, and we were riveted to the story evolving from before Christ with arrival of the Phoenicians around 900 BC  through periods of Roman occupation, the rise of the Spanish monarchy and Catholic Church, not forgetting the Spanish Inquisition, right up to recent days with civil unrest and occupations. All the while I was interjecting the history lesson with snippets from English history, Monty Python, and movies of note. 

The last 30 minutes of the drive had gotten boring, with no scenery of note, and we were both overdue for a bathroom break. As we arrived in town, with a steady rain pouring down, I looked about and was a bit worried about where Heather had landed us. The place looked drab, with a down at heel 80,s look. The GPS had determined there was no available route to the hotel Norte Londres, and seasoned travellers that we now were, knew that we must be located in some pedestrian only section of the town, so programmed what we hoped was the nearest parking building. 

With the rain persisting we dragged our bags hoping we were somewhere close. Nothing in sight improved my initial view of the town, but as we rounded the corner into the pedestrian area it all changed. I coüld see that on a sunny day the streets would be lined with tables and umbrellas, and as we approached the hotel my hopes raised just an inch. The lobby was ornate and original, yet not old or frumpy. Very promising, but probably the lobby was all show, but once we reached out room I was delighted to find the quaintest of rooms, with old wooden furnishings, a curtain draped balcony door, it all looked just too good, and for €49 including breakfast. 

We dropped off our bags and headed out hoping we could locate something still open for a 2:30 lunch. We were perfectly positioned, and the next narrow street was lined with a good range of restaurant options. We selected on with the menu board displaying some items we could recognise on the lunch of the day specials  (el menu del dia). However when we were seated the waitress spoke little English, and there were no menues at hand, just a verbal recitation to choose from. But she was very helpful, and used her phone to capture some pictures of the main items. With her help we settled on our order, and almost as an after thought as she walked back to the kitchen she asked about drinks, offering water or wine. Heather responded promptly, choosing the vino. She returned with a bottle of red, there goes the idea of a cheap lunch I thought, but deciding there was no point wasting it, we settled in to enjoy our lunch. The food was tasty, and the wine good. The service was prompt, and when we got to desert, I gave up trying to work it out and let the waitress choose. Heather had a "flan" - brûlée, and I a tasty cold custard. A great lunch finished off with a cafe solo ( expresso). When she delivered the bill, I nearly fell off the chair, just €23 - the meal without coffee included wine and 3 courses were just €10 each. With happy bellies we retired to our hotel, to wait for the shops and evening activities to start up after 5 pm. 

We love the modern take on statues, moving away from generals and rulers to better depict the local people and activities of the area. Hot roasted chestnuts is a popular street food here.