Burgos, October 22

Leaving Monforte, we climb through a mountain ridge for half an hour, then find a different geography on the far side of the last tunnel -- a golden landscape of trees and vineyards starting to turn fall colours.

Gradually we move into higher and much drier territory that provides a living only for scrubby plants that can survive in such parched, rocky soil. This is exceptional; there has been agricultural activity visible almost everywhere we have driven until now, even in relatively dry areas.




Burgos itself doesn't have quite as many tree-lined streets and small parks around its neighbourhoods as the other cities we've seen so far, and our hotel and other locations display reminders to conserve water. But there is a lovely park along the river that runs through the centre of the city; it's lined with willows and offers a display of precision gardening in an allee of sculpted bushes.




















Our hotel is just across the river from the bridge that leads straight to the famous cathedral.

There are four fine plazas only a few blocks apart in the centre of Burgos, a boon for the very few hours of time we have to look around. One is the small plaza in front of the cathedral, where Mary-Beth and Nurhan run into each other; three more offer shops and cafes beneath centuries-old buildings carefully maintained and attractively painted.

Several of the cities we've visited already have used attractive ceramic tiles for sidewalks in some areas. Burgos has particularly elaborate and interesting versions. 










The concert tonight takes place in the visually and acoustically warm Centro Cultural. Everyone enjoys the sound-check before changing, then basks in the capacity crowd's enjoyment of each selection. Marc receives tremendous applause for his concerto, and there are actually yells of appreciation at the end of one of the orchestra's encores, the Spanish Dance by Shostakovich with its virtuoso melodies for the entire violin section and vigorous rhythms 
in the lower strings.