Our Last Weekend With Gloria, Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Logrono, Yuso and Suso, Najera and Briones

A week ago we took Gloria Melendez on a weekend with us north of Burgos. She is always the life of the party, so we had a fantastic time. On our way to Logrono we stopped in the cute town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada.  The draw was a very interesting cathedral and museum.

Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Calzada means Causeway)
It is a walled city and most of the streets are pedestrian with no cars.

Plaza Mayor

The Cathedral

 Cute pedestrian streets.

Cathedral

This beautiful painting is on the Cathedral wall as we entered.

Santo Domingo
or, Saint Dominic of the Causeway

And then we turned around and saw this sight.

If you can't tell, those are live chickens!  They just made my day.

This is the scoop ... It is the miracle of the rooster and the chicken.

 Among the many pilgrims to Compestela who came to the city to pay homage to Saint Dominic of the Causeway, there was a couple and their 18 year old son from Germany.  The young girl at the Inn where the family stayed fell in love with the young man.  However, he did not return her affection.  In order to vent her anger she took a silver cup from the Inn and put it in the baggage of the young man. (Not a very nice girl.) She then reported the cup stolen.  The young man was captured and hung.  His grieving parents went to visit his hanging body.  They were stunned when they heard him speak.  He said that Saint Dominic had saved him.  They went immediately to the city magistrate's home and told him of the miracle.  Incredulous, he proclaimed that their son was about as alive as the roasted rooster and chicken he was about to eat.  At that very moment the rooster and chicken leaped up from the plate and started to crow.  The following saying started as of that moment:  Saint Dominic of the Causeway,  Where a chicken sings after it is roasted.   The wooden perch the chickens stand on is supposedly made out of the wooden gallows the young man was hung from.  Every time I think about these chickens I get a big smile on my face.  The entire town is decorated in chickens.

A depiction of Santo Domingo

This engraving is on the tomb of St. Dominic.

Another depiction of the Holy Man.

There was a very interesting exhibit in the museum part of the cathedral.

Iluminated documents

Most of the exhibit was filled with all kinds of old and interesting
 Musical instruments.   Sam Bailey, you would have loved this.

A flute from an animal horn or bone.

Why, its Saint Greg E. himself.

And the cutest, dearest, sweetest saint I know, Gloria Melendez.

Monastery of Yuso at San Millan de la Cogolla

The next day we went to visit the Monasteries of  Yuso and Suso.  

They have a very interesting history.  It was here that the Spanish language was first written.  At this monastery, Yuso, there is a huge collections of documents and writings written by hand on animal skins by the monks living here.  

The Catholic Queen, Isabella

The following is from the chapel of the monks.

Here we go into the chapel for everyone.

I didn't take a picture, but on the floor numbers are engraved into the stone.  Each family has a number, and they stand on their stone while the mass is being given.  We kind of have that same system, but we haven't gone so far as to engrave our names on the benches we sit in.  Its just a silent agreement among friends once you have sat there twice in a row.

There is a window high on the wall behind me, where on the equinox the sun shines through the circle above this door, and on the floor behind the door the shadow of a cross appears.

I believe this chapel was at one time the library for the monks.  On shelves going around the room they read or wrote on their books.  Along those shelves are beautiful paintings set into the walls.  The floor is made of alabaster.  Aparently alabaster creates enough humidity to preserve the paintings on the walls, and on the ceiling.  No restoration was ever done to this room.  By the way, there is still a large group of Friars living here.

They keep their more important works in a wall vault that has humidity circulating through it.
  The enormously heavy books can be slid out on a board.

Some of their illuminated works.  Really beautiful.

There was a chapel that had the relics of their two most important Saints.  One was the original monk that started the monastery in a cave above the city, Suso.  When the cave monastery got too small for his following, they built the larger monastery below, Yuso.  The casks are made of brass and ivory, and detailed carvings are fascinating.

A model of Suso

A model of Yuso

I have no idea what this is about ....

The walkway to Suso.

This sight always makes my smile.  I love this sweet man
who takes such good care of our darling friend, Gloria.

Monastery of Suso in San Millan de la Cogolla

Both of these places are World Heritage Sights.

You've gotta love the country traffic jams.

We passed a lot of these and have no idea what they are for.

The Monastery in Najera

This was an awesome looking monastery.

Unfortunately, it was closed for mediodia.  So sad!

Sorry, I just loved these clouds on a beautiful cool day.

Before we left Logrono we decided we better look around a bit.

Logrono was quite a pretty city.

The Cathedral of Logrono.

Pictures of the interior later ...

On our way to see this little church before mediodia.

Some storks making it home.

Across from church.

My pictures turned out crummy here.  This was an amazing church.

Another church in Logrono.

A very different approach.

Now we're inside the Cathedral.

Michaelangelo's "Crucifixion" in the Logrono Cathedral.
It is the only Michaelangelo in all of Spain

There were so many beautiful stained glass in this Cathedral.

Always my favorite part. The choir.

More Storks

This is the symbol that shows this city is on the trail of Santiago, and pilgrims come this way.

Leaving Logrono for home.

Saw this cute town from the highway and just had to stop and take a look.
Briones

Another castle we see from the highway.

As we enter Briones, we see this little town, and decide to see it first.

Below this little burg we see a sign for a Roman Bridge.  It is the first Roman bridge I have seen that was actually black topped.  Apparently there have been more than chariots crossing this bridge. It was built to last!

Back to Briones.

Cathedral of Briones

There was a fascinating room off the chapel that had big iron gates on them with a padlock.

I would have liked to have gotten a closer look.

Italian restaurant in Santo Domingo
We ate in this restaurant on the first day of our trip.  It was so good that we
came back two more times to eat here.  We were able to go in and order, "the usual."

Tapas

Storks found an abandoned chimney.

We had such a good time on this trip with our dear friend Gloria.  We are very sad that she is being released in two weeks.  We are BFFs, and I will  sorely miss her.  We love you Gloria!!  We'll be seeing you in about 8 months,