#PrincessaPetra x #CatedralDeBurgos #GloryToTheHoly #Proph3ticJustice

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome back to the much expected but less anticipated Royal Endeavors eclectic episode which marks the beginning of the fabulous birthday adventures I recently had in Spain and Basque Country, by starting with a visit at the breathtaking Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos.

First I would like to mention this trip is featured and available in the Senior Voyage offer proposals of Christian Tour, one of the most appreciated travel agencies in Romania and the one in charge of most of the cultural trips I had taken with my parents, which we had very much enjoyed.

The greatest thing about these trips, except the destination, are the well-prepared and considerate guides, armed with impressive knowledge, patience and flawless people skills, the optional daily organized trips, which can be quite fast-paced, sometimes exhausting but incredibly rich in cultural and religious tourist attractions and the senior tourists accompanying us, which are absolutely delightful, to my opinion – witty, mannered and high spirited, just as I wish some people of my age would be. Honestly, I always prefer to be surrounded by younger or elder people I have much to learn from.

After waking up at 4 in the morning on the day of the departure, which was not my greatest pleasure (neither 7 or 8 is), we arrived with a Tarom flight to Madrid, where a brand new and fully equipped Christian Tour travel bus was waiting to take us to Comillas, a lovely municipality in Cantabria, northern Spain, set to be our residential town for the next seven days. We were part of an ideal group of 17 people, accommodated in a 54 seats bus so just imagine the discretion, space and comfort each of us had plus time to get to know each other.

With these being said, I will dedicate an exclusive Royal Endeavors blog post to the wonderful Comillas separately, as it hosts several architectural marvels, including one of the few villas designed by Antoni Gaudí outside of Catalonia – the exquisite El Capricho – spacious, intimate and delightful, an exquisite summer residence adorned with the Sun Flower symbol. Stay tuned for more!

Before going any further, deep diving into the historical background of Catedral de Burgos – the first gothic cathedral of the Peninsula – I would like to point out the outstanding psychological factor of seeing such a majestic ornamented interior has on my personal state of being. This is simply a personal experience based on keen observation, combined with a little bit of self-awareness, sprinkled over the refinement of my tastes through time.

I do understand other architectural currents such as minimalism but they are not really my cup of tea. Speaking about tea, the fact that I adore a smokey black African one gives a great suggestion on my preference for any art form which is oppulent, highly decorated, heavy in details, bursting with symbolism and myth in front of my very eyes. This heavy art with a twist of myth and magic is what truly energizes me, especially on my arrival in Spain, after a too early morning start and quite a long journey – not the big empty spaces in fancy “greige” (grey+beige) marble shades but the Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance styles intertwined to shine light upon this  reigning beauty of Castile and León, the impressive Metropolitan cathedral of Burgos, groundbreaking in 1221.

Built over more than four centuries, the Cathedral bears testimony to the creative genius of architects, sculptors, and craftsmen throughout these periods.

The monument is an extraordinary summary of European Gothic influences, which can be admired in every component of the structure, from the facades and chapels to the stained glass windows and sculptures and contains all key attributes to express its Outstanding Universal Value, having been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

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