3.5 Degrees this morning, heating on for an hour before we get up, but it's a clear, sunny day.
We head into town alongside the river and find our way to the cathedral., referred to in tourist information as La Bella Desconocida or The Unknown Beauty. It is indeed a beautiful structure and in contrast with the bling and glitz in sisters at Burgos and Salamanca this one is more humble, more restrained.
The columns and masonary are well crafted and decorated with some of the most finely detailed stone carvings we have seen. Some are like three dimensional lacework, others are such fine relief they look like they could be rubbed away with your thumb.
The chapels are equally restrained; there are fine wood carvings and a little bit of gilding but most are content to be decorated with paintings and tapestries, jade, marble and simple pieces of silverware. There are two outstanding pieces; one, the gilded screen with 130 carved bible scenes in the chapel of Sant Antolin and the other a gold and silver monstrance.
A staircase leads to the crypt, a simple tunnel or arches which shows stonework from the original Visigoth church built in the seventh century.
Although the cathedral dates back to 1321 it is not afraid to modernise, and give us a chuckle. One area is cordoned off from visitors and in the chapel behind this barrier is a polished and carved wooden confessional. Above the door is a green light which changes to red when the next sinner enters.
We leave through the cloisters and wander around to..... Plaza Mayor! Plaza Mayor is the equivalent of 'High Street' in England and every city around here has one. In the corner we find a small bar-restaurant where we have lunch; a platter of grilled vegetables and some cheese croquettes for starters followed by a melt-in-the-mouth solomillo [steak], with a glass of ribero red vino da casa.
Warmed and refreshed we explore the pedestrianised area and although most of the shops are closed for siesta the centre is really attractive. The balcony windows here are solid wood, not the delicate iron style seen elsewhere. Some are half-hexagon or half-octagon, others arched or tiled or decorated with stained glass.
Near the camperstop there is a small park with a pond. We join the ducks and geese [Canada and Barnacle] basking in the sunshine which feels warm even if it is only 14C before returning to the van.