09/05/19
I must admit I was looking forward to touring the enormous cathedral in Santa Domingo de la Calzada, but mainly for its live chickens, living in luxury right in the cathedral (this will be made clear soon!)
On the way to Santo Domingo, we traveled through the eery town of Cirena, a cautionary tale for the housing bust. This ghost town of building after building of new homes sits empty (only 100 residents) but somehow has a topnotch golf course & restaurant.
In contrast, Santo Domingo de la Calzada was bustling as it readied for a weekend festival. Tonight was my "treat" night to stay in a parador, a historic building converted into a luxury hotel. I felt like I was in Downton Abbey & yes, I had another bathtub!
But I digress. This is the story of "the Hanged innocent." A traveling pilgrim stayed with a farmer & when he refused seduction by the farmer's daughter, she hid valuable items in his pack & alerted the authorities of the "missing" items. The pilgrim was hanged but supposedly didn't die (the work of Santo Domingo). When his parents went to the magistrate to beg that he be cut down, he was enjoying a chicken dinner and proclaimed that the pilgrim was no more alive than the chicken on his plate. The chicken came back to life on his plate & crowed. You can't make this stuff up. Descendants of those chickens now live in the church in a cushy chicken coop.
23k to SDdlC (population 6600)
I must admit I was looking forward to touring the enormous cathedral in Santa Domingo de la Calzada, but mainly for its live chickens, living in luxury right in the cathedral (this will be made clear soon!)
On the way to Santo Domingo, we traveled through the eery town of Cirena, a cautionary tale for the housing bust. This ghost town of building after building of new homes sits empty (only 100 residents) but somehow has a topnotch golf course & restaurant.
In contrast, Santo Domingo de la Calzada was bustling as it readied for a weekend festival. Tonight was my "treat" night to stay in a parador, a historic building converted into a luxury hotel. I felt like I was in Downton Abbey & yes, I had another bathtub!
But I digress. This is the story of "the Hanged innocent." A traveling pilgrim stayed with a farmer & when he refused seduction by the farmer's daughter, she hid valuable items in his pack & alerted the authorities of the "missing" items. The pilgrim was hanged but supposedly didn't die (the work of Santo Domingo). When his parents went to the magistrate to beg that he be cut down, he was enjoying a chicken dinner and proclaimed that the pilgrim was no more alive than the chicken on his plate. The chicken came back to life on his plate & crowed. You can't make this stuff up. Descendants of those chickens now live in the church in a cushy chicken coop.
23k to SDdlC (population 6600)
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| GoogleTranslate sucks at menus |
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| Chickens safely housed in the luxury of the Santo Domingo cathedral |
