Monesterio de Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas

This Cistercian convent was founded just outside Burgos in the 12th century as a retreat for the royal family ('las huelgas' translates roughly as 'vacations') and a refuge for nuns of noble blood. It was funded through the doweries of the novitiates. Nuns still live here in seclusion (the public hours are arranged to allow them to sing the offices) but now must work to support themselves by baking cookies and doing laundry for the restaurants of Burgos.

It's also the home of the 13th century manuscript Codex las Huelgas. We came here Tuesday afternoon to sing songs and motets from the manuscript for the nuns. They loved to hear the music, but better loved to kiss the cheeks and tousle the hair of the two-year old with us. Afterwards, they fed us cookies and soft drinks, showed us a facsimile of the manuscript, then all kissed Stejn one last time and filed away to the church to sing vespers.