Category: 2018 Camino

We climbed out of Atapuerca along such stone rubble paths. It was steep and barren with little purple flowers popping out of the stones to greet us.  I expected the walk after halfway into Burgos to be very urban. Paul looked at his app a few times and true to form followed the direct route until and old Spanish man stopped us.

”Non…Camino….” and he kept pointing over the road and away from the route. What do you do?  He was obviously a local. We took his advice and how right he was. Instead of slavishly following a busy road, we wended on down along a stream to approach the city in a much better way.  That was until we stopped by the water to rest our feet. Some man had decided to expose his body apart from some sad grey underpants that he had tucked up high into his leg. Not a sight for sore eyes I hasten add. Everyone else was dressed in combat gear and here he was stretching and scratching and enjoying being almost naked!!

The surprising thing about the city was its approach. We found ourselves in an enormously long…about 5K ..avenue that was a park. It was like a Sunday morning. Locals strolling with prams, boys cycling past and old ladies chatting and putting the world to rights. It wasn’t a long day but after the day before, I think mentally I just wanted to get there and rest. It seemed forever but when the park did finish, Burgos was elegant and resplendent….and even more the hotel was GREAT!! A BATH!!  Wine..crisps…Free sweets…cafe open all hours.  Oh I died and went to heaven.  Room 101.? But this was where I would start tomorrow without my trusty friends!!

I knew during a Pilgrim lunch…really substantial…that my alone time was coming. I had been so fortunate with these guys and when it came to a late tapas and an early night I just couldn’t say ‘Goodbye” and ‘Thank you’

I closed my door and burst into tears. It was a really low point because even physically I wasn’t rid of pain in my feet never mind the throbbing muscles.

I just  forced myself to mentally go through the next day. Get up early, take the picnic lunch offered, I had the app…all I had to do was get out of the city!!!

”See you in Leon in 8 days “ they had said…..8 days, I didn’t think that I would be able to put one foot in front of the other.

The hotel couldn’t have been more helpful and I was made a fresh coffee at 6.45 by the night porter. My picnic was a toasted  sort of BLT with egg in it and fresh fruit and water. Fab. But I was really unconfident about getting out of the city.

It was tricky but the little red arrow on my app was my friend, wide avenues and suddenly there was the river and across the way the most inspiring gothic towers of Burgos cathedral, illuminated by their floodlights against a still black sky. I had to wend through old  cobbled streets beneath the monumental towers when I was conscious of footsteps behind me that had been there for a while.

I was at a crossroads but the Camino often takes funny little turns away from the road so you have to be vigilant. My follower….me with a follower ? …was a man.  I stopped at the lights and said

‘ Buen Camino’…as you do…with my biggest smile…

I shouldn’t have worried. I had a new pilgrim. His name was Bruce from Canada but he was phillipino too. His wife had gone on by bus because of inflamed tendons and heel problems…so there we were…out of the city. I would have felt thrilled with myself but there was nowhere to stop and I needed the loo. Gradually we entered the Meseta…still nothing. Bruce thought that was why I was walking fast…just for a toilet…there wasn’t even a bush. We criss crossed motorways, under bridges, along streams….no habitation.

By 2 hours 20 I’m ready to wee anywhere and then Tardajos emerged. OMG, crossed the road, felt relieved, ordered tortilla and a cortado, sorted out the feet…which needed a blister plaster…Yeah!! I’m ok…I’m doing it and not only that when we looked at the John Brierly Bible of the Camino…we were halfway to Hornillos!!