A Day On A Path
I’m at the Hotel Gaudi across from the cathedral and the Gaudi Palace. Two years ago, October 02, 2019, I opened the door to my hotel room to find a giant bouquet of flowers, famous Astorga chocolate, and a birthday greeting from John. He and Ruben, the amazing desk clerk, had put together my birthday surprise (October 4, 1947).
Today, October 02, 2021, I opened the door to a replay of 2019. Once again, John and Ruben threw me for a loop. Flowers, chocolate, birthday card.
The exit is much nicer than the entrance! We follow the arrows, but the cities also embed camino shells on the sidewalks to keep us on track.
9/24 Note: My phone is locking up as I try to upload photos to this blog. I’ll try to catch up later. All is well with me. No blisters & feeling well.
Today begins the walk through the Meseta, the northern part of the central high plains. I think it takes five days to get across. In 2019, the temps were much hotter. Few trees. Where the winds come sweeping down the plains. (Excuse me, Rogers and Hammerstein) Yesterday in Burgos, it was 58 degrees, cloudy, with 18 mph winds. There is rain along the way today, but it’s impossible to gauge whether I’ll run into it. Many people love the Meseta. It is not my favorite, but here I go.
I’ve gone to the laundromat, ate “whatever meal it was” at 4:00, had four naps. About to venture out for a coke and a bowl of soup. Find a market for tomorrow’s snacks. I’m such a wild woman!
Burgos walkabout: Sculptures around every corner, red lentils, police.
Oops! Left this stop out / on the way to Burgos. Stopped for a break in Cardenuela Riopico. A coke and a look in the church. Most of it was roped off inside, but still, the architecture is always amazing.
Arrived in Burgos and took a little walkabout. Spending two nights in Burgos. Rest and a laundromat. So much to see here, but I remind myself this is a rest stop.
See that little peak at the beginning of the stage? It was a nice 5.5 mile walk up and over. On the other side, we started highway walking. It was road walking until the outer edges of Burgos. Then more sidewalk/road walking to the center of town. Ugly. I walked it all in 2019, but this year, I hopped a ten-minute bus ride through the industrial area into the center of town. There was an alternate route available earlier in the day, but it isn’t well marked & my apps only follow the main camino routes. Those who know me know I can’t find my way out of a paper bag, so I figured the odds for me getting lost were pretty high. Hence, didn’t try the prettier alternate route.
The 5.5 mile mountain walk was worth the day of ugly highway walking. However, nothing was open for coffee between me and the Camino when I left in the morning, so I had to walk over the mountain for my first cup. A great vegetable tortilla with the coffee for breakfast.
A monument at the top of the mountain to 300 people who were killed at this spot by Franco supporters in the early months of the civil war. 1936.
The mountain I was so worried about turned out to be pretty easy. I doubt there’ll be a more gradual ascent on the entire Camino. Still, it was right for me to stop for the night and walk the mountain in the morning. I doubt it would have been so enjoyable with afternoon fatigue.
Over the mountain: I most like the days when the path changes along the way. Grateful for my sturdy boots on all the rocky surfaces. And my poles!
Pilgrims
