A Day On A Path
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.
Today’s photos are posted late due to power failures back at the home base in Kansas City. Here is a brief summary of the experience.
The journey began by leaving town over the Rio Carrión. The building below the picture of the bridge is the Hotel Monasterio San Zoilo, a complex including (from their website):
The highlight of the monastic complex is the current cloister, designed by Juan de Badajoz in 1537 and finished in 1604 with the participation of important artists who raised its walls and carved the profuse ornamentation, composed by characters from both the Old – Prophets, patriarchs, judges, priests, heroines, and the New Testament – apostles, evangelists, church fathers and civil characters – kings, queens, emperors and empresses- or religious – pontiffs, cardinals, doctors, monks and saints. The lower cloister has two different heights and is built with five arches between thick prismatic buttresses, while the top one opens up with half point arches. The cloister is connected to the church through an arched entrance between vertical columns. The temple, from the seventeenth century, is one nave only covered by barrel vaults and a dome over the transept. It has choir at the feet, with seatings and baroque organ. The doorway is attributed to Felipe Berrojo and has two parts with images of saints. The monastery also has other more modest, neoclassical patio.
Below is a screenshot of an app on Mary’s iPhone that shows the correct path (through the Camino), with her location depicted by the blue dot.
Sahagun is my halfway point.
Many friends along the way!
And more open spaces…
I was too tired for village exploring, but this was close to my lodging. Lucky me!
September 23. Tomorrow starts the meseta. Long stages. No shade. Scarce water refill options.
“The meseta is the name given to the large and expansive flat plains of central Spain. Beginning just after Burgos, and ending in Astorga, the Camino Frances travels through the northern point of the meseta for approximately 220km,”
