Day 11

Just as there is in life, there's also lots of misinformation about walking the Way. Several pilgrims have shared things they had read or learned: bring sleeping bags as there are no blankets; wifi is hard to find, hard to get connected, hard to get a password; don't bring makeup, because after about the third day you won't care.

All of those are wrong, wrong, wrong as we have discovered! After about the second day, Sharon noticed the ladies in our little group of pilgrims were all coming out for dinner with fresh make up. So today we made a little stop in Burgos!

I think everyone is happier now!

We knocked off about two days of walking by taking the bus from Santo Domingo de Calzada all the way to the next major city. We told ourselves that the jaunt to Belorado was mostly walking the shoulder of the highway, and the next day would have put us through some steep climbs and descents. The bus fare for the hour-long ride was less than five euros, so we were glad to make quick time of these miles:

Burgos is the capital of the Castille region and is most well known to us because of Charlton Heston in his role as El Cid. El Cid Campeador was born a few miles from Burgos and was instrumental in helping free the Iberian peninsula from the rule of the North African Moors.

I'm not feeling the part of the writer tonight, so suffice it to say you can do your own research and read all you want about this city. Start here   http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgos

 and read to your heart's content!

We met four of the most delightful ladies as we were catching the bus. Two were from Princeton, NJ and we think the other two from out west. They were of our same generation and amazing how quickly you can get to know someone in the 15 minutes you wait for the bus! We parted friends.

We also saw Bryant waiting at the bus stop and his knee was still hurting him, so he had opted to catch the same Jimenez bus we were looking for. And after we had gone up the road a couple of stops, who should get on the bus but Sandra, the cute young lady from Mexico! No sign of Pablo, so guess it hadn't worked out!

We all rode the bus to the Burgos bus station and I am amazed at the skill of these drivers. Not only can they negotiate the narrow streets, they can also pull into the tiny bus terminals and get out again!

We all wished each other buen camino and went our separate ways, knowing that the Camino has a way of bringing people back together. We hoped it would, because we were leaving behind Roy and Cathy, Joyce and Almudena and Tom. Camino Tom had decided the night before to catch the bus with us and go on to Burgos. In fact, as I recall, it was practically Tom's idea! But he was a no-show at the bus station and we hoped that he wasn't having another sinking spell as he had had previously.

It was a little nerve-wracking finding our way across Burgos to our hotel. Google Maps wouldn't cooperate and open a saved map without a wifi connection; we hoped to sit down at a sidewalk cafe, get a Coke and use the wifi, but no one ever came out to wait on us. We decided to use the last and greatest resort and ask someone!

We had our map from the Brierly guide, but it was really more of an indication than a map. Lots of streets were missing from it, although the main thoroughfares were marked.

We were lucky that the most likely suspects for questioning were two Burgos police officers, a lady and a man. We told them the name of the street and the name of the hotel but neither registered with them, so we began to get a little worried. But we knew where a plaza near our hotel was supposed to be, and that they recognized and pointed us in the right direction.

We were very pleasantly surprised by our accommodations. For just 40 euros we had secured a private room completely remodeled and fitted out with a huge bathroom\walk-in shower, mini-fridge, TV and a big double bed. Heaven! AND we had discovered that booking.com listed many of these little jewels along the Camino. No more phoning ahead with a poor internet phone connection and trying to spell the difficult and complicated name "John Ford" as it appears on my passport. Really, Spanish speakers, is it that hard to understand?

The desk clerks were so helpful! The gentleman got started talking about the region and the more he went the faster he talked. Did you know that Queen Isabell of Portugal was buried near here? I finally asked if he were a professor and he smiled and said no. He was actually from Seville, but if you live in a place, you ought to learn about it. Good advice!

But the best advice was from the lady. She pulled out a tourist map, showed us where we were and how to get down to the Cathedral. She also told us to try the Morito Restaurant--good food, prices and quantities, she said. She steered us right! Before you knew it, we had squeezed in to this tiny little restaurant that seemed to be mainly for the locals, and were ordering up a plate of shrimp, squid and French fries. Here's what they looked like:

Oh the squid were delicious, and the shrimp were too. The shrimp were fried in such a way that you just munched them shell and all. The squid was a little more complicated--you had to get them on to your fork and in to your mouth before their tentacles or little suckers could catch hold of your teeth or tongue. It was worth the battle!

¡Ja ja ja! They weren't really alive, but they were delicious and I told them to get in my belly!

After lunch we walked around and took a few photos. The Cathedral was very pretty and the town is filled with churches, museums and monuments. It would be a great place to spend a few days.

That final view was from up above the city, and what a beautiful panorama it was. The photo doesn't do it justice. But I felt a little like Moses as I turned and looked to the west, for what lay ahead of us is what many pilgrims dread--the meseta! It's four days of walking through mostly flat, arid, hot farm lands with few people in sight and fewer villages. Bring shade and plenty of water is what everyone advised us. That's what lies ahead of us for tomorrow.

I reserved us a room in Tarjada and it's only 10 kms, or just over six miles, so it should be a good introduction to the meseta. Sharon says she is up to walking again, so we are anxious to get back on the road. 

The Camino passes right past our hotel and it is very clearly marked. How do you know which way to go? Take a guess!

Didn't feel much like writing tonight, but wanted to share some more pictures. Until tomorrow, buen camino, peregrinos!