Sunday, September 13, 2009

San Juan to Burgos

We were on the trail by 6:30 am, walking with small flashlights for half an hour until it was light. The path to Burgos was pretty and only one hill to climb. Total distance today was 20 KM and 200 meters ascent. We went the 2nd option in our guide book from Orbaneja to Villafria and then rather than walking the remaining 5.6 KM into the city along basically the highway we, along with others were going to get the #8 bus. Our guide book did not mention this. Anyway David and I finally get to the bus station at 12:08 and think we have just 20 minutes before the bus. A nice Spaniard comes by with his 1 year old daughter and tries to explain there is no bus on Sundays. He is very kind and called us a taxi to take us to our hotel, Meson el Cid (25€ for taxi). The hotel is just across from the cathedral and has all the old world charm we love (75€). We felt bad hanging the laundry so we did it inside the room however noticed our neighbors had theirs hanging out over the balcony. The price for doing the laundry would have cost almost as much as the room!
There were quite a few wild flowers along the Camino both today and yesterday. Yesterday we saw heather, poppies, and some other yellow like daisies and also some blue flowers. Today we also had some lavender crocus that were just sprouting up everywhere even on the trail
.
We are now sitting out in Ali Baba having just had a shawarma. Wonderful to just sit and watch the people go by including the hobbling perigrinos. We recognize each other with a wave. We both have our jackets on as it gets cold when the sun goes down. The Camino route out of town is just outside the hotel door which is nice but we are debating whether to stay another day or not. We had a nap this afternoon and when we went to the cathedral it was closed for tourist visits. We got a sello there to note the stop in Burgos. We have a mail drop to pick up tomorrow and that means we could not start hiking until at least 10 am. We also have sore joints and feet and David may be coming down with a cold. We have walked 7 days straight covering 168 Km without a break so it is due.

The town of Atapuerca has some prehistoric caves that are a UNESCO heritage site in 2000. Town is also very interesting so if you can manage your overnight there it might be worth considering. We are sort of on and off our guide book because we try to keep the days walk a little over 20 KM per day.

1 comment:

  1. We have been reading your posts with great interest. You deserve our daily support, but up until now, we haven’t figured out how to comment on any. That is odd because we did manage to comment on one of your pre-departure posts.

    Thanks for all the info and pictures. As you say, it is a shame you can’t be leisurely about your visits to the many ancient sites you pass along the way. It is ironic that you are traveling in the most basic fashion, yet must hurry to assure yourselves some accommodations each evening.

    Take care, stay healthy and keep smiling for the pictures.
    Rob and Hedy

    ReplyDelete