Fragments of a Camino

Fragments of a Camino  with Fresco Tours in 2011

New artwork by EB.
An ubiquitous Camino waymarker.

This is based on my header photo.
It shows a vineyard just before Villafranca del Bierzo

(These fragments are copied from a written diary, kept very intermittently during a busy schedule on a group tour, and include photos of tickets and bills which had been pasted in).

Thursday 22 Sept

(The first few days were on my own, visiting Bilbao and Burgos, before joining the group from Fresco Tours in Leon).

I enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the roof terrace. The Gran Domine Hotel lived up to all expectations, in a prime position just opposite the Guggenheim.  I went by tram to the bus station to book a ticket for Burgos for tomorrow at 11.00 am. Then, back by tram to spend a couple of hours in the Guggenheim. After that, I took the tram in the opposite direction to visit the old town for a lunch of tapas and two glasses of red wine. This was followed by a long siesta!

At 6.00 pm I strolled around the outside of the Guggenheim, taking photos from all angles. Most people say the outside architecture is more interesting than what is inside and I would agree. Later I walked to the old town again to visit the Cathedral de Santiago.  This was followed by a Hamburguesa back in the hotel Cafe Metropole.

Friday 23 September

The bus left for Burgos at 11.00 am. It took 2 hours, on the motorway throughout. We passed one Veterano Osborne bull on the hillside (so reminiscent of Spanish holidays in my 20’s) and many fields of sunflowers not yet harvested. On arrival, I immediately booked a ticket for Sunday for Leon, the only afternoon departure being 16.30.

It seemed very hot in Burgos after the cloudy conditions in Bilbao. The Hotel Meson del Cid was easy to find by heading towards the spires of the Cathedral towering over everything else. Unfortunately my room was in the annexe and didn’t have a view. I should have asked for one. After lunch in a tapas bar, I did a tour of the Cathedral. It was amazing to be surrounded by such history; I feel deprived living in Australia! The intricate carvings, in both wood and stone, were amazing.

After a long siesta in my room, I set off to walk around, but was soon tempted by a little red tourist train that took in the main sights. This was not a comfortable trip because of bumpy cobbles, but it provided a good orientation.

I had dinner in the Meson del Cid Restaurant:

Ensalada del Meson, Cordero Asado Lechal de Burgos and two glasses of red.

Saturday 24 September

I had a delicious breakfast in the hotel, with a window table, watching the sun rise behind the Cathedral. Then I set off to visit the Monastery de las Huelgas, about 30 minutes walk west along the river. I met a group of nuns walking briskly towards the Cathedral for their religious devotions. The Monastery was founded by Eleanor of Aquitaine, daughter of Henry II of England, who married Alfonso VIII of Castile. I had to join a guided tour in Spanish. The highlight was the museum of royal costumes from the 13th Century, which had all been discovered in the tombs of numerous kings and queens buried there. I had never seen such a selection of early royal garments. Eleanor's leather shoes were there and her embroidered overdress. Her coffin lid reminded us of her dates: 1156 - 1214.

Afterwards, it was a short walk to the Hospital del Rey, one of the most famous hospitals on the pilgrimage route, now part of the Faculty of Law of Burgos University. I took a photo of the doors to the Church, showing scenes of pilgrims en route. I noted that a British PhD recipient, Geoffrey Parker in MMX, had made a comparison of Spanish and Anglo-Saxon history.

On returning to Burgos, I found the Cathedral Square was packed with a wedding party just leaving from the side door. All the women were wearing the most elegant costumes imaginable. I was trying to line up a photo of the bride and groom in the doorway of the Cathedral, when all hell broke loose: firecrackers going off and explosions of confetti and rose petals. I jumped away in terror, as I seemed to be in the line of fire from a row of connected firecrackers: a Spanish custom that was new to me!

Later in the day, I came across several more wedding parties posing for photos, reminiscent of my Saturday in St Petersburg a few years ago. I had dinner again at the Meson del Cid. The couple at the next table ordered the speciality of the house for entree: Boletus Edulis which turned out to be a huge plateful of mushrooms.

Sunday 25 September

I checked out of Meson del Cid and set off eastwards along the river to visit the Cartuja de Miraflores, 4.5 kms away (a nice practice walk for me). It was a lovely sunny morning, but cool early on. Lots of locals were out exercising on their favourite footpath. The Cartuja wasn't signposted and so I walked right past the turnoff. When I finally asked two Spanish women the way, they insisted on taking me there and set off back along the highway at such a brisk pace, I could hardly keep up with them!

The Cartuja was interesting, especially the ornate marble tombs and the huge carved wooden reredos screen, gilded with gold from the first shipment from the New World. I bought a small bottle of Green Chartreuse, made by the Cistercian monks in France. This should sustain me on the trail! 

I arrived back in Burgos at 1.00 pm, having walked over 10 kms in all.  I had a welcome beer and a tortilla tapas at the Ribera Bar in the square, then took a short rest in the hotel lounge before catching the 16.30 bus for Leon. The trip took 2 hours.

ALSA bus routes.

to be continued...