Burgos to Hornillos, 30 April (21 kms)

My room at Meson del Cid

At 7.30 a.m. I had a good breakfast in the Meson del Cid dining room.  My table by the window enabled me to see the Cathedral across the square, especially the intricate stonework of the spires.  I also observed early pilgrims setting off for the day on the road higher up to my left.  The dining room seemed to be full of French people, obviously from a coach tour.

I was on my way by 8.45 a.m. with 21 kms to go: rather ambitious for Day One, but I was booked in at Hornillos, a stopping point with not a vast amount of accommodation.  It was a perfect day for beginning my 2014 Camino: cloudy and sunny in equal amounts.  Spring was here:  buttercups and daisies lined the way out of Burgos through the park.  Later I saw gorse in flower and many Lenten Roses.  Birds were singing, especially cuckoos.  I passed the State Prison on my right.

Milestone on way out of Burgos:  532 kms to go!

I stopped at Tardajos at 11.30 a.m.for a cafe con leche and a chocolate croissant.  On this trip, I can afford to indulge when doing so much exercise!  Now the day was getting hotter.  Rabe looked a nice spot to stay, but I had to press on.  I had quite a long rest and a siesta at the Fuente de Praotorre, where the pump of the fountain was actually producing water, but I just washed my hands and face.

The last 5 kms into Hornillos were hard going.  I concluded that 15 kms was an ideal day for me, but it's not always possible to find accommodation at that point.  I went slowly down the so-called mule-killer slope (bearing in mind that falls often happen when people are tired).  On arrival in the small town, I went straight to the Alimentacion shop, where I knew they would be willing to call the Casa Rural, Consulta de Isar, for me whilst I sat on the bench outside, consuming a cold can of beer!

The Casa was more basic than expected, 2 kms away.  It had very small rooms (5 of them, only) and not well sound-proofed.  There were 6 French people there (3 couples) and one French Canadian lady, who thankfully could chat with me and translate what the others were saying at dinner.  She even lent me her iPad to fire off a quick email home.  Dinner was Russian Salad, potato and tuna soup, veal with a beautiful fresh salad and for dessert, a flan with fruit puree.  I slept soundly after such a strenuous day and paid 58 E. for dinner, b. and b.

Little church en route

Burgos, 29 April

There was a lovely breakfast set out in the spacious dining room: the fruit on the buffet was especially good. I watched a few late peregrinos walk past at 9.00 a.m., noting the size of their backpacks (mostly too big!) this hotel is on the higher, official, route out of town on Fernan Gonzalez.

I moved my backpack down to the Meson del CiD, having abandoned the old suitcase which had protected my new lightweight Aarn pack on the plane. I left a little message for the chambermaid: "no lo quiero". Then I crossed the square to the cathedral and got the pilgrim's rate (3.5 E) to visit, complete with audio commentary. This gave a guided tour lasting about an hour.

Burgos was the first Gothic cathedral to be built in Spain. There were displays and models in the cloister, showing how it was extended and embellished over the centuries. It also explained how the different levels on the sloping site were cleverly compensated for, including a magnificent staircase by Diego de Siloe, leading up to the north door of the cathedral. El CiD and his wife are buried beneath the transept crossing.

I had the Menu del Dia for lunch at the Bonfin Restaurant: Sopa Castellana, grilled Merluza w. salad, then Tarta de Manzana for dessert. I went back to the hotel for a siesta, but was disturbed by people arriving in the next room and their plumbing. I was about to make myself a cup of tea when I discovered I had left my adaptor plug behind at the Abba. On returning there, I was delighted when it was returned to me from a box of similar paraphernalia kept at reception.

At 5.00 p.m. the Museo de Burgos opened, so I went along to see the archaeological exhibits and medieval paintings. I passed a "China Shop" on the way and was able to buy a dinky little hairbrush for under 2E. Strolling back across the river, I couldn't resist having chocolate w. churros at a popular cafe. This just about filled me up for the evening, so I went to bed and read my Kindle, forgetting about dinner.

My room at Meson del Cid is in a prime spot overlooking the cathedral's west door. I can also see over the typical red and ochre rooftops to a line of wind turbines on a green ridge in the distance.

View from my window

Meson del Cid - my balcony is near the Hotel sign

This fresh pilgrim seated next to a weary one

Madrid to Burgos, 28 April

The flight to Madrid arrived 20 minutes early, so there was plenty of time to find the ASLA counter near the exit of T4, purchase my ticket to Burgos and simply cross the road to find all the bus stops. The coach was very comfortable and it was a lovely sunny afternoon for the journey. I felt a bit worn out after 20 hours on a plane and just wanted to get to the end. The film being shown on board was "The Impossible", in English with Spanish subtitles, and I might have watched it if I hadn't already seen it on the plane last year!

On arrival in Burgos, I went straight to Meson del Cid where I had a booking for the following day. It was around 6.00 p.m. They were fully booked and extremely apologetic, saying that normally they would have expected to have a few spare rooms. The friendly receptionist phoned the Abba Hotel, some 200m. away, and got me a room for 70 E. This proved to be a good choice, a nice room with a small balcony which had a view of the cathedral spires beyond a park in the Castillo area. After a beer from the mini bar, I set off for a walk and purchased a few items from the small supermarket below the cathedral: bread, cheese, jamon and an orange to have later in my room. After all the meals on the plane, this was just what I needed.

The Abba Hotel was playing Abba music in reception, where I used their computer to send an email home. The hotel seemed to specialize in coach tours, as there were 2 enormous coaches parked outside. It also boasted a heated indoor pool, but I didn't have a cozzie with me. I turned in at 9.00 p.m. with a sleeping pill to combat any jet lag and slept soundly till the sky lightened at 7.00 a.m.

 

Burgos 18 May

Still as cold as Christmas!. When I left the hotel at 9.15 it was 7 degrees and when I returned at 1.30 p.m. it had only risen to 10 degrees! I decided to pay another visit to Real Monasterio de Huelgas, a Cistercian convent, which had impressed me 2 years ago. As I walked there along the river bank an amazing thing happened. I met American Mary on her way to the bus station, complete with backpack! It had finally arrived at Ortega at 2.30 p.m. on the day I left her at about 1.30. She was able to return my pyjama top which I had never expected to see again! She was going to Leon by bus to meet her husband and they were going to walk to Santiago together.

Huelgas was just as fascinating as before, especially the exhibition of early medieval costumes. Inside the church, I was able to sneak a couple of illicit photos while lagging behind a big Spanish group. (We were not allowed to go round the place on our own, and twice I had not been lucky enough to encounter an English speaking group). After the tour I was this time able to purchase a guide book in English. Atapuerca should take note! I took lots of notes of my own and also a few sketches of the costumes, the like of which I had never seen anywhere in the world. They are in such good condition and are being preserved in dim light.

The convent itself was founded by Alfonso VIII (1156-1214) and his wife Eleanor of England. It was to become the burial place of the monarchs. There is one section of the church containing 16 elaborately carved stone tombs. All except one of these were opened and robbed by Napoleon's troops.

Alfonso also founded the nearby King's Hospital to provide care and accommodation for all the pilgrims going to Santiago. The buildings are now part of the University of Burgos. This was my next stop before walking back to Burgos through the park.

I had a long siesta back at the hotel. Then I watched the BBC World Service in bed for a couple of hours. Suddenly I noticed outside the window a storm had blown up, with huge hailstones falling on the balcony, followed by heavy rain. Later that night the local TV News showed pilgrims out in the blizzard up at Ortega contrasted with tourists sunning themselves on the beach at Alicante. This was my last day on the Camino, till I come back next year to do some more...

Monasterio de las Huelgas

Painting of the Battle of Navas de Tolosa (1212) on the screen separating the nave from the choir

Hospital del Rey

Carved door into the hospital church, depicting the Pilgrims' Gate

Stamps on my Credencial: there is space for more next year

Shells point the way on the pavement out of Burgos

 

Burgos 17 May

After breakfast I rested for an hour before crossing the bridge over the fast flowing river to the Museum of Human Evolution, a magnificent new building. I spent two hours having a thorough look at everything, getting a better understanding of what I had seen at Atapuerca. In the bookshop, I was astonished to find not a single publication in English. Outside the museum is a larger than life bronze statue of a Homo Antecessor Man and his child, based on the theory that this extinct human species was indeed bigger than we are. The discovery of this new species and its implications is described in Reassessing the age of Atapuerca-TD6 (Spain): new paleomagnetic results. Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol 40, issue 12, Dec 2013, pp 4586-4595.

My hotel was in the same street as a new big public library, with free Internet access and a large periodicals room, so I was able to occupy myself for an hour or so, out of the cold. I also walked all round the outside of the magnificent Burgos Cathedral, where I had witnessed a posh wedding, complete with firecrackers, on my last visit. Later, I poked my nose into the large and popular municipal albergue, where late in the afternoon they were turning people away.

That evening, I wanted to try local delicacies at the 100 year old Restaurant Ojeda, which was in walking distance of the hotel. Menu: Asparagus a la Plancha; Cordero lecho asado; Vino de Casa Tempranillo 2007. The fresh asparagus was beautiful, but the roast suckling lamb was tough and stringy. It must have been warmed up a second time in the microwave. This needs a write-up on Trip Advisor. It is obviously a tourist trap, charging big $$$. My meal was 50 Euros, more than I’ve paid anywhere in Spain. I will eat in the hotel tomorrow. Suckling lamb is supposed to be so tender, you can cut it with the side of a plate.

Burgos Cathedral from the Museum of Human Evolution

Homo Antecessor