Rest day, Burgos

June 15

I felt very footsore and weary after the long plod on asphalt into Burgos yesterday, so resolved to have a very restful day.

My friendly travel company had me booked into a flash four-star hotel, the Silken Gran Teatro. As breakfast was included I decided to pig out.

Had lots bacon and eggs, several coffees, a large amount of orange juice and this little dessert (It's a chocolate croissant, not a sausage roll).

The Camino trail is well marked through the town centre and runs parallel with the river, so I decided that if I stayed within those boundaries I wouldn't get lost. I set off with the goal of walking slowly and taking lots of photos to tell the story of my day in Burgos (see album at the bottom of the page.

Burgos is an important city in Spain - until 1938 it was the capital of Spain (not sure when that dated from), as well as the Castilian region. The area is famous for El Cid and all sorts of fighting stuff, but it's also been a long term part of the Camino pilgrimage trail

After stepping outside to a cool 12 degrees, I went back, changed from shorts to jeans and put on a hoodie, then started again.

 

Once again I was grateful for the many ways in which the trail is marked. I wandered on until I caught my first sight of the cathedral.

I was a bit taken aback by its size. The first stone was laid in 1221, so it's soon to celebrate its 800th anniversary.








 

You'll see lots more detailed photos in the album at the bottom of the page. Some of the photos seem to have a streak of light running across them. I thought at first that the constant handling of the camera, putting it in and out of my pocket and getting it wet in rain had caused it damage, but a small layer of dust had built up on the lens, the automatic cap closing all the time had forced the dust into a little line, which seemed to catch the sun at certain angles. I've cleaned it up and hope it's better after today.

I was sitting having a late morning coffee, when who should walk by but my friend Linda from Christchurch. We'd met in St Jean Pied de Port at the start of the trail, but haven't seen each other for a week - since my last rest day back in Logrono.

We sat and chatted and, as is the way on the trail, arranged a tentative meeting at 7pm, when Martin and Lyn from South Africa may also turn up.

 

I wandered along the river, which is completely surrounded by the city on both sides and took these photos for my brother Ian - a far cry from his many remote fishing spots.

By 1pm I was ready for a little siesta, but decided it would be a shame not to have a lunch treat.

I got a little snack and a beer. The bottom layer was very dry toast, topped with a most luscious and caramelised peperonata (capsicum and tomato) and topped with a piece of meat that resembled mostly a piece of corned beef, liberally drizzled with olive oil before they gave it to me.

That was pleasant - this morning I'd downloaded some more books from the fabulous NZ library service (Libby), so I read my next new book for a while. You've allowed five at a time, so I have a mixture of audio books for the trail and digital print books for quiet reading - it's lovely.

I followed that interlude with a short walk and I was ready for a nice siesta. Obviously I've finished that and a beer is with me as I summarise the day.

Tomorrow I start again. The days are a little shorter - a kilometre or two either side of 20k. That's very manageable - it's when they start getting up towards 30k that it becomes a chore.

Tomorrow I have the first taste of the meseta - the open plains at a higher altitude, although the main part of that section is still ahead. Many pilgrims choose to skip the meseta and just bus through, but I'm committed to the whole trip, so will blunder on.

The weather forecast is good for the next few days. Fingers crossed.

Here's today's photo album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xDGt5xq2wNU2mJ659