Arriving at Burgos

There was no breakfast at San Juan de Ortega, so we quickly covered the distance to Ages, the  next village we had almost walked to the day before.  There were a couple of bars open for breakfast, one of which was small and crowded and slow, so we went up to the next one, which was part of the municipal albergue.  It was open, light, clean and well appointed, with a great-looking pilgrim menu for the evening meal.  There were several people having breakfast, who we had chatted to at various times on the way, including a crazy Spanish girl who hugged us and asked about Nico's blisters.  I wish I knew her name, she is very funny, friendly and so full of energy and life.  Anyway ,we stopped for breakfast and decided that if we were to do this again, then this albergue would make a great place to stay.

Ezra joined us for breakfast, by now she was moving very slowly and we have been trying to persuade her to take a few days off and get the bus for a couple of stages to let her feet recover.  It is what we have decided to do once we reach Burgos.  There is so much to see in Burgos, and the buses are cheap and reliable, and sleeping beyond 5:30am is very appealing to 2 teenage boys (and their mum!).  Anyway, breakfast was over, so we picked up our backpacks and walked on.

It was sunny, but the wind had a definite chill to it, so we kept our jackets on.  The way followed the road for a while and then turned off on to path and up a hill that got steeper and rockier the higher we climbed.  We walked past a huge herd of shorn sheep and were warned to keep away from them by 2 barking dogs, and still we climbed.  Suddenly there was a large cross at the top of the hill, and on the other side, our first view of Burgos.  The wind was still blowing strongly, and even with the sun, it was chilly as we began our descent towards Burgos.  The Way is generally well- marked, but there are several divergent paths and routes to take here, and we ended up taking one.  It turned out to be serendipitous, as we came across a village with wonderful tortillas and excellent facilities just at the right time, but it did mean walking along road for quite a stretch.  I will take road walking for the benefits of that bar/ cafe, where the owner was so friendly.

Feeling refreshed and relieved, we walked on, and again missed a turning, so had to backtrack.  By doing so we also helped some other walkers find the right path.  We walked around the outside of the airport, and reached the village of Castanares, just outside Burgos.  Again, there were options: walk along the road, follow the river path which is tricky to find, or take a bus in to the centre.  Just as we crossed the road, the bus turned up to loop around to the bus stop that was almost in front of us.  Decision made - for 1euro we got the bus into Burgos and saved ourselves a good hour of walking.  We quickly picked up the Camino again, and arrived at the large municipal albergue close to the cathedral.  We checked in, got to our beds, and unrolled our sleeping bags.  After showering and showing the boys how to work the washing machine, we went out for a light lunch.  After a nap, we found the tourist office, and then investigated a couple of hotels to find accommodation for 2 nights. The albergues are set up for single night stays only, and you have to have your pilgrim credential to stay.  We found a really nice hotel, Norte y Londres (North and London) and the man at the desk was friendly and helpful, and so we booked it, no credit card reservation, no deposit, and turn up the next morning and they would either store our backpacks or let us have the room if it was ready. With that sorted, we went back to the albergue, the boys finished the washing, and also helped the young Korean girl with how to get her clothes washed using the machine.  Then we went out for a supper of pinchos, followed by chocolate and churros for dessert,which was the perfect way to end the day