Day 14 - Hornillos to Castrojeriz - 22 km

I didn't wake up until 7:00 this morning and almost every bed was empty. I'm so used to the light automatically being turned on at 6:00 a.m. that I've never needed to set an alarm while in an Albergue. It seems to be a pilgrim unwritten rule that it is acceptable to turn on the light at 6:00 and no one can complain. This morning everyone had vacated in the dark. These earplugs really do the trick and I was relieved also that the church bell didn't ring past 10:00 p.m. I got about 2 km out of town when Thomas came by on is bicycle. We said our "Buen Caminos" and he mentioned that Giancarlos was not far behind me. Giancarlos and I spent most of the day walking together. He knows a lot more English than I do Italian (which is none) and we managed to communicate very well.

Today was a breeze compared to the others since the temperature only went up to about 17 degrees, there were very few hills, and my legs are getting stronger. There are always the minor little foot problems, but resting frequently has gotten me by so far. I didn't get any breakfast until I had walked 12 km to Hontanas where I was able to get my favourite croissant de chocolate, cafe con leche and orange juice. Hontanas is medieval and a very mystical looking place. We only had 10 more km to walk after leaving Hontanas at 11 a.m.

We passed by these ruins at San Anton where a pilgrim rest area was set up and volunteers worked serving refreshments. Our destination of Castrojeriz seemed to appear over a hill before we knew it. The 1st Albergue we passed had a sign on the door that it was closed for the day. The 2nd Albergue was full by noon. This only left a couple of hotels as options for sleeping accommodations. This idea didn't upset me at all! I was able to get a room at Puerta del Monte Hotel for only 34€ and now sit in the parlour to update my blog. I know I can't do this hotel thing every day but I was sure glad for the excuse today!

Day 13 - Burgos to Hornillos - 21 km

Written Sept 17th 6:00 p.m.

The 1st 12 km to Rabe de las Calzados was pleasant and felt manageable. Many were stopping there. I wish I had, but it was only noon and I thought that another 9 km would be easy. This last 9 km was the beginning of the area they call the Meseta and it was hotter and more difficult than I thought it would be. They had predicted only a high of 23 today, but they were wrong. This afternoon I walked very slowly and found a couple of creative ways to find some shade. As I was walking along thinking how silly it was that I was carrying my expensive Altus raincoat that I'd ordered from Spain, I finally found a use for it. I came upon a single tree that's shady side was in the farmer's freshly cut hay field. My raincoat made a nice ground cover on that shady patch of dry ground. I removed my boots and had a little rest, feeling quite proud of myself. About an hour later I used the shady side of a stack of hay for another rest. However, this time it didn't last for long because after 5 minutes a farmer was coming toward me in his tractor and was about to remove my shade.

Finally I was at the top of a hill and could see the town of Hornillos about 2 km away. On my way down the hill I noticed that my left boot seemed to be getting tighter and tighter. My foot was swelling and becoming painful. I mention this only because it was the only reason that I had no choice but to stay in this town. I'm not sure how to put this without sounding too negative..... Ok so I knew that the Camino was not going to be a bed of roses. I think maybe this is my punishment for staying at the Parador. A guy just walked into the room and said this is the worst place on earth and he'd have to do heroine to live here. He made me laugh anyway. And then there's the flies. The only other times in my life when I've been bothered by so many flies has been on a farm standing next to a pile of cow manure. The wannabe junky is not even going for dinner tonight, he's already in bad at 7 p.m. and says he can't eat here. The showers? Yes, there are showers, down the street in another building and full of nice surprises. And, there is no wifi in this town, so i will not be posting this until tomorrow. I am sounding negative aren't I?

Written Sept 18th

Last night turned out to be a whole lot of fun. Goes to show you, no matter how bad things get, having good people around can turn things around. This is Delphin from France who has been walking over 1000 km from Le Puy, France. Then on the other side of me is Thomas from Germany, who is cycling the Camino and had travelled 110 km yesterday when we met him. On the end is Giancarlo from south of Milan, Italy. We are waiting to get a table to eat the worst menu piligrimo ever, but we laughed until we cried. When you put 4 people together who speak 4 different languages and just a little bit of one other language, it can become very funny. When I went to bed I was still giggling, and listening to the bells of the church tower just beside the Albergue, wondering how many times I would be awoken by this bong, bong, bong.

Day 12 - Burgos

The heat has gotten the better of me. Last night I had quite the headache and nausea and had to finally admit that I need to stay out of the sun for a bit. And I'm not then only one! The bus to Burgos this morning was full of pilgrims who are either suffering from heat exhaustion, or their feet are in such poor shape that they have been told ay medical centers not to walk. When I see the bandages on the feet of so many people I feel very grateful that mine are doing so well. I'm also very glad that I've been cautious and stopping often.

Burgos is an amazing city full of rich history. It is elegant and majestic and full of culture. I have been careful to stay in the shade here today and checked into a cheap but quiet hotel where I took a nap during the hottest part of the day. I also went into the cathedral. As much as I understand that these cathedrals are the backbone of the Spanish culture, I find them quite creepy and I always feel a bit stunned on the money that is spent on them. I'm very sure that there's a lot that I just don't understand. But for all you cathedral lovers, here are a couple of pictures.

The cathedral was built during the 13th and 14th centuries and of course is symbolic of the great power held by the church in that time. It is a massive structure full of many tombs and elaborate carvings.

There are also many historical statues and bronze figures around the city. Below is one of a pilgrim.

Below is an old lady roasting chestnuts in the gardens. I've checked on the weather and the good news is that it will be much cooler for the next few days. This is perfect timing since the next 200 km of the Camino is called the Meseta, or the plains of central Spain where there is very little shade. I have read that the first part of the journey is all about the physical challenge and dealing with the suffering of the body. On Meseta it is fairly flat with not a lot of diversion and I'm told is the stage where one deals with challenges of the mind. Some find it boring and feel like they're going crazy and then other's say it is their favorite part of the Camino. Time will tell.

Day 11 - Santo Domingo to Belorado - 25 km

I had a later start from Santo Domingo this morning since my stay at the Parador included breakfast. I started walking at 8:00 and a little way out of the city encountered a bit of a road block. I said, "hello sheep" and they said, "maa, maa" and we all got along fine.

Today was very hot once again and we had very little shade. I found it tough, but I do notice that my legs are getting stronger. I walked through 5 very small villages which were spaced about 4 km apart along the route. I had been expecting, since there so many of these little places, that I would encounter a restaurant for some lunch. I was wrong. There were fountains and brief reprieves from the sun, but no food. Here is a town about 15 km out of Santo Domingo where there is nothing but a Pepsi machine. Would be a good place for them to make a commercial.

It hasn't rained here for a couple of weeks now and the hills are starting to get quite brown. Come to think of it, I'm starting to get quite brown too, but in funny little sections of my body, since the sun is always on my left.

By the time I'd walked 20 km I was having some serious hunger energy heat issues. I was walking alongside a French woman and her son and we as we turned a corner there was a very nice restaurant right there in the middle of nowhere. We high-fived and said, "alleluia". Huevos con jamon y tostados con tomates never tasted so good!

My French friends decided to wait there 3 hours to take a bus to our destination, only 5 km away. I figured I was renewed enough to walk my way into Belorado. I think this was one of my slowest days ever, as it took me nearly 9 hours to go 25 km! That's including a whole lot of breaks of course.

Now I am at Belorado sitting in the Plaza, the centre of life for Spanish towns. The menu piligrina will be soon and then I'm sure an early night to bed!

The Miracle of the Cock and Hen

Today I was in this Cathedral in Santo Domingo, Spain. There was lots of cool sculptures and paintings to look at; that is if you like tombs and other sad depictions of a bunch of dead people. Sorry to all the history lovers, but cathedrals are not my cup of tea. But this one had a special (not dead) guest. Yes, this rooster lives right there. The story of the Miracle of the Cock and Hen has been passed down for generations. And it goes like this.

In the 14 th century, a German 18-year old named Hugonell, from Xanten, goes on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela with his parents. A Spanish girl at the hostel where they were staying falls in love with him; Hugonell denies her advances. Angry at this, the girl hides a silver cup in the German's bag and informs the authorities that the young man has taken it. Hugonell is sentenced to death in the gallows, in accordance with the laws of Alfonso X of Castile.

Mourning the death of his son, the parents sadly decide to examine their son's body, still hanging on the gallows, but suddenly they hear his voice. He tells them that Santo Domingo de la Calzada has kept him alive.

His parents quickly go to see the magistrate in order to announce that the miracle has taken place. The magistrate, who is at the time eating dinner remarks: "Your son is as alive as this cock and hen that I am about to eat". And in that moment, the two birds jump from the plate and begin to sing and crow happily.

So the famous verse:
"SANTO DOMINGO DE LA CALZADA, WHERE THE HEN CROWS AFTER BEING ROASTED"

In the cathedral of Santo Domingo a hen house worked in stone can be seen. In it, there is always an alive cock and hen.

PS. I only saw the rooster, but I'm sure there must have been a hen there somewhere!

Day 10 - Ventosa to Santo Domingo - 32 km

Nope. Didn't walk 32 km. After a great night's sleep at Ventosa I started out in the dark at 6:30 a.m. There is no conscious decision on my part to start walking at this ridiculous hour. When your in a room full of people who are packing and shining their flashlights around and basically making a whole lot of racket, there is no hope of sleep. Walking really is the only other option and of course it makes sense to spend as much time out of the sun as possible. But walking yesterday in the dark was a lot different than today. The moon was covered by clouds and there were no lights of any kind to show us the way down the very dark path through the vineyards. One French fellow came along with a flashlight and I had to walk very fast to keep up with him. I should mention that I'm definitely one of the slowest walkers on the Camino. Almost everyone passes me. I thought that I was in pretty good shape, but most North Americans don't compare to most Europeans. Take the Irish for example; There are a lot of hills in Ireland and many walking groups. Hills don't seem to phase these people who have been walking up them their whole lives. As I walk through towns of Spain that are built on the mountain side I see very old woman and men trekking up and down like they are part mountain goat. Anyway, back to the French guy with the flashlight. We started going up a very rocky hillside and about half way up I was sure I'd have a heart attack, so I just had to stop right there and let him go on. I thought it might have nice if he were to slow down just until daybreak, but he was on a mission apparently. My eyes adjusted enough after awhile to see the rocks, but I was having a lot of problems seeing the yellow arrows. Soon the sun started to rise over the hills and all was well.

By 9:00 a.m. I had walked 12 km and was approaching Najera. The city of Najera is very dirty. It's hard to fathom the difference from one city to the next. I made a decision while I was walking the 12 km that the rest of today would be a day off. After 10 days of walking about 200 km i figured i could use a little rejuvenation. So I went straight to the bus terminal and 45 min later was on my way to Santo Domingo. Nice, nice place this Santo Domingo. Fairy tale medievalish. At the centre of the old city is the cathedral, but more about that in my next post. Next to the Cathedral is the Parador hotel; a luxury hotel converted from the ancient pilgrim's hospital. And guess who's staying there tonight? This is a little slice of heaven and I plan to enjoy every minute of it! The 1st hour was spent here.

Following the most amazing bath of my life, I went out to eat ..... and eat ..... and eat some more. This food it so amazing. How can we get food so wrong in North America? First I went to a little cafe and ordered a bunch of delicious appetizers, then to an abaceria where I ordered these chocolate treats and cafe con leche. Then I bought fruit and cheese at the market. I want to walk to every place I see and eat all this delicious food. Then I explored the streets and shops of the old city. Now for a rest, so I can eat some more at dinner with pilgrim friends.

Day 9 - Logrono to Ventosa - 20 km

This morning I started walking at 6:00 a.m. in order to get an extra hour in before the full heat of the day hit. For several km on the way out of Logrono we walk through beautifully kept park land and lagoona where I had a conversation with some ducks. Joggers and dog walkers joined us on the path and it was at least 1 1/2 hr before we were actually out of the Logrono area. Navarette was 13 km away and I reached it's little cafe at about 10:00 along with about a dozen other pilgrims. One of those pilgrims was Jonas, a German fellow wearing an Scottish kilt and a Texan cowboy hat.

Today I promised myself that I would love my feet. The tape is not due to an injury, only to prevent one because I know it would be quite easy to get plantar fasciitis. If read about a recommendation to stop every 2 hours to remove my boots, change socks and rub my feet. Today that is what I did and I do believe it made a big difference. Notice the nice pilgrim tan line.

Leaving Navarette the temperature was in the mid 30s. It was only 7 more km to Ventosa but it took me almost 2 hours with the sun draining my energy more every minute. Of course, as with every town, Ventosa is on the side of a hill with a steep climb to get there. On our way up the hillside we came upon these ruins from a pilgrim's hospital that was founded in 1185. The 2 hour wait to be admitted into the Albergue was well worth it. This place is like the Hilton for pilgrims. Very clean with ceramic floors and beautiful architecture. And the best part? There's a separate washroom for women and it actually has soap in it! I'm very excited and happy about this. I just came back from a lovely dinner (I'm using that Irish word from now on!) of Paella with friends from Germany, Ireland, US and South Africa.