Stage Thirteen– Atapuerca to Burgos

On the Way to Burgos!

20 km

October 19, 2011

This was the last day’s walk for Martina and Gerti. It was a bitter sweet day for them as they were happy to be arriving in Burgos but sad to be leaving the Camino. They had walked 13 days and were now just settling into the routine. It would be hard to leave the Camino and then come back as you would have to go through all the initial struggles all over again. At least one would  be wiser.

We walked as a group of five this morning, climbing up a steep hill right until it reached a beautiful cross and walking circle made of stones. The sun was rising behind us as we reached the cross. Beautiful!

This was the day I officially met Kim, a 32 year old woman from Holland ( holanda in espaniol). Kim had come from the Somport route that joins the French Way, so had been walking longer than the rest of us. I had seen her in albergues for a couple of days but hadn’t met her. Kim was walking with all the toys: an e-reader, an i-phone with apps, GPS, camera, music, texting, email, blogging etc. A sign of the age difference!

Kim also had the most beautiful walking stick; one that her mother had specially painted for her. It had a little lady bug on it to represent her grandmother. She told me she had already left it behind a couple of times and had to go back a few kilometres to retrieve it, adding additional kilometres to her days. She was also developing shin splints in her right leg.

Today was definitely another beer day. It was hot and we had our first beer for second breakfast at 10:30 in the morning. We met up with each other at each little bar along The Way today. Kim got a Reiki treatment from Nick on her leg during one of our breaks. This was something else Nick and I had in common as I had just started to explore Reiki and had attained Level 2. I did not feel confident enough to practise it on others. Kim reported it did seem to help for a while.

Kim is such an animal lover. She bought a sandwich and fed it to a skinny dog outside the bar. The dog just gobbled it down. Then, out of nowhere, in a deserted field, a kitten came out of the ditch and directly to Kim. She had just been saying how she might adopt a stray and take it back to Holland with her. However, now she didn’t know what to do because she was very far from being finished the Camino and couldn’t take it now.

Nick and I walked ahead, wondering what Kim would decide to do.

Reflection:

Be careful, what you ask for on the Camino. You might just get it!

A Spanish pilgrim soon came along and Kim explained her plight. By now, the kitten was comfortably wrapped around her neck. The Spanish pilgrim just reached over, grabbed the kitten and flung it into the ditch. “There” he said. “That takes care of that!” Kim was a bit horrified but knew she couldn’t take the kitten with her, so she carried on.



Burgos Cathedral

 By the time we reached Burgos, the group had split up and I had lost my German and Swiss friends. I was not sure where they were staying.  On the way into the center of the city, a long 8 km walk through in the industrial area of town, I stopped for a beer with Nick, Kim and Roger. Many pilgrims take a bus through this part, but we walked it. Roger (61) was from Wales. He had started in Pamplona and had walked too far, too fast. He was in too much pain to continue. I think meeting us helped him (it was probably the beer), because he seemed to be having second thoughts. But, he said he had already called his wife and told her, he was coming home.  He would have to come back after he recovered and try again.

After two beer, sitting outside in the sun,  it was on to find the cathedral in the center of the old city. We said farewell to Kim, wishing her “Buen Camino”, as she had booked a 4 star hotel for a couple of days of well, deserved pampering. And with her GPS in hand, off she went to find her hotel. I did not know if I would see her again.

Being in the city again, I had to be keen on spotting the yellow arrows. I had Nick’s assistance today. Once we entered the Old City, the streets narrowed. We kept following the camino, on the way to the cathedral, when all of a sudden I heard “Sharon, Sharon” It was Gerti on the street in front of me. She had just stepped out of the hotel for a cigarette. “ Oh  Thank god I came out and you were passing by,  Hans was feeling bad because he had not told you where he had booked rooms.”  

So there I was, at El Hotel Jacobeo. Guess I was staying here. I said farewell to Nick and Roger, and they went down the street to the municipal albergue. I was very happy to have a private room for a couple of nights.

After settling in we went off to see the great gothic cathedral. It too is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was too late to go in, but we got a little train tour around the old city and then took a free bus out to a big mall. The girls wanted to do some shopping before going home. When we caught the bus back to the city center, people waiting started yelling at us and gesturing. We weren’t sure what the problem was but I soon figured it out. We had butted in to the front of the line to get on the bus when it came. We sheepishly went to the back of the line, laughing at our social blunder.

We found a restaurant serving a pilgrims menu, because we were all tired and wanting to go to bed. Gerti and I continue to toast “Chin chin!” and then giggle. In bed by 9 pm in my nice room however, it  lacked a tub to soak in. I looked forward to sleeping in and having a well deserved rest day.