Again, like crossing from the Pyrenees into Rioja, the entire landscape of the Camino has changed. And not just the physical landscape; apparently a lot of people start their walk in Burgos. It seemed at least 50 people a day, although someone just pointed out to me that the Camino is always busier on the weekends (Spaniards walking it in little pieces on the weekends). We left Burgos with the loose plan to walk 32 k, since we had after all just taken a rest day. And thank goodness we had that in our heads because the town 20 k out which was our Plan B was already full by 1:30 pm. It seems, as some of you may expect, that the level of pain and fatigue that the body feels is proportional to how much walking you think you have left to do. Wether it’s a 15 k day or a 25 k day, the feet always start hurting about 5 k out.
So we stopped for a snack and then kept going. We’re getting in to the region called the ‘meseta’ which is a big plain (‘mesa’ means ‘table’ in Spanish). But this area has a bunch of tall plateaus that you have to climb all the way up, walk flat across the top, and then down the steep other side. So just when our feet/knees/hips were starting to hurt, about 6 k out, we go up the last mesita and get slammed with a hail storm!!
We had watched a storm circle around us all day but did not expect it to hit. But the weather changes drastically from the bottom of the valley to the top. And then to add to the situation, the soil changed to the kind of clay that sticks to the bottom of your boots so you end up an inch taller after 100 ft. Good thing we were in good spirits, because the whole thing was pretty ridiculous. We decided we were doing our penance for a little too much wine the night before! And at least the weather distracted us from our feet!
Today the weather wasn’t much better, and my mood wasn’t as high. I walked by myself which I usually love but without a tall man beside me to block the wind it was bitter cold. I was having flashbacks to walking in France, all bundled up against the elements, and sore from my long day yesterday. I did 21 k today and decided to stop because my knee is bothering me a bit. The rest of my usual group went on to the next town, so it’ll be a quiet night listening to the wind whistling outside. What a change from 80+ degrees last week!!
On a historical note, I passed through two towns that are considered generally unchanged since the medieval pilgrimage times. I also passed the ruins of the San Anton monastery, which specialized in ‘treating’ people with ‘Saint Anthony’s Fire,’ which was actually caused by eating rye infected with a fungus. Unfortunately the treatment was often amputation of limbs. Often people were ‘miraculously cured’ on their way to Santiago since rye wasn’t commonly eaten in southern Europe.
I also passed through Castrojeriz which has the ruins of a castle built in 760 by the Visigoths. I’ve now crossed into the province of Palencia. Heres a few more photos from today:
