May 7, 2015 Day 12 - San Juan de Ortega --> Burgos - 26.4 K
People in the dorm room started stirring very early, and Donna and I joined in - ready to get out of the monastery. The night there was somewhat surreal, with a cacophony of snoring and various other noises that made for an interesting sleep experience. Not to mention sleeping in my clothes. We got out of there and on the road in the dark by 6:30 am. There was nothing to eat there, so planned to walk 3-4 K to the next town of Ages and hope something was open there where we could eat.
We found an Alburgue in Ages that had breakfast. Three kinds of bread, orange juice and café con leche. I was happy and grateful to get it, although I will say I am getting a little tired of bread as the primary meal fixture - and white bread at that. Steve and Leon were going to catch up since they were at the little hotel. Their breakfast was a "picnic" bag that they would get on their way out. We were not sure exactly what time they would leave, but knew we probably had a pretty good head start.
The weather turned out to be clear blue skies and perfect temperature. We walked a variety of paths and small roads. At one point we veered off and up this rocky, gulch-like hill for some distance. Went past a large herd of baaing sheep. At the top of the hill, we could see Burgos way off in the distance. We were feeling pretty good overall, although the rock climbing is a killer on the feet. Still, in all, Donna said she thought this was her best day to date.
Donna and I stopped for another snack about mid-way to Burgos, and as we were getting back on the road, Steve and Leon were coming over the hill. We visited for a moment, then continued on while they stopped for a coffee, agreeing to meet up later.
We continued along small roads that ran through tiny old towns every mile or so. Pretty flat. We found ourselves walking alongside a couple that I have seen no less than four different times in different cities the past week, but have never spoken to. In fact, they were among the masses at the monastery. I decided that from now on I am going to approach these recurring type folks and at least speak. This couple was Babs and John from Venice Beach, Fl. Probably our age, and very friendly once I made the first move. Throughout the rest of the day, we would confer on the right path, and generally commiserate as we got into the Burgos traffic.
Also along the hike up the rocky hillside was Lotta, from Finland. We first met her leaving Estella. A delightful young woman who teaches Spanish. Found out later that Burgos is the end point for her on this Camino. She had never really hiked before and thought 2 weeks would be a good initial trial run. She has loved it and I have no doubt she will return and do the entire Camino another day.
Donna kept saying that this was the best day yet for her, although the rocky paths are hard on the feet. She did well until the outskirts of Burgos through the industrial areas, where I think we both reached that end of the day wall. Steve and Leon caught up with us, and it took a bit to figure out where the hotel was located. All we knew was that it was on the Camino near the city center. We ran across a McDonalds about 2 pm and fairly leapt for joy. A real hamburger in the middle of the afternoon - no foraging for food after we checked in. I threw in a strawberry smoothie in honor of my biking friend, Randy Garmon - always a favorite on our rides. Babs, John and a lady from Great Britain rounded out our McDonalds contingent. I am not a big fast food eater, but this was like a meal sent from heaven.
After trudging through Burgos, we finally located our hotel on a narrow quaint side street near the cathedral. It is quite the extreme from a bunk in the monastery. A suite with stairs to the bedroom and a bathtub large enough for four people. Too bad we were almost too tired to fully appreciate it all because we were so tired and our feet hurt. Plus, had to do laundry and look at the route and plan for tomorrow's hike. Took a short nap.
We met Steve and Leon for our final Pilgrim's meal across the street. Fun as always, and sad. Steve encouraged Donna to continue to send her backpack forward to give her feet a rest. She is also concerned that she may be developing some shin splints - hopefully not, but possible signs.
We will meet Steve and Leon for breakfast before striking out totally on our own for the first time since this hike began. Except you are never really alone on the Camino...always new pilgrims to meet and new adventures to experience. What did strike us is that we are not even halfway done yet. Lots of walking to come...pray for the feet.
