Destination - Burgos
Distance - 20km
Hours of travel - 7:30-1:30
Terrain - lots of volcanic rock, flat and dry outside of Burgos
Weather - cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon
Nature - a flock of sheep that sounded like a hand bell choir; black birds that look like crows but sound like roosters - we named cruisters
Misadventure - An Alburgue that smelled like an infamous local Estevan motel; three trips to get laundry done.
We started the day early to beat the heat getting to Burgos. Dee led the way with her headlamp on as it was a dark path out of San Juan. We started with some easy walking and then the path got rocky and hilly. Back to sheep country!
Getting to Burgos was a task that we had been dreading as the task seemed daunting but we managed just fine - we found a bus to make the end of the trip a little easier.
Once in the city, we made our way to the tourist information centre for assistance in finding a hotel. 'No reservation in Burgos on a Friday night? Oh dear!' Oops! Again, who was to know?!! We found an amazing little hotel right in the heart of Burgos for a great price. We were in love with the clean hotel with friendly staff.
Burgos was an amazing city. Not at all what we had imagined. Lots of sculptures, old buildings and laundry services! Oh yes - food!
While waiting for our laundry we found what we can only describe as a fast food Tapas bar. We had to fill out our order on a paper, in Spanish. Of course none of us knew how to spell cervaza under pressure. For dinner we reunited with Mike from Virginia for a meal.
We wished we had more time and energy for Burgos but loved every minute of it. We saw the Spanish culture in full action today. Our pilgrim schedule doesn't mesh with Spanish siesta time. Most stores shut down just as we are arriving so it is hard to 'get things down' so we can relax. Most stores are closed from 2:00- 5:00 and the streets are almost deserted. Being a Friday night, the streets started coming alive after 5:00pm. Families strolled the streets shopping and meeting friends and family for dinner. It is a very social culture. Tapas food is perfect for them. They have a small plate in one spot and then move to another at a leisurely pace. Kids were out playing soccer in the street as their parents dined long after these weary pilgrims had to go to bed.
Cheer of the day from Wendy - spending an amazing afternoon in a great city - we had dreaded going to it as the reviews were not good but we were delighted by it. Amazing!!
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