Day 13
We were out the door of the albergue by 7:30 after a mediocre breakfast of toast, jam, orange juice and tea (or coffee). Nothing to write home about.
I slept badly last night. I had a lot of energy yesterday and it hadn’t all dissipated and there was the factor of concern for the others. No real snoring, which was good, though most of us got up at least once during the night – yay to older age. I estimate I got about 3-4 hours of sleep. Yawn
We struck out, by now 7 of us, and headed for Burgos. 4 of the group will stay in Burgos (with one flying home tomorrow for other commitments) and three of us will proceed to Tarjados for the night. I’m proceeding on with the plan to walk farther each day over the next few days and pick up an extra day in the “stages” that are outlined in books and other material. That will allow a rest day in Leon… which is reputed to be worth an extra day.
Going into Burgos there are two routes: the primary route that goes past the airport and through an industrial area, and a second route that goes along the River and is much more scenic. Naturally, we missed the turn to the scenic route and ended up going through the industrial area. Glad it was Sunday so there was very little traffic and activity. But like industrial areas in the US, it really wasn’t very pleasant.
We arrived at the Cathedral in center Burgos around 11 and had lunch. We said our goodbyes to the folks that were staying, and three of us marched onward. Good friends, good conversation.
Burgos is a city to which I shall return. The cathedral is magnificent and there are some good museums and other sights, including a museum of the evolution of mankind, which features artifacts from the Atapuerca dig.
We were in Tarjados around 2. Much of the route is city, but runs past some beautiful university buildings. Then back out into nature on a gravel road with the popping spuds of skeet shooting across a field. No danger, just loud. The rest of the route was along the auto way and a National route. Not great, but not as bad as other days. Leaving Burgos, we crossed the marker of 501 km to go. 300+ km down, less than 500 to go from the hotel.
A bit of rain was forecast, but held off until about 3 PM. Chilly with biting wind, but much better than walking in the hot blazing sun.
I’m tired today, but have had my shower, hand-washed some laundry and am watching it dry as I write this.
Dinner will be at 7, and I plan to be in bed early. And they will have football (soccer for Americans…) on the TV. The bar/restaurant is crowded.
A minor mix up at the hotel reception: I had a reservation for a room, but the desk thought I wanted a bed in the albergue. We got that worked out pretty quickly.
I’ll rest well tonight as tomorrow is a climb early on as we cross the Meseta.
