San Juan de Ortega to Burgos Part One
A miserable night in San Juan changed to a miserable morning in San Juan. It was cold and raining. And there was no breakfast. The hostel had nothing, and the only café in town was not open.
Off we marched. And again we had to walk uphill for normalcy. Would we never walk downhill? Up and up we went in the rain, and the rocks became more slippery as we went. Once again I thought the camino had trumped itself for dangerous conditions. These rocks were individual nightmares. However, we eventually came to the top.
There was a big sign up there, and a big rock arrow, and also a nice tribute to the walk of the Amber series. We stood in the rain and admired it all, until continuing forward. After about one hundred yards, I realized I had left my walking poles, so I went back to grab them. Then I ran back to Leo. Exhausted I admired a vista, with a nearby sign stating we were leaving the Pyrenees, there were no more vistas.
It is a sad moment.
It is also a freaking “I LOVE IT” moment.
Even as we descended along the fence line of the military base, a group of Spanish soldiers ran past us, and I thought even with the rain, the day was not so bad.
That idea was short-lived as it began to pour. Dripping and soaked, we made it into the town of Orbaneja, and stumbled into a café full of wet pilgrims. We took a coffee and sat down to contemplate our next move. Going into Burgos was rumored to have two options: along the river or along the busy streets. Even as we discussed the options, a local leaned forward and told us the river route was too muddy. So we opted for the city walk. (Later we would discover the river walk was ok.)
We trudged along in the intermittent rain, around the Burgos airport and into the suburbs. And then miles of the long highway into town. Eventually we caught a bus with other pilgrims, and we were deposited within the old town.
Leo and I arrived in Burgos broken. Our bodies were tired, our spirits were broken. Our clothes stunk. About two blocks before the municipal Albergue, I asked Leo to stay in a hotel. He said sure, as long as it wasn’t expensive. And so we stayed that night in a luxurious haven. We spent the afternoon exploring Burgos with Susanne and Heidi, but we failed to meet them for dinner. Leo wanted private time, and I was too tired to insist on meeting friends. We were tired, but we knew we had made our first landmark!
A miserable night in San Juan changed to a miserable morning in San Juan. It was cold and raining. And there was no breakfast. The hostel had nothing, and the only café in town was not open.
Off we marched. And again we had to walk uphill for normalcy. Would we never walk downhill? Up and up we went in the rain, and the rocks became more slippery as we went. Once again I thought the camino had trumped itself for dangerous conditions. These rocks were individual nightmares. However, we eventually came to the top.
There was a big sign up there, and a big rock arrow, and also a nice tribute to the walk of the Amber series. We stood in the rain and admired it all, until continuing forward. After about one hundred yards, I realized I had left my walking poles, so I went back to grab them. Then I ran back to Leo. Exhausted I admired a vista, with a nearby sign stating we were leaving the Pyrenees, there were no more vistas.
It is a sad moment.
It is also a freaking “I LOVE IT” moment.
Even as we descended along the fence line of the military base, a group of Spanish soldiers ran past us, and I thought even with the rain, the day was not so bad.
That idea was short-lived as it began to pour. Dripping and soaked, we made it into the town of Orbaneja, and stumbled into a café full of wet pilgrims. We took a coffee and sat down to contemplate our next move. Going into Burgos was rumored to have two options: along the river or along the busy streets. Even as we discussed the options, a local leaned forward and told us the river route was too muddy. So we opted for the city walk. (Later we would discover the river walk was ok.)
Leo and I arrived in Burgos broken. Our bodies were tired, our spirits were broken. Our clothes stunk. About two blocks before the municipal Albergue, I asked Leo to stay in a hotel. He said sure, as long as it wasn’t expensive. And so we stayed that night in a luxurious haven. We spent the afternoon exploring Burgos with Susanne and Heidi, but we failed to meet them for dinner. Leo wanted private time, and I was too tired to insist on meeting friends. We were tired, but we knew we had made our first landmark!
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