AM:
Still in beautiful Burgos. Looking at the city moat, part of the medieval wall and the corner of a medieval gate from my hostal window as the church bell chimes 11 on my second "rest" day.
Why the ""? Because I'm still walking 4-8 km a day, just to buy ice and eat!
My sweet Spanish hostal is very simple: 2 beds, a bathroom. No common area, no bar, no restaurant, hence no ice. That's 1km away at the grocery store. And with no fridge or ice bucket, I need to walk there daily.
Not that I mind... the old city of Burgos is lovely. But I'm pretty sure that this is not what the doctor ordered. (More on that shortly.)
To catch up:
Yesterday I found a laundromat and washed all my clothes. They are alarmingly clean. It is chilly here in Burgos, and while all the Spanish folks are walking around in wool coats and scarves, I'm wearing cropped hiking pants and sandals. Boots are not an option right now for my leg. Cccccold!
Marise arrived yesterday in the afternoon, and it has been a delight to have my buddy back. We explored a little, did her laundry and eventually did a little shopping for warmer clothes for her. Marise is a very deliberative shopper, so this takes time!
On our (slow, thanks to me) peregrinations, we ran across Caroline from England. She was in the Donativo in Granon with us, and I had shared dinner with her that night. After our shopping was done, it was actually the right time to go for a proper Spanish dinner. Restaurants only open at 8, and before that, "all" that is available are tapas. We managed to stay conscious enough to have a marvelous dinner in the Calle St Lorenzo for 16 Euros, including wine. Then to bed.
Marise is taking a rest day today, but still woke at 5 and was bored half to death by the time I stirred. But stir I eventually did, and we went for breakfast at the corner bakery before doing reconnaissance on shoe inserts for her. Had coffee at the city Mercado, surrounded by smells of cured meat and fish. Then I set out for my daily ice run, stopping in the gorgeous Iglesia San Juan. It is right next to the Public library, which itself is a magnificent combination of old and new.
Currently I'm icing my leg before I am kicked out for cleaning.
And I'm changing plans. I'm leaving the Camino for a few weeks, and will go to Emma in England to heal. The next train with seats leaves for Bilbao on Saturday morning, and I'll fly to London on Sunday.
Of course, this is not the original plan. But this is the lot that I have drawn, and it's up to me to seize whatever opportunities this moment offers. I will heal faster if I can stop walking so much. Emma is one of my oldest, dearest friends, and she offered her home as refuge if I needed it. I must admit that I do. No shame: my Camino journey has led me for a while down a different path. It's not a hike, it's an interior journey.
My hope is to be back on the Camino by Astorga, or by Sarria at the latest. I want to walk into Santiago with Marise!
My job now is to get well enough to do this. And meanwhile, to find a few non-hiking clothes for my trip to England. No need to arrive looking like a half-frozen tramp.
PM:
Of course, to do the above mentioned, I walked way more than should have done. Stupid, really, but since I needed to get to the cathedral to get my Credencial stamped, why not shop along the way?
The Burgos Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece. It keeps going and going and going. Side chapels almost dwarf the main altar in the middle, which is separated from the rest of the church by a huge cage-like grille.
Santiago/pilgrim sculpture outside the cathedral
Watch the branches.
The first Santiago of the day. (Wait for the next one.)
Look at the expressions!
Another side chapel.
Upper cloister
Cloister windows
Ghastly Jesus in a velvet skirt. If the top half is this gross (note the bruises/pustules), I reckon covering the bottom half does us all a favor.
Chapel of St Catherine full of portraits of church men. 4 walls, 60 feet high.
Santiago the...Moor slayer? Look closely.
Ugh.
At last, the main altar. Look at the three versions of Mary, bottom to top.
And a star soaring over it all.
That was altogether too much walking. Good thing I'm going to Emma's to heal. I need a minder.
And now to bed.
And so it goes...
Smart decision Bettina!! A mere detour. Whereabouts in England? Lots of people do The Way in stages. You picked the most grueling of routes and you sure did speed along. One of the things that was moving for me on my journey was the perpetual rhythm of life and how so many had gone before and so many would come after. It helped me to "keep my place in all things" in perspective. Love you xx