Day 13 - Rabē de las Calzades to Itero de la Vega

I popped down to the local bar to top up with a couple of litres of cold bottled water before my long hot walk today. The owner is the brother of the woman where I stayed last night. He gave me a little religious token on a string in memory of Santa Mariña who is the patron saint of their tiny monastery in the village. It is now used as a hostel for aged nuns who have given their life to the catholic church. Apparently they give out about 5,000 of these a year to passing pilgrims.
I now carry it as a good luck charm on my wallet.
I was a bit apprehensive about today as the Meseta has a scary reputation for some pilgrims, some even avoid it by catching a bus. As there has been a lot of rain this year it was not as desert like as I expected for late June. In fact there is a bumper crop of wheat on the biggest fields I have ever seen, they go on for miles. The wild flowers were also spectacular. Today I saw my first lot of bus pilgrims; they stay in posh hotels, get driven around in air conditioned coaches and say they have done the camino. In fact they get dropped off, walk about two kms in their high heeled shoes then get back on the coach! See photos blow.

This morning had some high cloud so was not too hot. About 11am the sun came out with a vengeance as the wheat fields gave way to the desert like flatlands I expected. I actually walked over 40 kms today (my longest yet) and have only about 8 kms of the Meseta left to walk. I have walked on my own for the last two days and my good friend Paul is a bit behind me now. I hope I will meet him again along the way. (good luck Paul, and I hope you still find good coffee, cookies and wee fee) As I am typing this update Gina from Norway has just turned up at the bar! I am amazed as she caught a bus several days ago to miss out on three or four days walking, somehow I overtook her today!
My first blister also arrived today; a small one on the side of my foot- a small stone got in my shoe.

 

A great pair of knockers

Lovely aren't they?

Day 12 continued

... A very good meal cooked for me, a young Swiss guy who has walked from Geneva and an elderly German man who appears very difficult to talk to. He seems to have no problem talking to himself so sharing a room with him tonight may be an experience. Fortunately I managed to get some new earplugs and sleeping tablets in Burgos today.
Tomorrow morning I start to walk over the Meseta. The guide book has this as three days walking over hot, desert like plains with no shade, little access to water and no shade. Looks like shade may be a problem! The back of my neck is already peeling as the sun is always behind me as I am always walking west. I may try to do this in two days as I don't mind the heat and I am now finding the walking easy. There are now a lot of people joining the Camino at the bigger cities. You can tell the "newbies" as they are clean, pale and don't smell!

A few more photos...

Day 12 - Atapuerca via Burgos to Rabē de las Calzadas

Today has been an unusual one. Yesterday I left my little bag with my prescription drugs and earplugs at the last place I stayed. Luckily it was just this weeks drugs and the rest are in the bottom of my pack. I didn't sleep too well last night though as  the quarter finals of the Spanish Snoring Competition was being held at my albergue. Also Barbie was crying and calling out during the night; I think it was nightmares but she is obviously not enjoying it. Apparently the reason that Barbie and Ken (?) are wearing such stupid shoes is because their blisters and feet are so bad that they can't get their walking shoes on. Ken is also carrying a guitar; what is it with the Camino and stringed instruments? (photo below)

This morning I walked up into the misty mountains again, quite spooky today. Some good pics below of the huge cross at the top; it is one of many where people pile up stones they have carried. Also "love in the mist" (snog in the fog) and the amazing sight of the sun suddenly lighting up a village for just a few seconds before it disappeared into the fog again.
After about 10 kms I started the long boring walk into Burgos; one of the biggest cities on the Camino. To get there you have to walk for about 5 miles through the industrial outskirts.
The major buildings in the city are worth the wait; especially the cathedral - incredible.
I found Burgos very busy with tourists, traffic and noise. I only hung around for a couple of hours and then walked on; some pilgrims stay here for a couple days to rest and see the sights. It was all a bit much for my nicely relaxed mind.
I need to get a coffee now and my meal will be served in an hour so I will do another update later. Some photos of Burgos to be going on with.

Day 11 - Villambistia to Atapuerca.

A beautiful walk today up into the mountains and through the woods; very small oak and pine trees. As we went up the mountain the fog (or clouds?) came down to meet us. We stopped for a rest at a viewpoint and as Paul said "our reward was invisible" see photo below.
About 5 minutes further on a slight breeze appeared and blew away the fog to reveal a beautiful clear blue sky.
Soon everything warms up and the scent of pine and flowers is wonderful. Usually the first thing I say each day as we wake up in the albergues is "I love the smell of pilgrims in the morning!"
Someone asked me why all the bedrooms smell of feet; I replied that it is the people that smell of feet!
The accommodation varies widely in quality and price; from 5 to 12 euros or donativo which means you pay what you want or can afford. Some pilgrims are very wealthy and sometimes moan a bit about standards and quality; maybe they should stay in a hotel or Casa Rural? There is an often displayed mantra on the Camino; "Tourists expect, Pilgrims thank"
To qualify to stay in the albergues you need to have a pilgrims passport or "credencial". This is  an official document issued at authorised places along the Camino. They take your personal and passport details and add a stamp of authenticity. Each place you visit - bars, churches or albergues add a stamp or "sello" with the date to prove you have been there. When you arrive at your albergue for the night they check to see that you have walked the Camino and don't just want a cheap bed for the night. It works really well. There is a photo below of my passport so far.

 
Tonight we are in a nice modern place with 6 rooms of six beds; two pairs of bunk beds and two single beds. As Paul and I were the first to be shown our room we grabbed the singles.
There is a young American couple in our room; he is walking in Crocs that are two sizes too big and she in tiny leather sandals. Barbie (as I call her) started crying 5 mins after arrival about something not being nice? It is tempting to say "You're not on a bloody beach holiday, you bimbo!" but I said something like "Maybe tomorrow you will have a better day."

I am in Atapuerca for the night; a very important prehistoric site. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000 on account of its source of the earliest ever European human remains; dating back over 900,000 years. (That is almost as old as my mother in law!)
They have confirmed that our ancestors were cannibals. Not sure what we will be eating tonight as everywhere seems to shut on Sunday and sometimes Monday too.
See below my Pilgrim Passport, my mother in law as a young girl (sorry Sylvia, I miss you really), a walk in the woods, some nice Camino signs, my Camino buddy in his favourite shirt, some graffiti, a picture of Stefan the German who we saw again at a cafe and some butterflies.

 
Buenas Dias, Ian.

PS - Mike, thank you for the comment, have a great time and remember "shiny side up."

Day 10 - Granõn to Villambistia

Well, last night they rang the bells all bloody night and the floor was as hard as nails. Apart from that it was brilliant!

The walk today was a bit boring; green wheat fields in all directions and a long walk alongside a main road for about four hours. It is very hot but there is a wonderful breeze.
Paul and I walked past an albergue with a real swimming pool, all facilities and just 5 euros a night. It was only midday and we felt we should walk further. This could be a mistake. They had no weefee yesterday or at the pool albergue (rhymes with gay) so we stopped in the village of Belorado in the region Castilla y Leon (we left Rioja this morning) for our fix of coffee and weefee.
The afternoon walk was much better and varied with hills, trees of oak and pine, many colourful flowers and the birds are singing again (except the eagles, of which there are many)
These small pueblos are very peasant, they look after their houses and gardens with great care. Also everyone is much friendlier. Everyone calls out "Hola, Buenas Dias" or "Buen Camino."

We have stopped in Villambistia (population about 50) at a newly built albergue which is above a local bar. (bummer) It is very nicely decorated and tiled, fresh sheets and pillowcases for us, the owners wife has just offered to wash and dry all our clothes in a machine.  Free weefee, cheap beer and food, for 6 euros a night. (no swimming pool, but cheap beer (did I already say it was very cheap beer?)
Yesterday I lost my hat when I stopped for lunch in Santa Domingo de la Calzada. I should write a song about it; "I left my hat in San Domingo, High on a hill, it calls to me."

We are sitting in the sun and I thought I saw a cloud just now, maybe not?
We have now walked a total of 250 kms (about 155 miles, nearly a third of the way to Santiago)
Look for the storks on the church. A special stone, a possible cloud, a clue to our location this morning, some huge wheat fields and a hint of the temperature (scorchio!)

Muchas gracias, Ian.

ps Instead of a rest day I may have some cheap beer, excellent cheap food and an early night. 

What did you do today?

Day 9 - Azofra to Granõn - Bats in the belfry

Last night I slept so well that I didn't wake until 7am. I probably needed the sleep and the legs were a bit stiff for the first five or six kms. no vineyards today, mostly wheat fields.
To give you an idea what the Camino is like; imagine getting up much earlier than you normally do, putting on your shorts, socks, boots and brushing your teeth. Next you put the equivalent of 8 or 9 bags of sugar on your back and then walk uphill for six or seven hours in the blazing heat. Every couple of hours you can top up with water from a fuente (public water tap) or if you are lucky buy a coffee or a coke and something to eat. Then you repeat this every day for five or six weeks!
Somehow this is still exhilarating - or is the heat getting to me?
Wendy asked me last night when I was going to have a rest day. It had not occurred to me to even consider it yet.

I walked through Santa Domingo de Calzada today, supposed to be my destination but decided to walk on as I prefer staying at the smaller places. Tonight I am staying in Granõn (pop about 20?) I am sleeping on a mat on the floor in the bell tower of the very old church. It is a donativo hostel (you pay what you want or can afford) and it is better than any hotel I have ever stayed in! The tranquillity, character and atmosphere is magical and relaxing. There are about 20 of us there tonight and our meal is being cooked by the volunteers who run it. They also give us breakfast before we leave at seven in the morning (another lie in!)

Some photos...long morning shadow, a slower walker than me, Some views, storks on a tower, my accommodation for the night, a pilgrim playing the mandolin and my lunch today.
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I hope they do not ring the church bells all night!

Ian.