Sunrises, new friends and fond farewells
Wednesday, September 14th
Burgos to Hornillos
Weather: cloudy and overcast
Today’s walk started at Burgos, through the suburbs over the river and past the University. There are two photographs of the university, one which I‘ve titled, and the second one which is looking down the street towards what was known as the hospital Del Rey, literally Hospital of the King, but which is now the law faculty of the University.
We’ve walked a long pass in the region known as the Meseta, the Spanish for plateau.
It’s been a day of churches today, visiting the churches at Tardajos, Rabe de las Calzadas and the Church of San Roman Plaza here in Hornillos
I’ve also had many conversations today with pilgrims again and walked with a lady from Sydney in Australia and another one from Venezuela. I also had a lovely chat with a local who was walking with his father. Happily the son spoke English so we talked about the Meseta and England.
Hornillos del Camino where I am tonight is said to be a classic pilgrim village and was an important mediaeval halt on the way to Santiago.
Tomorrow is another short day of 20 km (12.5 miles).
Thursday, September 15th
Hornillos to Castrojeriz
Weather: overcast but sunny in afternoon
A short walk today of 20.1 K. I have been walking the Meseta as far as Hontanas and then along the valley to Castrojeriz.
My first photo at 7:15 am was of the plaque on the wall depicting the film ‘The Way’. The reason for the plaque was that Michael Sheen’s daughter married the son of the owner of the hostel. Apparently the film was shot in the main street to Hornillos and in the surrounding countryside.
You’ll see from the photos that we saw the sun coming up on the horizon as we walked over the Meseta. As ever there were crosses by the side of the track and one in particular caught my eye, in remembrance of a guy from the Netherlands.
Arriving at Hontanas we came across what is known as the Hermitage which was erected as a meeting point for pilgrims. Full text of Saint Bernadette is shown in the photograph.There are also photos of the Abbey of St. Anton which is a fabulous structure and now straddles the roadway.
Castrojeriz is a town of two halves, the old town where the main church is, and then 2km further on is the new town where our accommodation is tonight.
Here’s a quick translation from Spanish about the church: it’s named ‘Church of Our Lady of the Apple Tree’ and building began in 1214 under the patronage of Doña Berenguela, queen of Castile, according to the canons of the Romanesque-oval style, is transitional Gothic. Then in the 15th century it underwent a reform that affected all of its vaults, which were changed to Gothic taste. In the 18th century, the chapel of the Virgen del Manzano was built, as well as the crypt for burial of the counts, a new apse, and the elevation of the tower,
I’ve spent time today walking with Meike from the Netherlands, and Jurgen from Germany.
When I arrived in town I need to find a bank. Fortunately there was one, however the next challenge was how to get money out of the machine. After some faffing around I realised that there was an English translation of the instructions so was able to draw a little cash!
Then more puzzles when I arrived at the hotel: I went to the front door only to find it to be locked, so had to find my way round to the bar at the back of the hotel in order to register. All part of the fun of travelling!
Having had a shower and freshened up I went down for a snack, only to find Martha from Venezuela here having lunch, so we’ve chatted for most of the afternoon while she waited to get access to her accommodation. Then Stacia arrived later and I think some of the American party in the accommodation last night will also be here. Maybe we’ll have a dinner party a little later!
Tomorrow is a longer day of 25 km (15.5 miles) so I hope the weather is not too hot.
Tomorrow also marks the end of 14 days walking so I am now into unknown territory, given that I’ve only ever walked 14 days consecutively before. I’ll let you know how it feels in a few posts’ time!
Friday 16th September
Castrojeriz to Fromista
Weather; sunny but not too hot
Today started with a hill! We climbed 300m to the top of the Alto de Mostelares and watched the sun come up over the hills and over Castrojeriz in the valley below.
Next we walked over the Meseta and once on the flat the way was straight (and slightly boring!)
Nevertheless I caught up with Mike from the US. He is walking with an eighty year old because some 30 years ago they promised each other so they would walk the Camino after they retired!
The highlight of the day has been to catch up with a group of people who walk and pull wheelchairs for disabled people. It’s a company that specialises in Camino for the disabled. It’s truly inspirational to see people who are unable to walk actually being transported by others so they are able to take part in the Camino (see photos).
Eventually and to my surprise I reached the Canal de Castilla and walked along the tow path into Fromista.
Tomorrow is a short day of only 19.3 K (12 miles) so it’s likely that I shall lose some of the people I’ve been walking with because they’ll probably be going further - that’s just how it goes on the Camino!
Saturday 17th of September
Fromista to Carrion de los Condes
Weather: cool first thing, warmer towards midday
Today we walked along the Debras which is level countryside and is clearly a vast corn growing area of the region. However a good part of the walk was along the riverbank which was lovely for its trees and the bird song.
I’ve been able to visit amazing churches on the way today and particularly the church built by the Knights Templer in Villacazar. It’s really magnificent with high vaulted ceilings and immense pillars supporting the ceiling structure.
This has been a short day, but once in Carrios I met up with old friends and a group of guys from Denmark. We’ve been exchanging stories over plenty of beer and this evening we’re dining together. This really is true friendship even though we’ve never met before. I’m beginning to believe that this is what the Camino is all about… time will tell.
Tomorrow is another very short day but I’ve arranged to meet Meike from the Netherlands for coffee, as I won’t see her again because our schedules change. I think this is going to happen on a more frequent basis now as people go ahead of my schedule or indeed finish the walk. It’s sad to say goodbye to friendly faces but again, it’s all part of the Camino experience.
