The Way to Land's End

• Starting Point: Agés
• Ending Point: Villafria (then to Burgos via bus)
• Daily Distance:  8.76 miles (14.1 km)
• Total Distance: 174.59 miles  (280.97 km)

I woke up on the wrong side of the bunk bed. I climbed down from the top bunk in the early hours of the morning to use the bathroom. There were lockers provided in the room for our backpacks. But for some unknown reason several hikers decided to leave their bags and shoes strewn out all over the floor and I tripped several times in the dark. So, my mood from the get go was bad!

I couldn’t seem to shake it all morning. As we hiked into Burgos, my mind rehearsed every wrong doing ever committed against me. I had imaginary conversations of things I should have said or what I would say in the future. I started worrying about what I was missing back home, concerned  that I was leaving my husband with too much to handle on his own while I roamed about Spain. And most absurd is that while all this was playing out in my head I was aware of the absurdity. I knew I should let it all go, that I couldn’t control everything and that Bryan was very capable of taking care of things at home. But still, I struggled all day with being in the present moment.

Our path into Burgos turned quite industrial and we were walking on the edge of a busy highway next to the airport. On the advice of the guidebook and a Camino veteran, we pick up the bus in the suburb of Villafria and skip out of the 6 mile walk along the busy highway. 

A surprise awaits us in Burgos. A type of renaissance festival is taking place, in honor of El Cid. El Cid is an important historical figure in Spain, known for battling the Moors with his trusty white steed. All the townsfolk are dressed in costumes from the era and there are street vendors, horses and a very festive atmosphere. We also see a bride and groom emerge from the church, grinning from ear to ear. 

Laura and I sit at an outside cafe and watch the festivities. It is quite easy to pick out fellow pilgrims from the crowd; us pilgrims walk with a certain hobble. Stiff joints and achy ankles from walking nearly 200 miles are our hallmark. 

For dinner we enjoy a traditional meal of Burgos Black Pudding (a type of sausage made from rice and pig blood) and roast suckling pig & lamb (fed only mother’s milk, slaughtered at 6 weeks and roasted). It was all very tasty. 

Our stay in Burgos is special because we splurged on a hotel room. We have our own private bathroom! And tomorrow is our first full rest day after 15 days of hiking. A well deserved day of rest…and hopefully with it, an improvement to my sour mood.