The Way to Land's End

Sleeping in felt so good! Our bodies were definitely in need of some R&R, as we slept over 11 hours! We slowly awaken and head out for some breakfast. Afterwards, we go to Mass. The El Cid festival is still going on and many of the parishioners are in costumes from the period. There is a processional at the beginning of Mass and the dressed up parishioners enter with banners. There is a musical group playing flutes, tambourines and drums during the processional that adds to the festive atmosphere. 

After Mass, we catch a taxi to Real Monasterio de Las Huelgas (“The Royal Monastery of the Pleasures”) to take a tour. It was originally a palace that was transformed into a luxurious convent in 1175 for widowed noblewomen. It is currently inhabited by an order of about 30 nuns, so no pictures were allowed inside. 

We had a lovely lunch near the Cathedral of garlic soup and grilled goat cheese salad. 

In the late afternoon, we took a tour of the Burgos Cathedral. The ceilings in the Cathedral were magnificent. There were stained glass windows centered in the tops of the domes. Looking up was a bit dizzying. The colors were brilliant and the symmetry so pleasing to the eye. There were many amazing pieces of art, but my favorite by far was the painting of Mary, dressed in red, with the mountains behind her. 

The festival had so many unique vendors. We walked about viewing their wares.  I bought a few lightweight gifts for my family. 

Our day of rest was very enjoyable. By the end of the day, my good spirits were revived and I was ready to hit the trail again. 

• 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. 

• Starting Point: Tosantos
• Ending Point: Agés
• Daily Distance: 14.17 miles (22.8 km)
• Total Distance: 165.83 miles (266.87 km)

Today was a lovely hike through the Oca mountains. We weaved through beautifully shaded forest paths. There were quite a few steep ascents and descents. My legs were quite tired by the end of the day. 
A new walking companion joined us for the day. His name is Tomas and he is from Cologne, Germany. We enjoyed chatting during the day. He told us about Germany and asked us questions about the U.S. health care system and our current President. Tomás is a big fan of HBO and, like me, loves Game of Thrones. 

During a particularly long stretch of the forest hike, I heard Spanish dance music whirling in the breeze. Looking down the path, I see bright colors and flags. It was El Oasis de Camino! An entrepreneur found a need – seats and refreshments- and filled it. It was on a donation basis, pay what you can, and just the thing I needed. After resting my feet and drinking an orange soda, it was time to hit the trail again. 

While on the trail, we also happened upon a snake that had a round head and looked more like a giant worm. 

There was also some fun rock art on the hike today. 

When we arrived in Agés, we say adios to Tomas and check into our albergue. Our room had 6 bunk beds in it. Dinner was a communal affair with a tasty cream of pumpkin soup and paella. Then it was off to bed…

Retablo in Santo Domingo

• Starting Point: Grañon
• Ending Point: Tosantos
• Daily distance: 12.80 miles (20.6 km)
• Total distance:  151.66 miles (244.07 km)

Today’s hike was uninspiring. It was a gravel trail that followed closely along a busy highway. The one bonus was that the wind from passing tractor trailers helped cool us. 
A Camino angel did help us today. Laura and I began the hike in the dark again in hopes of avoiding the afternoon sun. And again, we missed a yellow arrow  in the dark! Luckily, we heard a woman’s voice call out “Señoras”. When we turned around, she pointed to the arrow we missed. 

Our albergue in Tosantos was wonderful. The owners were very sweet and helpful, there was a lovely courtyard and the dinner was delicious. I had cream of zucchini soup and stewed pork jaw. The meat was so tender it melted in your mouth. During our dinner, we visited with Jimmy, a woman who grew up in Connecticut but has lived  in Spain for 40 years. She shared the story of how she met her Spanish husband and a little bit about Spain’s retirement system. 

After dinner, I was returning my wine glass to the bar when I happened upon Catherine, the older French woman we had dinner with a couple of nights ago. Catherine told me she was about to hike up to the cliffs above the town to see a small chapel dedicated to Mary.  She asked if I wanted to come with her but added “I must warn you that I’m a little bit drunk”. Well, by this time I had had a few glasses of wine myself, but an adventure to see a shrine to Mary in the cliffs could not be turned down. I grabbed Laura because I knew she would love this too and up we climbed to the cliff. There was a small chapel built into the mountain and inside was a beautiful image of “Virgen De la Peña”, Our Lady of the Cliffs, and a small retablo in her honor. There is a town legend that says a 8th century statue of the child Jesus was hidden in the cave to protect it when the Muslims invaded. We sat in the few pews inside and paid our respects. 

Pics to follow when wifi signal is stronger…

• Beginning Point: Azofra 
• Ending Point: Grañon
• Daily distance: 13.86 miles (22.3 km)
• Total distance: 138.86 miles (223.47 km)

Our hike today takes us down gravel country roads to a kind of modern ghost town on the edges of a golf course. Row upon row of townhouses sit eerily empty, evidence of Spain’s housing bubble. We stop at the golf course for a cup of cafe con leche and to rest our feet. 

Our next stop is Santo Domingo de Calzada where an interesting legend is set. A pilgrim family (father, mother and son) from Germany were walking the Camino when they decided to rest at an inn in Santo Domingo de Calzada. The inn keeper’s daughter fell in love with the son and tried to seduce him. The son rejected her advances as he had his mind set on going all the way to Santiago. The girl was angered and hid some silver in his sack. After the family left, the girl claimed the son stole from the inn and when the authorities caught up with the family, the poor son was found with the silver on him and hanged. The distraught parents continued on to Santiago. On their return trip home, the parents again stopped at Santo Dominigo to visit their son’s body, which was left hanging as a warning to other thieves. Upon seeing their son, he called down saying that he was still alive, claiming that St Dominic had held up his body the entire time. The parents set off to see the magistrate to proclaim this demonstrated their son’s innocence. The parents happened upon the magistrate while he was in the middle of dinner,  the main course of which was chicken. In disbelief the magistrate exclaimed that their son was no more alive than the chicken on his plate, whereupon the chicken came alive, feathers and all!

We stopped in the Cathedral and the attached museum. In the Cathedral is a Gothic chicken run with what are said to be two descendants of chicken from the legend – the  Lazarus of chickens, so to speak. Above the chicken run is a piece of the gallows. The church and museum also contained other beautiful works of religious art. On our way out of town, we spot a bakery and try one of the local specialties, ahorcaditos, which means “little hanged man”. 

We then made our way into Ganon. Sitting outside the local cafe are many of our friends we’ve met along the way. We enjoy some wine and almonds while catching up with them. The albergue tonight is on a donation basis. It is in the bell tower of the church and we sleep on mats in a upper loft.

We attend Mass and afterwards the priest invited pilgrims into a small museum behind the altar and tells us a little history about all the items. Most fascinating are books that are over 1400 years old made from calf skin and sculpted arms which are purported to contain bone fragments from 3 of Jesus’s disciplines. 
After Mass, we have a communal meal in our albergue. I sit in wonder as I listen to Spanish, English, French and Italian conversations going on all around me.  Following dinner, we were invited to a walk into a secret passageway that connected into the upper back area of the church sanctuary. The retablo is lit in the darkened sanctuary and it is magnificent. As the retablo shines back at us, we are invited into a moment of silence to reflect on our journey. We then retire to bed (or rather, mat!)

More pics to follow when wifi is better…



• Starting Point: Navarrete 
• Ending Point: Azofra
• Daily distance: 14.17 miles (22.8 km)
• Total distance: 125.00 miles (201.17 km)

Today was a day of grapes. We walked through miles and miles of beautiful vineyards. There was a cool breeze most of the day and it was mainly a flat easy hike. 




My feet are feeling much better. I’ve developed a kind of callus on my right heel. Laura read that it is a good thing. It’s protective and I should let it be. 
My bag feels like a part of my body now. Over the past week, I’ve gradually let go of items I haven’t needed or used. I left behind a battery storage bank, my mini-keyboard, hair conditioner, small poetry book I finished, pen & small notepad, Spanish phrase book, plastic spork and traded out the extra pair of insoles I packed. My clothes are also becoming looser. I imagine all together I’m carting around at least 4-5 pounds less than what I started with. My body, especially my knees, are quite happy about that.  I now consider weight in anything I pick up along the way. A snack? Hmmmm…do I really want to tote that for miles? 

Around noon we passed through Najera and had a bite to eat. I selected an amazing goat cheese tapas with jamón (ham in Spain, but more like our prosciutto) and jam on it. It was delicious. The goat cheese here is top notch. 

Upon exiting Najera, we climb a small pass and when we came through on the other side it felt as though we have been transported into the desert. The rocks were red, the plant life was scrubby and it was hot. And then the flies descended on us. We named it “Valley of the Flies”. We flicked our ponytails back and forth to keep them away from our heads. The flies followed us all the way into Azofra. 

Azofra is a very small town with one albergue. It is a gem because all the rooms are double private rooms for only $10! It also had a small pool to soak your feet in.

We had dinner in a local restaurant with Cam (our dinner companion from the previous night) and Catherine from France. Catherine is a Camino veteran and recommends we stop at Ganon the next day. She indicated there is a special parochial albergue there where you sleep on mats in the bell tower of the church. We are intrigued and decide to adjust our plans to check it out. 



• Starting Point: Viana
• Ending Point: Navarrete
• Daily distance: 13.55 miles (21.8 km)
• Total distance: 110.83 miles (178.36 km)

What a difference a day can make! A cold front must have passed through the night. We woke up to cool temperatures. And after a good night of rest, Laura feels much better. 

The hike today takes us through a mid-size city named Logroño. We have a few errands to run (pharmacy to get some cold meds and cell phone store to add minutes to the phone), so we decide to leave super early again, in the dark. And we briefly get lost again. Laura and I have a good laugh at our ineptitude at navigating in the dark. 

Logroño was a beautiful city. They have a lovely park and everyone was so friendly, pointing us in the right direction and heartedly wishing us a “Buen Camino”.  The park had a conservation area with swans, fish, ducks and other birds I didn’t recognize. One had white markings and a very long tail. A Spanish gentleman was hand  feeding a squirrel. I asked him if I could take a picture. He said yes and then offered to let me feed the squirrel. I took off my backpack and softly approached. He handed me a walnut and I bent down next to him and held out my hand. The squirrel came right up to me and took the walnut from my fingers. It made my heart happy. By the way, Spanish squirrels are way cuter than the Florida variety. They have long fuzzy ears. 

Laura and I stopped to have an ice cream. We relaxed by the lake and enjoyed the beautiful day for a few minutes. As we continued on our way we passed a chain link fence along the highway that was covered in handmade crosses. It appears they were made with sticks found along the path. And it went on for at least a quarter mile. 

As we came into Naverette, we were passed by two pilgrims on horses. That would be quite a way to do the Camino. Instead of sore feet though you would have a sore bum! 

We had a special treat waiting for us in Naverette. We sprung a few extra euros and got a private double room. It was heaven to have some privacy for the night. 

After getting settled into our room, we had dinner with a pilgrim named Cam from Toronto, Canada. This is his second Camino. He read up on the history in Spain and shared some very interesting stories about the region. 

Mass that evening was a unique experience for me. The town has a special affinity for Mary, and though it seems that all of Spain does, their devotion in Naverette was even more evident. We participated in a novena prayer to Mary, which is a focused repeated prayer usually done for nine days. Countless Hail Marys were repeated. The priest then called us pilgrims up for a blessing – this time from Mary.  

A very memorable day, indeed!