Minor Detour
When we arrived at our little hotel yesterday, after an hour and a half of heavy rain and cold, it was delightful to have a heated room. That delight became a fond memory after 7:00 p.m. Fuel is incredibly expensive here these days, and automatic systems cut off the heaters.
We didn't have heat again in the room before we left this morning. It was odd — a few rooms had too much heat. It is way too complicated to try figuring out why. Let's just accept that we started the day chilled, with our clothes not yet dry from the day before.
The temperature was about 40 degrees with winds in excess of 20 mph and rain. Breakfast was not impressive, but adequate: a couple of pieces of fruit, a ham and cheese sandwich, and orange juice with coffee. We didn't feel sufficiently energized and nourished to face 16 miles in weather that would surely soak our gloves and shoes.
So, discretion being the better part of foolishness, we took a cab. We split it with a couple from Arizona named Maggie and Gene.
Much of the Camino ran parallel to the road today. There would have been way more mud than scenery involved, and our conscience did not bother us at all.
In fact, we did not see a single walker on the trail during the entire length of our trip. Granted, there were some sections that were removed from the road. But I believe most people either stayed in place or used transportation today. The cab ride became part of our Camino story.
Burgos is a fairly decent-sized industrial city at a crossroads with a highway that leads to Madrid. Much of the trail actually passed through industrial areas. Once again, not the inspirational journey that the brochures suggest.
El Cid, a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain (played by Charlton Heston in the eponymous 1961 movie), is a hometown hero here. His remains are actually interred in the cathedral at the center of the city.
The rain and cold kept things fairly subdued here on a Saturday. It is obvious that there are many courtyards with candy stores and eateries where a family would find great entertainment on a nice day.
On the way back to the hotel after a pretty good lunch, I saw activity at the cathedral. It took some effort to get a look between all the umbrellas, but I did manage to see the bride leaving the church and getting into a limo at the end of the wedding ceremony. If you look very closely, you might see a little white among all the dark suits.
The remainder of the day will be devoted to getting all our clothes cleaned and preparing for the walk tomorrow. We are entering the flat lands and the weather is supposed to be better. If there is any scenery to share I will send it along. In fact, I will be happy to send pictures of no scenery at all.