Camino francés - Page 7

Villafranca Montes de Oca - Burgos (ca. 40 km)

Without coffee 😒 it then went in the rain up the steep climb to Villafranca. The next bar was mine, I was planning to have a proper breakfast. But that should come only 13 km further, good when you usually do not know what to expect. The path was wet and very hilly, and the major part went through more or less beautiful forest. I was then also happy to find an open bar in San Juan de Ortega, which does not happen very often in smaller towns at this time of year. Here I met the Spaniards Miguel Angel, Alfred and Jana who started before me. We drank cafe con lecce and then marched off together. It should become a pilgrim community, where everything fit, with Jana I will arrive later in Santiago. In the pouring rain we went on. I learned that they did not know where they were staying, in Ages or Burgos. But that cleared up quickly. In Ages the hostel was closed, an inhabitant said that the hospitaleros had private problems and therefore had left. So we went to Burgos.

It was still far, in Altapuerca we took our menu del dia, in a very neat restaurant. I enjoyed having conversation partners again, we quickly adapted our English dialects. But the weather until Burgos was unpleasant, 10 km before the finish we had to take a break in a cafe. In the tavern horrible folk music was played, but we got at least a few things dry on the heater. On the way out I got a yellow raincoat from a relative of the landlady as a gift. Are all obliging here, unfortunately, the frock was torn by the wind on the following days. The way to the city center of Burgos dragged, a monster of suburbia was to cross before. But at some point the beautiful city center of Burgos opened up to us with its impressive architecture. Alfred and Jana, who were walking the Camino for the ninth time, found their way almost blindly to the hostel "Casa del Cubo." This was of the finest. Absolutely clean, large, with umpteen showers and beds, internet, dryers, washing machines. After the longer tour today, we put the bones high and went towards evening in the colorfully illuminated city center.

The cathedral is gigantic, first preparations for the upcoming New Year's Eve celebration were made here. Miguel Angel and Jana went to eat a local specialty, a kind of blood sausage with rice, I on the other hand got some stuff from a store. Alfred was in pain and stayed in bed. Back from the city walk, we had dinner and a San Miguel while I spent another half hour online. Then it went to the well-deserved rest.

Burgos - Hontanas (ca. 31 km)

The four of us marched off together from Burgos, but there we had a proper breakfast in one of the cafes. For me it often consisted of croissants filled with chocolate and cafe con lecce. The first 10 km the weather was good, it was at least dry. We talked a lot. I learned that Jana and Alfred had met on the Camino. on the Camino. She was a civil servant with the city and he was an engineer with the railroad. Both traveled often and all over the world, but always took time for the Camino. Because so far it has brought us only good things, they said. Both were cheerful people, but even they lost their laughter during the last 20 kilometers. The wind was whipping and it was pouring.

As Jana told me later, she almost wanted to quit the Camino that day. The last kilometers were hard, the landscape was monotonous, the weather abnormal. I asked Miguel Angel where Hontanas was on the horizon and he pointed to me with his hand that it was in the valley and suddenly appeared. So it was then also, it went a slope down and in the valley lay a ghost village like in the film. Everything was gray and brown and nothing was moving. We were glad to find the hostel door opened. But it was freezing cold, a mini-heater was in the dormitory. But one has become more modest, we had a roof over our heads and food from Burgos, everything else will be fine. We turned up the heater and inspected the large kitchen. After showering, the three of them started cooking, I promised to do the dishes again. Alfred was passionate about cooking, there was above all plenty of meat with him. In the meantime, a hospitalero arrived, but I didn't understand much of the conversation. Only funny things Alfred translated for me, we both laughed with pleasure and understood each other excellently. Over a beer in the evening I asked the camino-experienced Jana, if she could look through my route, so that I will be in Santiago on 15.1. I didn't know yet which hostels were really open and if certain routes were possible. She adapted my stages and said that since she also had to be in Santiago on Jan. 15, we could walk together. It would help her, because Alfred has to go home to work in Leon and she would not have to make the pilgrimage to Santiago alone. And me, because I would have experienced person with me. It was only too good for me.