I am made the decision to take an extra day in Burgos. Many of those who were in the alburgue last night said they were taking a rest day today too. Which meant the light in the room did not come on until about 8.30 this morning! Pure luxury.
That’s not to say that the flashlights weren’t going at 5 and 6 o’clock this morning. Or, the non-pilgrim in the room, who decided to turn on her bunk light and read for the first hour (at 6 am) before she got up, then faffed for another hour. The bunk lights are okay if you have a little bit more to do if the main light has gone off at night, but it’s really rude to have it blazing first thing in the morning while the whole room is still asleep.
Which makes sitting here in a nice quiet private room in a hotel makes it absolutely heaven. I had booked the private room months ago, then Andrea said that she was having challenges trying to find a place to stay, so I offered to share the space. It’s one thing to share the space with one person, it’s another to share it with ten.
After a delightful breakfast of bacon and eggs, and a grande coffee, the day was spent resupplying. We had to check out of the Albergue by 11, but we could drop off our bags at the hotel at 10. That meant we didn’t have to be schlepping our backpacks around with us all day. That definitely worked in our favour, especially since it has been raining most of the day.
I didn’t have a lot on my list. A stop at the bank, then a stop at the optometrist to see if they could try and realign my glasses. (They were completely bent out of shape by being constantly shoved into my bloop bag.) Not only did the optometrist fix them, but they also gave me a new case for my glasses. When I offered to pay, it was met with a beautiful smile and a ‘Buen Camino’.
I do love how Spanish take care of the pilgrims.
I had a bit of time before I could check in to the hotel. Andrea was off checking out the Museum of Evolution, so I went to the Cathedral. I had already seen the museum on a previous Camino wanders, and since I got the best tour from the doctor I was then walking with, I thought I would save my pennies and keep the memories instead from that day. 🥰
I’d been to the Cathedral too, but it’s almost obligatory while doing a Camino.you can imagine my suprise when I entered the cathedral and it was practically empty. Especially kn a rainy day. Especially after a new Pope had just been voted in. There was a school group, of course, but they were quick to go through the Cathedral with their teacher.
I wandered, taking photos of things that captured my eye this time. On previous Caminos I’ve been fascinated with doors as I walked. The Spanish are particularly creative with their front doors, and their door knockers. This time, it’s architecture that has my eye. Domes. Cloisters. Delapidated old buildings. I guess you could say Merritt (main character) is speaking up.
By the time 3 o’clock rolled around, I headed back to the hotel, and we checked in. It’s a small room but it’s quiet. The rain is falling softly. I think I will sleep well tonight.
Plans are confirmed for the coming days but for tomorrow, it’s a massage and not much else. I am truly looking forward to the rest day.
Steps: 11,395 steps
Distance: 7.8 km
Feeling: In need of a good night’s sleep.
I think the Spanish kind of like doing quick fixes for people in general - when I was living in Madrid, I had to stop in an optician's to see if they could repair my glasses when I realized I didn't have any cash on me. Before I even got to that embarrassing moment, they had fixed it and handed them back to me with a big smile...no charge. I had a similar incident with my phone and they took care of me like I was their friend for life. Maybe I'm just lucky but it felt very Spanish to me. As I recall, we were both limping into Burgos but left in much better conditions ;)
Again beautiful. And GPs! .Mature wisdom will win over young brash actions and older folks insensitivity, most times .