A Great Day

The way out of Burgos was incomparable to the way in: past the cathedral, through stone arches, out through the city walls, and out through park land. It's a beautiful morning and as we got out into the country and began to climb, what we thought was going to be a dull day was in fact a really wonderful walk.

I think all of us started out thinking that we could probably walk further than the staged walks in our guides. There was a kind of macho, gun-ho sense that we could do this, no problem. All of us have confessed that the road has humbled us, and that to achieve the stage distance is enough of an achievement. Today, though was my first day for over a week, of virtually pain free walking: my blisters having more or less healed. And so now two contrary feelings take hold of us. On the one hand I don't want the Camino to end, I don't want to eat up the kilometres, but on the other hand we all acknowledge that there is something important, something exhilarating about getting physically exhausted at the end of the day. And so today we do go further than the books' stage, and go 30km to Hontanas which appear out of nowhere, in sudden dip in the landscape. It is a perfect little town, with a lovely church and a wonderful hostel (the first on the right). For once (second time in two days) I am able to say mass for about 30 pilgrims in the church. I cook tuna and olive pasta for our group in hostel. A great day.