Burgos!

It’s funny how things work out sometimes. Efe Bomba managed to pick up a bug somewhere and after a pretty sleepless night is cabbing it to our next stop in Burgos. Arándano Joe is also staying behind as her sherpa and it would be foolish to not leave everything heavy in his capable hands. So, after days of grinding through wheat field after wheat field, puzzling over why, after more than a thousand years of pilgrim’s walking this trail, nobody has bothered to plant a few shade trees, Nick and I find ourselves walking through the forest with just water, sunscreen, and a few extra layers in our packs.

Just a few miles in we come across a random spot where people have painted all kinds of fallen trees and branches. OF course it is the one day we don’t have our piano player to entertain us.

[pics]

As it is just the two of us and we are traveling light, Nick was able to convince me once again to double up and push all the way to Burgos today, a minor 39km hike (how quickly I have forgotten the misery of dragging myself into Pamplona). That is quite far down the road yet though so still smiles all around.

As the heat starts to rise the going gets a little bit tougher but, just when we need a mental pick up, we come across this exceptional portrait hanging on the front of a small barn on the outskirts of the village of Agés. It would make a wonderful addition to Sam’s growing collection but, sadly, we are but humble pilgrims with no way to transport such a masterpiece.

Finally, after 9 long hours on the trail, we arrive in Burgos. It is a brutal first impression grinding three miles through the industrial zone but the payoff is a break from the albergue life as Efe Bomba has located an outpost of her beloved Marriott just around the corner from the cathedral.

Each big city feels like a major accomplishment on our journey so arriving in Burgos seems like cause for a celebration. Nick volunteered to pick up the wine.