Castrojeriz

Inspired by all of the hearty pilgrims we met at dinner last night, Efe Bomba is back on the trail today. It is overcast again with an actual possibility of some rain (who would have thought I would ever be excited about rain?) so, all in all, a pretty good choice as it will mean much more comfortable temperatures. I’d love to say the scenery has changed but it has not.

This whole area between Burgos and León is referred to as the meseta, which I think means Spanish Kansas. It seems like a lot of people rent bikes in Burgos and power through this section since it is pretty easy riding and a much faster way to get through the monotony. We are not that smart, even though we have come to the conclusion we may need to find bikes for a few days at some point if we are going to finish in time to make our flight.

There is not a structure in sight when the rumbling starts and we see flashes off in the distance. We packed rain jackets today just in case, but lightening is a whole other problem. We pick up the pace to try and make the next town but can the storm getting closer. Normally, I’d feel pretty confident I could distance myself from the lady with the two metal poles in her hands but she has an unusual spring in her step and I can’t seem to shake her.

Finally, with no other good options, we make a break across a farmer’s field for some trees to ride things out. The jackets helped keep our packs dry but out pants and shoes are soaked, so when the storm does finally let up, we have a squishy few miles ahead of us.

Just a half mile further on, it turns out there was literal shelter from the storm in the ruins of an old monastery. Most of the building is gone now, but there is a small portion left where pilgrims can bunk overnight and enjoy a candlelit meal (no electricity).

We make the final push on to Castrojeriz. There is an old castle up on the hill but I can find no takers to join me on a mission to check it out. Instead, my fellow pilgrims want to partake of the fastest internet we have had since arriving in Spain to catch up on life away from the camino. I can’t say I blame them as I am at least a week behind on the things in my other life that I promised my staff I would get them.

While Joey and I are on video calls, Nick and Efe Bomba meet up with another guest on the camino for the second time. He is PhD in Buddhism and has some amazing stories to share about his life and some of the people he has met along the way. He tells them the camino calls you back – hard to believe given some of the words Efe Bomba has used to describe it thus far, but who knows?

437km left to go.