Category Archives: Uncategorized

Lisa and I got away from our lodging on another chilly morning well before the sun came up and, as with many mornings, we followed Venus. As the sun arose at our backs, the surroundings became clearer and we walked along a mostly flat path lined with sycamore trees through fields either already harvested orContinue reading “Dinner Surprise”

Lisa and I set off from Terradillos about 7:15 and got to Sahagun about 3 hours later. It was our coldest morning yet, at 37 deg F. In Sahagun, you can get a half-way certificate. Some may think that a half-way certificate is not very important, but it does demonstrate that you have walked nearlyContinue reading “Halfway”

I had to grab a taxi from Hornillos to Carrión de los Condes to catch up with Lisa and make up for the days I fell behind in Burgos and Logroño. I arrived in the morning and checked into the Hospedaria del Convento de Santa Clara. Let me go back in time for a moment.Continue reading “Mistaken Identity”

It was good to be on the bus going in the right direction. It was a nice refresher of the towns I had walked through not long ago: Najera, Santo Domingo, Belorado, Atapuerca and finally Burgos. They tend to blur together after a few days. I had a cup of coffee and a toasted hamContinue reading “A Happy Place”

I mentioned in an earlier post that good fortune often comes my way on my travels. I should have suspected something was amiss this morning when I boarded my bus to Logroño and a minute later another bus coming into the station crashed into my bus, breaking the gull wing mirror and sending cracks propagatingContinue reading “Death in the Afternoon”

Early in my career I had the good fortune to work in Spain. One of the oil fields I looked after was near Ayoluengo, an hours drive north of Burgos. I never spent much time in Burgos if I could help it. Years later, driving from Madrid to Pamplona with the family, I stopped inContinue reading “The difference in the foam on a cafe con leche and on a beer”

I was able to catch up on the queen’s funeral highlights today after a relatively early arrival in Burgos. The Last Post and the piper’s lament were quite moving. I have had similar moments along the Camino almost every day. But they are as difficult to describe as the emotion I felt listening to thatContinue reading “Long March into Burgos”

Just a quick note today. Had a long 20+ mile hike today and suddenly the afternoon and evening are already gone and it is time for this pilgrim to get some sleep. I am in Atapuerca, near an archeological dig that has unearthed fossil records of the earliest man in Europe dating back a millionContinue reading “Ancient Trails”

The Féria de Gracias in Santo Domingo went on all night. I wasn’t there but I could hear it in the distance from my room at the Room Concept Hotel. Maybe that’s why there were not many people up when Lisa and I set off at 06:30 am. Except for some other pilgrims. I knowContinue reading “Sitting in the hotel bar…”

Lisa and I got underway at 06:30 this morning. We had a nice breakfast in Azofra an hour later. We reached Cirueña 12 km later and walked right through without stopping. Soon after, a gentle mist turned into a heavy mist and we put on our rain gear. Mine consists of a Hefty trash bagContinue reading “Business and Pleasure”