So here’s some thoughts for the day… Cyclists on the Camino are like the wild dogs Paulo Coello wrote about in His book on the pilgrimage….cuckoo birds sing everyday, and just at the perfect moment when you doubts are hovering in your head….don’t push Dan past his limits ( sorry honey!!!) trust your instincts ( and Jocelyn’s recommendation)… San Bol is an absolute heaven… But I get ahead of myself!

We left our cushy hotel ready to hit the road… Walking back up to the cathedral, we met Lisa, and then Judith at the top of the steps and we’re ready to go!

Out of the city we headed, on a far nicer scenic journey than our entry into Burgos!  None of us have stopped for breakfast, but we all had contributions, and so after 4-5 km we stopped in a lovely park and laid out our smorgasbord!  What a Feast!!!!

Time for the road once again… This time through farm land bordering Burgos… All of a sudden we reached a junction that directed us to the left, but a local woman told us that of we turned right we could walk over the highway using the new pilgrim bridge, then follow the path until it rejoined the marked way about 1 km further… It saved us a bit of distance, and all she asked was that we say a prayer for her and the people of Spsin when we reach Santiago…Deal!!!

After a quick, but satisfying coffee in Tardajos ( and a couple of aspirins… I must admit, my feet were protesting my return to the road) we pushed on to Rabe de las Calzadas… Where we saw a stork nest in the church steeple for the second time today! ( I think that’s where baby priests come from…. That was confirmed by Judith and Lisa!)

Our next stop was Hornillos del Camino, where we planned to have lunch, and assess whether Dan’s feet could carry him another 5-6 km… We were already at 20-21…. Pretty good for his first day out. We went into the bar for lunch and got a bit of a cold shoulder, and then when we moved a table into the shade to eat, the bar owner told us it had to be moved back to the sun, as we were siting in an area reserved for cars…. We did not see a car anywhere close in the 45 min we were there!!! Needless to say, I wasn’t getting a particularly warm and inviting feeling in this town… As it turned out the girls were ready to move on as well… I’m afraid Dan was guilted in to moving on….

Well, Dan hit the road with a vengeance…. Walking another 5.8 km to this Albergue…. The interesting thing is that we once again were climbing up onto the Meseta…. Fields as far as the eye can see, but we were looking for a beach grove with a small hut…nothing like this on the horizon… And there was a lot of horizon!  On and on we went, and finally around a bend I could see something that looked like that ( to tell the truth, whether it was the place or not, I was ready to pitch my poncho and bed down for the night!!!).  dan and the girls were the first to arrive, and they had 2 beds, and 2 mattresses on the floor!  €5 Done! And a fresh homemade chicken Paella for dinner with salad, wine and dessert for another €7…. Heaven.  Then we were told about the spring, where we could soak our feet and wash away the pain….truly Magical!!!! We have fallen upon Nirvana for our efforts…. And to boot, we have been taught how to make Paella by a master chef!!!! Ok, ok, but the best part is when I was unpacking my stuff and placing it on my top bunk😩, the gentlemen in the bottom bunk came in and offered me the bottom… Truly an angel of mercy, and a true blessing ( as I was contemplating how I would ever get my feet to manoeuvre the climb to the top!!!)

We are not awaiting the dinner masterpiece!  And with no wifi, this will be posted a day late!!!