We woke to thunder and lightning this morning. I was thinking that maybe a rest day would be nice. I checked the hourly weather forecast. Rain expected until 7:30. Perfect timing. The morning had been all noise and show and the rain hadn’t hung around so the morning was dry as we ventured out. An hour later and we were at Terradillos de los Templarios, the half way mark from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago. Half Way Dave tried to show a little enthusiasm but I think I was excited enough for the both of us.

We walked on through Terradillos de los Templarios and past the albergue Jacques de Molay which was named after the last of the Grand Masters of the Knights Templar. Jacques de Molay had lead the order from 1298 until it was dissolved by Pope Clement V in 1312.

A Templar flag flies in the courtyard of the albergue.

Looking back from where we came this morning and the sky was dramatic and beautiful.

Coming into Moratinos and I exclaimed oh look Hobbit Houses.

We decided to check them out. On a board in English was information about them. The first line read

No the Hobbits don’t live here!

But in short these are Bodegas. They say some may be 500 years old. Vineyards once covered the area and families made and stored their own wine in their Bodegas. Nowadays the Bodegas that are still in use are used as party rooms and storage areas.

Coming into Sahagun and many pilgrims took the direct route down the highway into town. We opted to follow the arrows and we were so glad we did. We came to a beautiful old bridge that crossed a dry creek that lead to a small church. There was a very helpful lady there who gave us a map of the route through town and a walking tour to visit the old monasteries and churches.

But the bonus was that several meters in front off the church there were two statues that marked the half way point between Santiago and Roncesvalles. Half Way Dave got to share my enthusiasm for the second time in one day.

We made it a short day and stayed in Sahagun once again beating the rain. But mad dogs and well a couple of hungry Aussies decided to go out in the rain and try to track down the only food market that was open during siesta time. After a soaking and a failure to find the market we decided to return home. The rain had cleared, our map was unreadable and wrong directions from a local left us a long way from home. As the thunder rumbled it’s warnings we desperately tried to find a familiar landmark. On the positive side our clothes had dried but looked to be in peril of another soaking. Finally a local that knew where we were going and we made it home dry and once again the thunder was all noise and show. Feeling like we now knew Sahagún and with new map in hand we ventured out on the walking tour of the churches and monasteries.

Sahagún dates back to the 8th century. The original monastery Saint Benedict was begun at the same time but was later destroyed by the Arabians. The monastery was rebuilt in the 10th century and dedicated to the Saints Jacundo and Primativo. It was once, one of the most important abbeys in the Iberian Peninsular. It’s decline began in the 15th century and it was nearly totally destroyed by fire in the 19th. Sahagún is now an agricultural village but it has become the cultural and historical region of the Land of Fields -Terra de Campos.

There were a few things today that I was looking forward to seeing. The first one that I couldn’t find was the ruins of the 12th century Franciscan Abbey. Next was the best preserved stretch of an original Roman Road. I could see that the road was well elevated above the surrounding countryside but that was about it. It is amazing that it is still in use after 2000 years but now it has been gravelled over so the surface of the original road is no longer visible.

No. 3 was the Fuente del Hospitalejo and it wasn’t till I was walking on that I saw the now unusable fountain. The rest area and the signage was good but the small building behind the table was not obvious at first. Here at the Fuente is a small area of remaining wetland.

For most of the 9 kilometres along this stretch the walk it is flat with little shade and nothing inbetween save for the small Bar Oasis.

And oasis it is. We treated ourselves to cafe con leches and sat at a bench. Unknowingly Clumsy Dave put his coffee down on a broken board and the coffee spilt towards the young man sitting opposite. I asked him if he was OK hoping that the coffee hadn’t burnt him. He seemed to be unscathed and as Clumsy Dave tried to clean up the mess the young man grabbed the nearly empty coffee cup, explained the dilemma to the hostess and returned with a refilled coffee for Clumsy Dave. The simplest acts sometimes have the greatest value.

At Calzadilla de la Cueza a bit of fun.

Arriving at Ledigos we checked into our accommodation and checked out the town. We had a great view from the church high on the hill. The 13th century church showed obvious signs of several modifications over the centuries since it was first built. In one of the old annexes farm machinery along with a drum of John Deere tractor oil was being stored.

It was an interesting and varied walk today and mostly flat. At times I thought we could be in Australia with the vast open fields of wheat stubble. But the wheat stubble was interrupted by paddocks of sunflowers in various stages of growth so I knew that I hadn’t been morphed back home.

A long section was on a path that paralleled the road. We stopped at Villalcazar de Sirga and sat outside at a bar in front of the church of Santa Maria la Blanca and ordered cafe con leches. It was then I saw and heard the Bibliobus drive past. I couldn’t resist and I followed it around the corner. It stopped just out of sight on the road near the church and I ventured inside telling them in English that in Australia I too had been a mobile library driver. They nodded and smiled at me and made me feel welcome but I don’t think they understood what I was saying.

The church of Santa Maria la Blanca bagan at the end of the 12th century when the medieval name of the town was Villasirga. The temple-fortress was built by the Knights Templar who helped protect the pilgrims bound for the holy land.

After visiting the biblibus and the Santa Maria church I needed a drink with a fellow pilgrim.

Interpreter Dave gave his stock reply to the tall pretty dark haired young girl that was waiting for me to acknowledge that she had spoken to me. Oh she won’t hear you she’s deaf. How do I say Buen Camino to her she asked. Interpreter Dave being a level one interpreter finger spelled it for her. She was lost after the first couple of letters. Is there a sign for Buen Camino she asked. He asked me and we thought about it for a few moments. Well Buen is Good and Camino can be represented by the letter C so, a good sign -fist closed thumb up- that flowed into the letter C. She liked that and signed me a Buen Camino and walked on. I was extremely touched.

Tonight we are staying at the Monostarie Santa Clara in Carrión de los Condes. There is a museum on the same site that contains many pieces of religious artwork.

The town is interesting with a large portion of the city wall still in use. There are several old churches one dating back to 1126.

While catching up with friends in one of the many bars there was a local game of cards in progress. The players were happy to have an audience and explain the game. What was hard was getting used to the elaborately designed cards and the suits of swords, clubs, coins and cups.

Groggy Dave needed an extra nudge to get moving this morning. Jean a vino tinto loving German lass from Frankfurt had wooed him with an empty glass and a promise of free flowing vino. A couple of hours later and Groggy Dave finally made it to bed.

Leaving Castrojeriz in the early morning light and it wasn’t long before we realised we had one good climb ahead of us. We reached the Alto at 1050 meters before heading down on a 18% grading. I’m sure I read that the Meseta was flat.

On the way up one of the hills this morning and an abandoned boot or maybe lost with a fantastic view of the valley below.

Three climbs and several kilometres later through fields of wheat and barley stubble and sunflowers close to harvest we came to a small building near a bridge. San Nicolás de Puentelitero Hospital de Peregrino, a small donativo with 12 beds. This 13th century building has been restored but with no electricity, no phone and lit by candlelight only. A ritual washing of the feet is offered here.

Just past San Nicolás Hospital is the bridge Puente de Iteros which once marked the historic border between Castile and León. It has twelve arches that have been updated several times since the original bridge was built by Alfonso VI. It crosses the Rio Pisuerga and we follow the Camino across the bridge. Our path runs along the river until we reach Itero de la Vega. After leaving the village we cross he canal Pisuerga. Along the river and canals there is extensive irrigation with crops of maze, lucerne, wheat, broad beans and swede.

At Boadilla de Camino a rest area and an unusual fountain. A wheel on the outside of a long low stone ‘shed’ and turned several times anti clockwise It produces a small stream of cool drinking water.

We leave Boadilla de Camino on tree lined farm tracks and begin to follow the Canal de Castilla. After crossing the canal at one of its many locks we arrive at Fromista.

Another cool crisp morning. Yesterday’s temperature didn’t make it past 13 degrees but the nights temperature wasn’t much lower at 10 degrees. We were only doing 20.4 k today and no rain forecast so it should be an easy day. My thigh was feeling marginally better so, bonus.

We arrived to Hontanas and I immediately wished I had stayed here. The sign coming into town declared that two of the towns albergues had been designed by a man who had completed the walk three times.

Five kilometres later and we came to the ruins of the convent San Anton founded in 1146 under the patronage of King Alfonso VII. They were dedicated to the care of pilgrims. Since 2002 once again there is a pilgrims albergue operating here. There is no electricity, no hot water and no wifi. A great place to truly get the feeling of the Camino from not so long ago.

With 10 kilometres to go the wind was crisp and blustery, then with 5 k still to go a strong cold wind. It was meant to reach 19 degrees but I don’t think it quite made it. Maybe out of the wind but the wind was vicious. Mostly it was a side wind and for a couple of kilometres a tail wind. Even in town there was no respite. It swirled around corners and chased us everywhere we went.

Castrojeriz with the ruins of a castle on top of the hill. The castle believed to have been originally Roman then Visigoth completed with medieval walls. It has an enthralling history of murder, captivity and betrayal.

It has been Drug Free Dave today. For the first time since blister no.1 arrived there was no Panadol breakfast.

Burgos and we woke later than normal and finally out on the street to see it had rained overnight. I put on my rain jacket just in case even though it looked like the rain had stopped. But false alarm the street had been washed down. It was a good mistake though and I appreciated the extra warmth.

On our long walk out of Burgos we saw what appeared to be an archaeological dig. It was behind a set of old steps. Revisited Indiana Dave and I climbed the steps to have a better look. Satisfied we headed back down. I missed my footing and unable to right myself began a tumble downwards. In true Indiana Dave style Indiana Dave grabbed me by the backpack- he insists it was by the backside – and stopped me in mid tumble. God I’ve done it now. I looked down to see an empty iPad cover in my hand. Oh no. Several steps down, there was the iPad, facedown. My iPad I motioned to Indiana Dave as he tried to sit me right way up. In my minds eye all I could see was it’s smashed screen. Thankfully my iPad was intact and it was then that I felt the incredible pain in my left thigh. I stood, limped down the steps and limped away. Ego just as bruised as my leg.

Just out of Burgos near the town of Rabe de las Calzadas the Meseta begins. The Meseta is the central Spanish tablelands. The Camino Francés winds its way though approximately 220 kilometres of Meseta. Rabe de las Calzadas a pretty town with an unusual fountain and some extraordinary murals.

On the Meseta and the change of scenery was incredible and beautiful.

A cold chilly wind blew us into Hornillos del Camino and a 13 degree day. As we arrived the on again off again drizzle that had accompanied us for the last three hours turned into a light rain which lasted for over an hour. Pilgrims arriving after us left pools of water on the reception/kitchen floor.

We spent last night in Atapuerca. The prehistoric caves of Atapuerca have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fossils were discovered here during the laying of a railway line and excavation of the site began in 1964. Since then some fossils have been dated back to 800,000 years ago. This makes the site the oldest discovery of human settlement in Europe.

After leaving Atapuerca the trail was along a hard rock and boulder path. For over 2 kilometres it followed the old wire fence line of a military zone. In the breaking morning light we came to the high point and The Cruz de Matagrande.

We travelled through several old towns and past many fields of sunflowers. In a small church in the town of Cardeñuela Riopico a one of a kind alter.

As we entered the town/suburb Villafría to our left below the bridge a large railway station with freight trains and shipping containers stacked high. To our right the old town could be seen with its church and unusual five bells. This was the last we saw of any township. We walked on pavement through industrial and commercial areas. For over ten kilometres it was a continuous and monotonous walk with no break for our feet

Even once we had entered the city of Burgos it was still over an hours walk before we came to the old part of town. The signs were scarce and sometimes a little confusing but once again with the help of locals we were pointed in the right direction. Finally near our destination we looked up to see Burgos Cathedral. I had forgotten just how majestic it was.

A few pic of Burgos.

It was Sad Dave tonight as we said farewell to our friends of the last few days. Many glasses of vino tinto and many meals later and it was time for farewell. Tomorrow they would be moving onto Belorado a 30 k journey while we would only be doing our 21 k to arrive at Hornillos del Camino.

Multi lingual Dave is feeling very happy with himself. After only two weeks in Spain he is starting to pick up the lingo. He now knows the words vino tinto and his accent improves after an evening of practice.

We began our day to another brilliant sunrise. Couldn’t resist showing this one. It was a clear foggy morning and quite cool. The last couple of days had only reached 17 & 18 degrees but it had felt a lot warmer.

Near Espinosa del Camino we came to the last of the ruins of the 9th century Monasterio de San Felix de Oca. The founder of Burgos Count Diego Porcelos was buried here. Beside it is an old way marker. To me it looked like an elaborate shepherds hut but was obviously far more substantial in its heyday.

Saw this cute little creature in a burrow by the side of a path between a busy road and a river. Bigger than a mouse but not a big as a rat. I’m guessing King Kong mouse. A bit of a stalemate ensued. We waited or him to come out further and he seemed to be waiting for us to leave. He won. We moved on.

Villafranca Montes de Oca situated at the foot of the Montes de Oca was once a wild place and notorious for bandits. From here we were on a long steep uphill path of white rubbly stones and rocks. We passed between dark mysterious forests of pine and ancient oak.

At the high point of Montes de Oca there is the Monumento de los Caidos. This is more than just a monument. Here lie the shallow graves of many who were executed during Spain civil war of 1936 – 1939. On the monument is the inscription

No fue inútil su muerte, fue inútil su fusilamiento

Their death wasn’t in vain, their execution was

Some special moments from today’s walk.

Rung Out Dave stumbled – literally – down the stairs and out onto the street this morning at 7 a.m.. We had stayed in the old church of Saint Juan Bautista in Granon. We were offered loving hugs from the hospitalera but no sello – stamp for our credentials. What no sello? But you do get a hug. And she hugged me again. But I want my sello. I smiled at her and she smiled back at me. When it looked like I was about to get another hug I relented. When I had gone to bed on the thin mattress on the floor that had been supplied as our bed for the night I had turned off my hearing aid, promptly gone to sleep and heard nothing more. No such luck for Rung Out Dave. Every half hour the church bell had struck once and every full hour it had struck the hour. So by seven even after breakfast Rung Out Dave was still half asleep.

Three kilometres later and we were heading into Redecilla del Camino and towards black thunderous looking clouds. I wasn’t too worried as yesterday had looked the same but had cleared to a cool but rainless day. By eight we were passing fields of drooping sunflowers that were still able to smile.

Along the way there is always something new or interesting or different. Met a couple of casual locals.

By eleven we we’re exploring Belorado a town thought to have started out as a Celtic settlement well before the arrival of the Romans. Belorado is situated between the two rivers of Tiron and Verdeancho. Ancient cave dwelling once homes to hermits dot the limestone cliffs which are a backdrop to the town. To the left of the XIVth century church of Santa Maria a modernised cave dwelling.

On our way and following the arrows had us walking over brass plaques of famous people. A nice addition to the city streets.

Belorado s a delightfully interesting town. Large murals of all descriptions cover walls of all descriptions. Nearly out of Belorado and an odd sign on a small wall. Wall-King forward 15 steps then look back. OK. 1,2…14,15. turn. Oh wow.

I walked over this guy sunning himself on the Camino. At the end of the day I told everyone about my encounter with the two meter snake. But now I come to look at the picture I’m thinking maybe it was a tad smaller than that.

We had decided that our stop for the day would be Tosantos one town out of Belorado, a population of 60 with a parochial and a small albergue. We arrived at the albergue to be told that everything was booked out because there was a big party in town. I began to worry. The next town was only two kilometres away but there was only one albergue there and it only had 14 beds. If everyone was being pushed down the line we might not get a bed and have to move on again. For two kilometres I was a little worried and pushed poor Rung Out Dave to the limit. As it was there was no need to worry and we had a great stay at the little albergue with a beautiful host and wonderful Camino friends. So maybe things just work out for the best.

In Villambistia at the San Rogue municipal albergue. And the end of another different day.

We stayed last night in Azofra. A nice little town with a declining population of 250 residents. Like many of the smaller towns on the Camino it owes much of its existence to the pilgrims on the Camino. From 1168 Azofra has had a pilgrim hostel. In medieval times there were several pilgrim hospitals here and from the 12th century a pilgrim cemetery. Today there is a modern new albergue with double rooms. A nice stay over.

On our way. 15 k’s with one town between before we reach Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Mostly we walked over rocky paths through farm lands, vineyards and fields of green beans and swedes – I think. And in the middle of a long stretch over gently undulating hills, chairs.

On a hill just before reaching Santo Domingo de la Calzada there is a new monument to Santo Domingo. It reads 1019-2019. It is dedicated to the millennium anniversary of Saint Dominic who dedicated his life to helping the pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela during the 11th century. Domingo García was born in 1019. He was illiterate and because of this he apparently was not accepted to his chosen calling as a monk. He still wanted to follow his calling so he built a pilgrim hospital and a church. His church has evolved to become the city’s Cathedral and his Spirit is still alive today in the albergue that bears his name. There are many stories and traditions associated with Santo Domingo and one of the traditions that still exists is the live cock in the cathedral’s cage. If you visit the cathedral you can still find a live cock in a cage but now you are unable to pluck one of its feathers for luck.

Turtle Dave decided to stop and take a few photos of the ceiling at the cathedral. Umm can you give me a bit of a push Turtle Dave asked.

Walking through the old town of Santo Domingo de la Calzda was fascinating. There was history everywhere.

We continued on to our destination of Grannon. On a hill before reaching Granon was the cross of la Cruz de los la Valientes. Local legend states that there was a dispute between Grañón and Santo Domingo over a piece of land which lay between the two towns. Instead of all out war each town chose one fighter each and the winner would claim the land for their town. Martin Garcia an ordinary man was chosen for Granon while Santo Domingo chose a professional fighter. By unconventional means Martin won. The place of the fight is commemorated by the cross on the hill.