Monday, August 18, 2008 Burgos to Tardajos

Tarjados

Sleep on the train was fitful.  The bed was short for me (I’m 6’) and it had to be even more uncomfortable for Jim. It was probably better than sitting upright in a coach seat for the whole trip but not quite the experience of pure relaxation that I imagined.   In the six bunk cabin, we had the two top ones.  Below us was a family of three adults and a little boy about five or so.  They were very polite and tried to be quiet for us.  But it was, if not claustrophobic, tight accommodations.  No one looked like a happy Rick Steves when we emerged in Burgos.

City gates of Burgos at 7:00am, Monday August 18, 2008

Arrived in Burgos about 6:30a,  still dark outside.  Walked into the city center from the station, less than a mile in distance.  As we made our way out of the station and down the street the first person we saw was a pilgrim headed out, westward, and away from us.  Even though we didn’t have our credencials yet and were not yet registered as official pilgrims, it was a moment of realization that we were finally here and on the way.  The near year that we’d planned for this had finally become real. We had our packs on our backs and were walking on the Camino, finally. (Albeit backtracking a bit into Burgos to get registered.)

There have been a number of point-of-no-return moments in which I, at least, have marked as part of this pilgrimage, e.g., the decision to do it; the permission from employers to be gone the five weeks necessary; the purchase of the non-refundable plane tickets (a significant moment for sure); sitting down on the seat on the plane; putting foot on Spanish soil.  But walking on the road with pack on back, as one walker among others, was the most poignant yet.

After passing by more peregrinos on their way out, we tracked them back to a brand new refugio just behind the cathedral. We met the hospitalero there, a very friendly and helpful woman named Marian.  She gave us an application to fill out which we then handed back to her, trading it for our credencial, or called by some, our “passport.”  She stamped it for us and we were official peregrinos. (Another PONR moment.)

Street in Burgos marked with brass scallop shells

Got some breakfast at a café right in front of the cathedral:  café con leche (hereinafter referred to as ccl) with orange juice and a doughnut like pastry. Cost 6E.  Toured the cathedral. (Realized an immediate financial benefit of being a registered pilgrim; the ticket was discounted upon showing our credencial.)   The cathedral is a magnificent building and so well maintained with a number of galleries of exquisite art.  It is among the the finer cathedrals I’ve ever toured.  I was particularly excited to stand in front of the floor stone marking the burial of El Cid and his wife, Ximena.  I had made a point to watch the old movie, El Cid, with Charlton Heston starring, before I left. Whatever its historical accuracy, it did give me a sense of the man’s importance to Spain’s history.  He is the George Washington of Spain.

Jim marking our pilgrimage beginning

Finally left around 11:30a and, taking pictures of each other beside a yellow and blue Camino wall marker and a painted yellow arrow to certify our beginning (another PONR moment), we were finally headed west.  Burgos itself is a city along the Arlanzon R.  Downtown is a lovely park and walkway which sits astride the river’s banks.  We retraced our steps on the river walk and before too long we had passed the train station and, inside of a half-hour, were outside the city.  The city stops abruptly, I noticed.  There is little of what I think of as suburb.  One moment it’s buildings, the next it’s fields.

About two miles out, we stopped for a rest and had lunch in a fairly new park next to what appears to be a development of some kind.  There are newly paved streets and street light poles, but nothing else.  Then we continued our walk into Tardajos, arriving around 3:15p.

The refugio is a fine, clean, simple place overseen by an old man named Bernardo, who spoke only Spanish.  When we stood before him, asking about a place, there was some confusion until I realized he was asking only for our credencials.  Ah, yes, I thought. I need to remember it’s the first identification hospitaleros need to see.  There are twelve beds in our room, all taken as I write this, plus another four beds in another room, also taken.  I sit here at the picnic table in the front yard and more pilgrims are arriving behind me. I don’t know where Bernardo will put them, if he can.

Where is the Camino? Just follow the yellow arrows.

Jim and I have decided to read 3 Psalms each day of the pilgrimage.  We did Nos. 1-3 this evening.  It’s a nice touch.  It reminds us that we are on a pilgrimage, not just a hike, that there’s a reason for this.

This little town of Tardajos is run down at the edges, but quaint in a European movie sort of way.  (Think Cinema Paradiso.)  The parish  church has a date on it of 1745.  The small town square has a fountain/public well in its center, with benches around and litter scattered underneath it’s trees and bushes.

The temperature had to reach the low nineties today.  We are going to start walking MUCH earlier tomorrow.

Observation:  While we saw quite a few pilgrims our age this morning at the refugio in Burgos, we are clearly in the minority here.  There is one Korean guy who appears to be in his 30’s and another European who is 30-40’s. All the rest are college aged kids.  We did meet and talk with a young woman from Slovakia, Natasha.  Her English is quite good, similar to the Czech family’s we talked to at Montserrat two days ago.  I noticed at suppertime, when a group of the younger pilgrims gathered together at the picnic table beside me, they were from varying countries of Europe and one Australian woman.  The language they defaulted to was English.

Two pilgrims resting not far out of Tardajos. Natasa, the film maker, on right.

I’m trying to learn some Spanish.  Virtually no Spanish person we have met so far speaks English and we need a few stock phrases for buying groceries, finding directions, saying who we are, etc.  I need to start carrying with me my yellow phrasebook, too.  Might help.

Walked 8.8 miles today.  Paid voluntarily 5E for the bed. Not sure if that was enough or more than enough, but somewhere I read it was a good offer.

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