Belorado to San Juan de Ortega

Belorado to San Juan de Ortega – video

Today we walked from Belorado to San Juan de Ortega approximately 23 kilometers.  It was a great walk because we were walking on tracks, generally away from the main roads (which we ALL collectively despise) and  through the most amazing silver birch forests  and later pine forests.  We were pleased to find our walking companion  Anne again who was not staying with us last night and was not lost (for a change).  She had us in fits of laughter telling us of her intimate accommodation which she shared with a priest from Alaska.  Hilarious stories about her discussions and faux pas which seemed to get worse the harder she tried.  We caught up with Maggie who is availing herself of every physio on the route – photograph of her strappings included in the blog photos and then basically headed off to San Juan.

So we have included a video of one of the true blessings of today.  Walking the last 10 km we were in the forest and having not stopped for coffee at the last of the villages before the longer haul, I was pretty much desperate.  We came over a rise and there in front of us was one of the “donation” a donativa stall.  These are set up by locals, and the money usually goes to good causes such as orphanages or support for the homeless.  This one was special.  They had set up totems made from the offcuts of timber and the stall holder provided paints that people could sit an decorate their pieces of timber.  Music playing, coffee, juice, fruit and snacks – help yourself and donate as much as you like.  I bought coffee and some fruit and walked over to a bench to sit down and overhear a Croatian fellow talking to his mates back in Zadar saying that the temperature is 30 degrees and that they are all swimming.  I introduced myself and discovered he was a young priest Ivica from Zadar.  Had a great chat and we have caught up with him again tonight in Ortega.

We are staying in the tiniest of villages, San Juan de Ortega.  No more than about 10 houses in the village and the most phenomenal of all the churches we have seen (in my opinion based on the pure simplicity and lack of ornate and very baroque looking gold relief work that seems to be in every other church).  The church is attached to a Monastery where Ivica pulled the “I’m one of you and need some accom card”.

We had a great light meal at the bar with Jean, a recently retired Montessori principal from San Francisco – such similar experiences in education it was almost frightening.  She too had us in fits of laughter explaining that prior to leaving for the Camino she visited her parish priest for a blessing.  She got the giggles because he got confused and started with a blessing related to transformation, corrected himself and then proceeded … the bit where Jean lost it was as he extended his palm over her head for the final blessing, Jean,a long time educator,thought he was giving her a  “high five” so she gave him one back.  Incredulous look on face!

We had what by definition was  a quick wander around the tiny village (because there isn’t much to wander) and back to our rooms for an early start into the city of Burgos tomorrow.