At breakfast in San Juan we met two German guys who are doing the Camino on mountain bikes. We laughed when they said that they would be done in 14 days and we are doing it in almost 40! I had never heard of Burgos before and now that I am here I’d happily come back and recommend it to everyone. The old city is beautiful and houses what the local guides refer to as the second largest cathedral in Europe after St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Having googled this last night there is clearly conjecture about the claim, but nonetheless the building of Santa Maria of Burgos is phenomenal. What is equally as amazing is the beauty of the city. The Centre is entirely car free and feels to me like a giant Split or Dubrovnik. As usual the crowds are nowhere to be seen until dark and then the place bustles. More on that in tomorrow’s blog.
We are on a rest day and it couldn’t have come soon enough. Having walked for 10 days straight it is a welcome reprieve and sitting here in the room overlooking the city at 8.32am is PURE luxury. The walk was pleasant enough and we took some options on the path so as to not have to walk in through industrial areas. This brought us into the city via the perimeter of the airport (I only now realise how much land they take up having walked the fence) and along the banks of the river which runs through the city of Burgos. Apart from the wondrous sight of the cathedral and city, the most joyous building of all that we have encountered on the trip so far was the laundromat! Clean walking clothes and that potent smell of European laundry detergent fills the room – it’s the simple things in life!
To end the day, caught up with our two German mates on pushbikes in a tapas bar last night. I had to laugh because our walk took us about 5 hours and their ride took them just over an hour….
Enjoy your day off both of you and your last couple of days have convinced me that my plenary indulgences are safe. Keep up the good work collecting PI’s and good luck with the next phase of your journey.