DAY 17: BURGOS TO HORNILLOS DEL CAMINO
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
As I stomp on the small pebbles below my feet, I begin to hear an American Indian chant as we keep our pace.
Ay-yah-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ay-yah-ya-ya-ya-ya
I have no idea why that is coming to mind seeing we are in Spain.
Then five minutes later I think to myself that it sounds like me munching on a bowl of Captain Crunch. I must be getting hungry.
I’ve noticed on this trip I am ravenous every time we sit down to eat. Even in the morning, I am ready to eat immediately which is never usually the case. Must mean we are burning a lot of calories!
We are starting a long stretch, roughly 90 miles, on what is called the Meseta. From what I’ve read, you either love it or hate it. Some even bus right by it, skipping it completely. People say that it is flat and boring and others say it is a great time for reflection.
Originally we planned on walking the entire route within six weeks with the thought that if something happens like an injury or extreme heat that the Meseta would be the spot to pick up extra days if need be. Now we are determined to walk it all if we can.
Since we’ve heard so many negative things about the region, we were surprised at the beautiful scenery and quaint small villages we passed through. Maybe tomorrow it’ll be boring…
The place we stayed at with its welcoming patio and large common area would have been wonderful, if not for the horrendous vomit smell that filled the air. Not sure what happened in the men’s bathroom, but whatever caused that stench I hope to never experience it. We would get wafts of it while relaxing and having a few drinks outside.
We almost chose not to have dinner there because of it, but for lack of options we signed up for it. Luckily, some poor soul took care of the problem by then and we were able to enjoy our meal. I hope that person made a hazardous wage!
We had a lot of people at dinner tonight: a well-traveled man from Portland, two German kids who just graduated high school and are now on a gap year, and about six or seven Brazilians. The main dish was chicken and vegetable paella. Check out this pan!
It was a great meal with lots of laughs.
DAY 18: HORNILLOS DEL CAMINO TO CASTROJERIZ
I’m not sure what people are talking about regarding the Meseta because today was one of our favorite days.
Most of it was on an actual trail not road, we went through the cute stone town of Hontanas, passed under two arches of the mystical San Anton monastery ruins, and at the end of the day ended at one of the coolest towns we’ve seen on the hike, Castrojeriz.
DAY 19: CASTROJERIZ TO BOADILLA DEL CAMINO
What can I say about today? It started out chilly but dry and finished with us absolutely drenched.
We knew they were calling for rain, but we didn’t know there was a possibility of seeing Toto fly by. There were at least 20 mile hour winds (at some points I would say 25-30) with sleet and rain. It was so windy, I almost thought the Camino gods were trying to pick us up and replant us on the Norte route.
Needless to say, I don’t have too many pictures since the weather was ridiculous. But we made it! We saw a few groups of people turning around on the trail. We weren’t sure if they were going to wait for a taxi or cab or try to make it back to the previous village. Either way, it felt pretty bad ass to push on and make it to our planned destination.
Oh and we also traipsed into an albergue kind of by accident and scored a hot English breakfast.
We are now settled in our warm albergue and of course, the sun just came out. It’s time for a BIG glass of wine.
Luis Mena
Hello Dang Travelers,
Our names are Lou & Tawna. We live in California and have to tell you that we’ve been following your blog since you began the Camino. We retire this December and plan on walking the Camino next year in April (the same dates you guys are doing now). Since we’ll be doing it the same time next year, we are paying a lot of attention to how the weather is. Of course, we’re enjoying every detail you’re writing. We wish you safe travels and thank you for sharing your adventure with complete strangers.
Bien Camino!
Lou & Tawna Mena
Dang Travelers
Well hello Lou and Tawna! Congrats on the retirement! Sounds like a great way to kick it off. I will also put together more informative ones when we are done like the best places we stayed & ate, packing tips, and any other things that could be helpful. So stay tuned!!
Vickey McCue
Love Love Love.
Such great stories of your adventure as well as pictures, as always!
Dang Travelers
Thanks for following along Vickey!
Agness of aTukTuk
This seems like a worthwhile experience! I’d love yo walk there!
Dang Travelers
It’s an adventure that’s for sure! If you like a challenge, to walk and meet new people it’s for you. It’s been a great experience so far.