Camino a Santiago Day 11: Belorado to Atapuerca

Distance: 30km (19 mi)

Elevation Gain: (1,630 ft)

Duration: 7h 30m

Steps: 37,995

Calories: 2,015

I took a bus today. Yes. A bus. But I didn’t cheat. Let me explain.

This was a heck of a long day. There was a mountain crossing, a mass grave for political prisoners, a religious procession celebrating a village’s Saint, a butterfly photography session, and an archeological dig site containing not just the remains of five hominid species, but the oldest human remains ever found in Europe… That’s not even going into all the random encounters and conversations along the Way. Today had so much going on it was definitely enough to make your head spin.

I’m not going to lie. I was kind of dreading this day. At 19 miles, with a mountain range involved well you never know how your body will react. But Leaving Belorado today I felt good. As the day wore on and we started climbing over the Oca Mountains I was grateful the heat of the last few days did not materialize. We were walking in shade mostly. Back in the forest after several days of wide open terrain.

Stopping to contemplate just how awful human beings are at yet another mass grave for Franco’s political prisoners, I met my first Mexican along the Camino. A girl from Mexico City, walking with her Italian boyfriend. She’s a college student at the university that “competes” with mine for the title of Mexico’s best. We bonded over our common backgrounds for a bit and walked on. Until I ran into Sarah again, the Dutch-British girl I’ve been running into over the last several days, along with another British girl, Lilian. We walked together a bit, indulging in a massive butterfly photo shoot. I mean.

They were EVERYWHERE. And so beautiful. We just kept stopping. Trying to get that perfect butterfly shot. Lol. And then, as if no time had passed at all we were 14 miles in and in the midst of a massive religious procession Never mind that the vehicle that was most likely carrying my suitcase was stuck in this procession as well. It was San Juan de Ortega. Yet another tiny village along the way that was celebrating its Saint’s Day. In my two weeks here I haven’t seen this many people. I’m pretty sure they included not just the folks that reside in San Juan de Ortega, but also the surrounding communities out for a good time and what clearly is a very big deal here.

It was at this point I lost Sarah and Lilian. They were not planning on walking as long as a day as I. But I had to continue on.

My goal was Atapuerca. A village with no more than 150 inhabitants, that is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Atapuerca is the place, where Europe’s oldest human remains have been found. This is where the bus part happened. The only way to visit Atapuerca is to take a guided tour.

It was, incredibly interesting. It was also, only guided in Spanish. I felt kind of bad for the other two pilgrims in the group who had no clue what was going on. Then again, there were about 50 of us in the group and only two non-Spanish speakers, so I guess they cater to their audience.

On our way back the skies opened up. A massive thunderstorm pouring down. It was my initial intent to get to a highly-rated restaurant in the town (no idea why it’s there), so when the bus dropped me off, I raced in the rain to the place. Except guess what? It was closed. Restaurant times in Spain really drive me batty. I assumed they’d open at 7pm. Anyway, at this point I gave up and ran back to my guesthouse, arriving pretty soaked.

I had an absolutely lovely dinner. It was simple homemade meal, prepared by the owners of the place; a couple who literally spend all day working to tend to, and feed their guests completely on their own. I ended up having a very interesting conversation with the female owner who says they just bought the place a year ago after the original owner retired. She’s had quite a few challenges trying to “modernize” a building from 1851, but is doing her best. And as simple as the accommodations were’’no air-con, and a shower stall so small I could not move in—I truly enjoyed my stay.

Accommodation: Hotel Papasol. The room was tiny. I literally could not move in the shower and there is no air-con. And yet I really liked this place. My view is probably influenced by my opinion of the owners. The husband going out of his way to feed me when I arrived even though the restaurant was closed and he was busy already preparing dinner for that evening. The price is high for what it is, but there is close to nothing in Atapuerca, and I find along the Meseta prices are very cheap unless the spots have no competition. Single room: €50

Dinner: Hotel Papasol. The menu del día was a simple, homemade affair, but quite good. €15.