Camino a Santiago Day 13: Burgos to Hornillos del Camino

Distance: 21km (13.13mi)

Elevation gain: 128m (420ft)

Duration: 5hr 5m

Steps: 34,484

Calories: 1,412

“If you want to find an answer, forget the question and trust the Camino”

-Anonymous.

I was blessed by a nun and met a Pilgrim who’s been on the Camino for eight years. I mean, back home we’d call him a bum, but somehow not here.

I left Burgos today quite late. It was nine thirty when i set off. Having stayed in an apartment for the last couple of days, I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to chill, make myself a proper breakfast (the Spaniards are not big on breakfast like we are in the U.S), and head out. Today being a shorter day to what I knew would be literally the middle of nowhere I figured I could procrastinate. It was definitely hotter as a result, but not awful.

I always imagined today’s stage to be more of a transitional one, like the one into Burgos had been. By transitional, I mean not much of anything to look at, and an awful lot of time spent just trying to get out of Burgos. It was and it wasn’t. For the first 8 miles (14K) the main highlights were the simply stunning Burgos University….I mean wow, I could totally go back to school in those surroundings…and walking past a prison.

It was at the eight mile marker I walked into Tardajos, hoping to find a restroom. Well never mind that. I’m not sure more than five people live in the village. It felt like a ghost town, Wild Wild West style. It was a bit eerie. Then, not a half mile later I came to the cutest little village called Rabé de las Calzadas. There was no one around, but people definitely live here. Not only was the town adorable, on the way out there was an Ermita (kind of like a small chapel) that was open. This is a rarity. Most Ermitas we walk past are closed, leaving you to imagine what their insides are like.

I had two people text me separately yesterday to tell me I just had to look out for it, so I did. What I found was an at least 80-year-old nun. She stamped my pilgrim passport, put a medal of the Virgin Mary around my neck and offered a blessing in my name. I may not be Catholic, or even Christian, but it was very moving. And as someone who was raised within a Catholic family I’m no stranger to my Aunts’ blessings and always welcome them as a display of love and caring for my well-being.

It was on my way out I met Juan, our pilgrim/bum who has spent 8 years on the Camino. He gave me a printed love poem, a sort of ode to the Camino he hands out to those he meets. He also said something that really resonated with me. The Way is set. The markers clear for everyone to see. But what makes the Camino is not the road, it’s the people on it, and the stories, each one of us carry.

POSTCRIPT.

I’m not sure I made the connection at the time, but it was shortly after that I ran into Sarah and Lillian, two Camino friends who would remain a part of my journey all the way to Santiago. The three of us were tired and quite hot, but we had a blast taking pictures and just generally being silly until we got to our final destination for the day.

Accommodation: Consulta del Isar. A very plain, but perfectly adequate B&B literally in the middle of nowhere. Having said that if you want to stay in a private room and you’re making a stop at Hornillos del Camino this may be your only option a couple of miles off the Camino. It is expensive for what it is, but I suspect it’s because there is pretty much nothing else there to choose from. The owner, who is very funny, will pick you up in town. Double room, single use: €65

Dinner: Consulta del Isar. The rooms and property may be very plain-looking, but the food was excellent. Having had lunch in town I only had the soup and the dessert, but two Swedish girls I met that evening and was chatting with during dinner loved their mains. Menu del dia: €14