San Juan de Ortega to Burgos

April 29, 2016 Friday

A Long Walk to Burgos and a Rest Day    Walking Day #12

The walk today from San Juan de Ortega to Burgos is a generally flat 26 kilometers (16 miles) walk, with one very steep, fairly long (almost a kilometer), and very rocky uphill. As with the walk into San Juan de Ortega, the day's walk started in the forest, and while it was a cold morning, it was beautiful and crisp out. For the second day in a row, we could see our breath as we walked leaving San Juan de Ortega.

San Juan de Ortega (a small town population 20) is named for Saint John of the Nettles who was a disciple of Saint Dominic and also built chrches, hospitals for pilgrims, bridges, and hostels throughout this rea to improve the Camino for pilgrims. In 1150 he founded an Augustinian monestary in this town, now named for him. The chapel is dedicated to San Nicolas de Bari who allegedly saved San Juan from drowning on his way back from pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The Camino in the forest after leaving San Juan de Ortega and walking in the brisk cool morning. Someone said it was 7 degrees (about 40 fahrenheit) when we left San Juan de Ortega; I was very glad that I had gloves, a scarf, and a hat.

This is just the start of the long, steep, rocky climb up the only significant hill today. I did not get more pictures because I was busy trying to get up the hill.

On the way down the hill, I found one of the older-style way markers on a stone wall of a farm building of some kind (maybe an ancient silo structure).

The last farmland before getting to Orbaneja and the suburbs of Burgos. A challenge a little further on was that the path splits into two routes into Burgos, really three. One route goes along a busy city street in a long industrial area for over 6 kilometers. The second splits off at a village called Opción and is not well marked but bypasses the industrial area (the split is not marked at all). The third path splits from the second where it crosses under highway N-120, and has become the favorite route into Burgos, going along a river and into a long park.

I was by myself, saw no signs indicating Opción, and continued following the very few yellow arrows. Soon I encountered a pilgrim-looking hiker coming towards me, and I was concerned that I was  going the wrong way. This pilgrim was from Belgium, had walked from his home through all of France, then across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. He was now walking home, with about two months to go. He assured me that I was on the correct path, and seemed to indicate that the fork to take to follow the river route was ahead. I must not have understood him correctly, for I soon figured out later I was far past that fork. The walk into Burgos was tedious in the industrial area. The road was long and straight for kilometer after kilometer, and the road busy with large trucks.

Occasionally I saw a marker in the walkway. And occasionally I saw a yellow arrow on a signpost. But the walk itself was long and very tiring. I stopped to consult my map, wanting to make sure I did not miss the place where the other route merged with my route. I finally got through the industrial area, into a business district, and thought I was about three kilometers away. I wanted to find the Arch of San Juan, that is the entry into the old city, and from there, I could find my hotel. I asked a few people, and got very misleading directions, and I am pretty sure I ended up far off the path. I saw a building in which there was a line of taxis in front, and asked the first driver if he could take me to my hotel - he knew it exactly, and for 3 or 4 Euros, I got a ride the last 2 kilometers. I was not that far away, but given the number of turns he made, and that there are no street signs visible, I could not have found it myself.

The Hotel Cordon in Burgos, Spain. I was so happy to get here! I will have a rest day in Burgos to recharge a bit before continuing on over the meseta.

A view down one of the old city streets in Burgos. It is very deserted as this is siesta time; everything is closed from 2 to 4:30 or 5:00, and many restaurants do not open until 7:30 or 8:00.

A big attraction in Burgos is the main cathedral. It is said that it is the most elaborate in all of Europe. I will visit inside tomorrow during my rest day.

The Arch of Saint Mary, on one approach from the south to the main cathedral.

And a view of the cathedral itself from the outside. I will spend some time here tomorrow.

Next: Rest day in burgos and the cathedral