Day 58 / Burgos - Castrojeriz / 41.58 km

After yet another pintxos based dinner yesterday evening I had a good night’s sleep but again wake up early around 6.00. I stay in bed until 7 as the reception is not open before. I check out, after a breakfast based on 2 orange juice bricks. 

Leaving Burgos is luckily more pleasant then entering. The city center is empty, until I connect with the Camino route I meet only people cleaning the street. Once on the Camino, pilgrims everywhere in volumes I haven’t seen before. Maybe Burgos has a factory where pilgrims are cloned. During the day I will pass some people which I have seen the week before. 

The first couple kilometres is though a kind of park and we leave the city for real after passing a highway. The sun is shining, somewhat cold, rain is predicted (is predicted already some days).

Afterwards the route is meandering up and down through old valleys. Sometimes crossing a plateau. On top of the plateau the wind is blowing a cold wind out of the west. In the far distance grey, dar, clouds start building up. I better prepare for my first Spanish rain.

At the beginning of the day I’m not really fond on the landscape but as the day progresses with the rain clouds building I start to appreciate the monotonous, green, pebble filled landscape. Sometimes I pass a deeper valley which often contains a small village.

Around 12.00, km 32, I enter a small village and decide to have lunch. At the moment I enter the bar rain and hail starts falling down. I order a drink and bocadillio with tortilla. The sandwich is gigantic, sets me back 4 € with the drink, and more keeps me busy until as long it rains. The bar-restaurant is a nice place with individual rooms available. I learned I’m not dormitory material. It’s to early to stop, it stopped raining and decide to continue to next town, 10k further. 

2k out of town it starts raining again. Joined by a cold wind. I put on my raining pants. Think that I have worse rain in France so a little Spanish rain can’t bother me. The path for once is a small path, slowly going down. The first 6 K are great and I run like a kid to a toy shop. I pass some pilgrims, most covered with the typical rain attire, imagine a plastic boerka. The path is slippery, I almost fall, but I don’t. After 6 k Camino leaves the path and start, unfortunate for me, following a road again. On the road a car is parked. An old man inside who calls me. He want’s to give me a stamp. “Donativo” he says, meaning he wants some money in exchange for the stamp. I politely wave him away and continue to run. He grunts something clearly not happy that I’m not in the Donativo mood. The weather is and it stops raining.

I enter Castrojeriz which is a nice village overlooked by castle ruins on top of a hill. The village is empty, which being Sunday and 14.00in the afternoon doesn’t surprise me. a lot of hostels and albergues are available but strangely I end up in the refugio municipal. Which is a big dormitory where you have a bed for 5€. The person assesses me to be young enough to sleep on a top bunk. Normally the more aged people do get the lower bunks. As most lower bunks are filled by younger people I try to change the guy’s mind, but o success. I take it as a compliment. On the lower bunk a young man is sleeping snoring happily away.  

After the bunk discussion I go through the daily ritual of packing out, showering and washing clothes. 

This morning I finally met some other Belgians. Laura and Jan from the small Flemish city called Antwerp. They started from SJPdP. They stopped me when I was running passed them. They heared through the grapevine a crazy Belgian guy is running to Santiago. Again I assured them I’m not crazy. It was nice to meet after 2 months someone from home.

Later in the evening I had a pleasant dinner with Alex from Slovenia. After a bottle of wine it was time to go    to sleep.

Lessons learned today :

- Spanish rain is for wussies.

- On the road you meet  al kind of people also some people you don’t want to meet at home.

- I had a good Porc loin with orange, pasta, cheese cake and a bottle of wine for 10€.

Song of today : Still believe - Herman Brood and his Wild Romance

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