31kms To Atapuerca, And No Decent Beds Left

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Today I could spend the whole post describing our accommodation, if you could call it that, and the charming facilities.

If I walk out tomorrow with no bites , or cuts and abrasions from the shower, I’ll consider myself lucky. Lucky might have been if it had been a full house , and I had to find a tree to sleep under.

This was once a barn, servicing the hotel attached to it. They have replaced the donkeys, chickens, and pigs with humans. The bunks are about 400mm apart, have rubberised mattresses and pillows, with no paper sheets or pillowcase in sight. I’ll sleep on top of my sleeping bag and use a shirt as a pillowcase.

Moving on to the shower room, there are two showers and one toilet for about 30 people. Each shower cubicle is so small that when you open the door the rack on the back of the door falls off into 3 sections and you reconstruct it when you close the door so you have somewhere to put a bit of your gear. There are no hooks or benches. My shower had 4 different colours of tile, all holding on to the wall like a 3D mosaic; very few tiles weren’t cracked.

Then for the shower. I found the steam of water ( think of a garden hose ) dropped down close to the wall and ranged from scolding to icy cold. The trick was to seize the optimum time when the water was travelling through it’s range; you had pulses of about 5 seconds to lather up, wait, rinse off, wait, lather up, etc etc. .

This is all before bedtime. I’m not washing clothes or using anything from the ‘kitchen’ as you use the same sink for everything. We’ll eat out tonight. The two guys are here with me and Karem would have booked something private and definitely better. Thank god I’m in Burgos tomorrow for 2 nights in a hotel so I’ll wash clothes then. We are in Atapuerta, a village known for archeological finds and was recognised by UNESCO in 2000.

Our Albergue should be on the register.

Back to today.

I left Belorado at 6.45 and rang Australia to check in and find out abou the AFL Grand Final. The result came through at my breakfast break and the day had picked up already. There’s always next year, Eddie. And sons.

Today was a little like the Pyrenees, in that I climbed and climbed , but once at the top of Montes de Oca it flattened out to a long stoney walk to Ages.

Unfortunately for Matt, a young guy who struck up a conversation with me at the top of the mountain, he asked me where I was from. When he informed me that he was also from Melbourne, I said, “ Well you’re probably pleased the Pies lost.”

He had placed a media ban on himself and I had just stuffed it for him. He was looking forward to watching the game with a beer, with no idea of the result.

He couldn’t believe that on some remote mountain top in Spain he would bump into someone who could know the result. Ah well, he was an Essendon supporter anyway so it wasn’t too important.

Determined to have a short walk into Burgos tomorrow, today I covered 30.8kms, exactly the distance Tim and I covered in 2014. I remember that was a hot day for sore feet as well.

To make the time pass, I visualised my room in Burgos and the day off.

Like Mary and Joseph, all the inns were closed, so we have been allocated the barn.

The reality on the Camino is that if you stay at a substandard place, you are only there for one day of your life.

Not much to add now.

Matt the footy guy is outside this bar watching the game. He doesn’t look too surprised at anything that he’s watching. He even offered me a spare bed in the house he has rented. Nice offer but I can’t abandon my people. Adios from me. Burgos tomorrow and I’ll post a more reflective complete post.

My feet are sore but ok.

Every morning I do my beauty treatments before I walk. Cortisone cream on the inflamed angry heat rash on my legs, 50+ cream on the face and neck, and of course, Vaseline between all of my toes for blister protection.

I look wonderful as I set off.

Bye

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Photos

The Plan For The Day.
Plus 6 extra kilometres.. Shorter walk tomorrow though

Entering Tosantos Expecting Breakfast
Too crowded, walk another 3kms

Matt, the media lockdown guy.
Sorry Matt.

St Juan
Huge church, tiny village

Agés
Maybe I should have stayed there.

Our Albergue
Mmmmmmm.

Squeezed In Like Sardines
Albergue at €5. What do you expect?

Nothing Spared On This Facade.
And inside is just as posh

Comments

[Christine Braden]

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Loved this one