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Published: September 30th 2018
Sunrise Looking Back To Atapuerca
....and as it turned out, my charger adapter also.Where can you get an Australian adapter plug in Spain? In the Albergue in Atapuerca, 21kms back from Burgos, that’s where.
Last night I left the hotel at A. at 9.45pm and casually unplugged my phone and iPad from the communal powerboard in the dorm.
You know how sometimes you have those,” I must do that ...” moments but never follow through. Well I had one a few hours earlier and it went like,” I must tape those 2 sections of my adapter together to stop them coming apart”.
I didn’t do it. Tomorrow I will search out the local ‘Chinese’ shops, ( the hotel receptionist’s description, not mine), and hopefully match it up. He pulled out a big bag of chargers left at the hotel and gave me a USB charger. The sticker on it indicates it was left by Bailey, Room 302, on 13/5/2016. I’m not the only fool in town.
If I can’t sort it out, then the phone becomes the camera.
Today I commenced a steep rocky climb in the dark for an hour, before reaching the peak and sighting the bright lights of Burgos in the distance. It didn’t look far
Burgos In The Distance
4hours on foot, 15 minutes by car. but I knew I had 4 hours walking ahead of me before I crossed the river into the old town.
The morning was fresh but we were guided by the soft blue light of sunrise and the reassuring shadows stretching out in front of us; they mean we are heading west, in the right direction.
At the peak there was also a tall cross surrounded by a small mound of stones. As she approached the cross, an American lady exclaimed,”Oh look Walt, it must be the Cross we heard about!” With a bit more research, she would have realised that the Cross she was thinking about is still hundreds of kilometres away.
I walked part of the Way today with a 29yo German guy who shall remain anonymous ( I can’t recall his name ). He had quit his job to walk the Camino. He was an accountant at a car firm , auditing what he called provisions. It was to do with diesel emissions, and in light of VWs recent history, he was under pressure. He talked about life/work balance and thought it was not possible in big companies. Apparently in Germany, it’s not unusual to
work 10-12 hour days Monday to Friday, only to turn up again on Saturday. This was better though, only 8-10 hours. Then the Boss might call on Sunday. And this is all on a set salary.
I got his point. I know people who have trouble working a solid 38 hour week. Stay in Australia folks.
At breakfast, he went and sat with a couple of Germans from the night before and I ate outside; it’s a handy way to get some separation and walk alone again. A great guy but I want to be alone most of the time.
It didn’t last long. A small band of Koreans approached and slowed down for a chat. There are many Koreans walking and they only ever name Korea as home. There is no need to be more specific as I don’t think their northern neighbors would be on the Camino. They said many Koreans walk because they are Catholic, but not them. They just want the challenge and adventure. So why did they split away when I abandoned the yellow arrows to look for the River Route to Burgos. The 26yo girl I had walked with wanted a
An Albergue Alternative
I’ve had a few nights on the top bunk but never on the top deck. selfie with me, with the obligatory peace sign, and said she missed me already as she disappeared up the main road. Yeah, right.
Speaking of BS, as I was registering at the hotel today, an American woman told me , when asked, that she had walked from San Domingo that morning. That’s 72.8 kms by my reckoning. Do I really look that stupid? It was midday and she looked fresh.
My feet, on the other hand, or more appropriately, foot, had only walked 21kms today and had developed weird, wedge shaped blisters on both little toes, and they hurt from the moment I left the Barn this morning.
Oh, I forgot to mention that I forgot my poles this morning and had to go back for them; make that 22kms.
It must have been a little off putting for anyone following me when I started swinging my arms back and forth in some strange dance move. It was about 20 seconds before I realised there were no poles at the end of them.
Burgos is vibrant and colourful, and the Spaniards here, as in Pamplona, love to spill out of the many bars, fill the
Breakfast At Cardeñuela
A quick energy top up and I was out of there. Tortilla and coffee with a banana chaser. alleyways, and celebrate Sunday, and life I guess, with large beers and tapas. I hear dogs, children playing, adults laughing , or arguing passionately about....nothing probably. Just now a band has appeared from another street, dancing and singing to the sound of drums, whistles and other percussion instruments. Girls are moving to the beat, holding white hearts and signs that indicate the theme might be as simple as love. I’ve recorded some so I hope it shows up on this post.
The Camino is going well so far. It’s had its moments, I do miss people, but I’ve also met some amazing people as well. This was Day 11 for me so I’m one day ahead of schedule. I meet Tim on the 26th of October to walk to Finisterre and Muxia, so I have time to slow down. This break with give me some quiet time to work out where to aim for each day. No more alarms for me. I will probably book ahead in albergues as , even though I arrive early, a pile of packs and suitcases often signals no beds available.
Well, that’s it today. R and R tomorrow, with the dual priority
of buying a new adapter and buying a bar of soap; major business. If all goes to plan, the Camino is a 4 bar trip.
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Susan Petch
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Buen camino Steve
That river walk looks the go. Did you go into the Gaudi cathedral? Are you sure the blisters are worth it?