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Published: October 6th 2014
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Today we rose early, ate breakfast at the albergue, and were on the road at 7.30am. Sue was on the bus again as she still had problems with her heel. Everything else is looking good and as we are having one of our rest days in Burgos, she has two days to get things right. After today, the next eight days are relatively flat, a few hills and then the meseta (the Spanish plains) lies ahead. This is the most mentally testing section, as you walk all day with the same scenery for days on end. Enough to send you 'loco' señor .
I reintroduced my boots to my feet again today after 4 days of foot freedom in sandals, with the constant interruption via stones I scooped up. My feet seem OK, it's a big stage, so why not? Today is constant steep hills and declines with a rise of 500 metres over 2.5 kms. We are also adding 6.3 kms of the next stage before bailing out and getting a taxi.
Shortly after leaving Belorado light rain began to fall and the clouds looked ominous so we stopped to cover the packs and put jackets on. No
point waiting for heavier rain as it hits quickly in Spain. We had a coffee and pistachios at a small bar in Tosantos and pressed on through the next village making Villafranca Montes De Oca in under 2.5 hours, a distance of 11.4 kms . Here we bought some nice warm bread, had a drink, and started the main ascent to Monumento a Los Caidos, a monument and mass grave of 30 Villafranca villagers who were taken at night and slaughtered by the fascists during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Very moving.
The next 8.5 kms was walked nonstop, up and down hills, through pine scented spruce forests. I think the Beatles and Stevie Wonder helped me through this leg. Old man, old music. St. Jean de Ortega had little there except the church, a bar and the Alburgue, so after competing with wasps for the lunch we made we strode out of town for our final town, Atapuerca, 6 kms away.. This is where the oldest human remains ever discovered were found, dating back 900,000 years and current digs reveal life back 1,000,000 years. Other than that, bypass this town.
Next was a taxi to Burgos
to meet up with Sue. Sue told me an Icelandic woman on the same bus enquired as to my ethnicity and thought I must be from a different part of Australia than most. She thought I spoke a dialect of our language. Since starting the walk I have been asked if I'm English, Canadian , and now an Australian from wherever. Keep 'em guessing I think!
I might just float a little business idea while I'm here. While on the Camino, blisters are an issue every one has to deal with and everyone has a theory on. While everyone would be aware of Burns Clinics, I have never encountered a Blister Clinic. I have amassed a wealth of knowledge on this topic in the past 10 days and thought the opportunity exists in suburbia to try the market. Now clearly there is not the walking done in Melbourne like the Camino, but pitched at the size 10 who wants to squeeze into the supposedly more attractive size 6, a market exists. I have conducted extensive experimental treatments on my unfortunate 'test crash dummy', Sue, and have had results which, with a few refinements, could be successful. Given time, I'm
confident Sue will recover and be able to walk and smile again, at the same time. I have an armoury of Compeed, pins, a knife( clean), betadine and some green stuff on a stick which induces involuntary crying ( I only tried that once). Any investors would be considered for this scheme.
Adios for now, buenos tardos!
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Ian and Anne
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Honest Steve's Beaut Blister Service? "You grow 'em, we burst 'em." Genius. I want to invest in this new venture.