Day four on the meseta and we meet a different meseta. This could have been a soulless day, if that is possible on a pilgrimage. The traditional route was 20km on a path alongside the road, dead straight, dead flat, dead boring. An alternative was to turn off after 3km and do about 13km on a tree -lined riverside track offering both shade and silence. It had the disadvantage of missing the villages so no food or water but we decided to take it anyway.

The day started grey overcast and with a strong cold wind. There was a little rain so we put on our ponchos but soon the sky had cleared. For a while we walked with a lady from Victoria, Vancouver Island who was also a keen cyclist. She was in her 70s, this was her first trip to Europe and was walking with a younger friend who had agreed to accompany her. She and her husband were keen boaties (they had retired aged 46!) and new the San Juan Islands well so we had much to talk about.

The riverside walk was marvellous. Very pretty, very peaceful , just the croaking of frogs, the cuckoo of the coco birds and the wind rustling the poplar trees. A good day for quiet contemplation and a lot of people were walking on their own today.

It didn’t last forever though and for the last 6km from Villalcazar de Sirga to Carron de Los Condes we were back on the path alongside the road, dead straight, dead boring. The cold wind stayed with us all day quite strong and from the west straight into our faces. Far off to the north we could see snow on the mountains so maybe it was coming from somewhere there. Barbara put her poncho back on which kept her warm but it flapped all over the place. We walked through fields of bright green wheat about knee high. The wind was making the fields look like the waves on a choppy sea. I should have posted some video, it was quite mesmerising. I haven’t heard of people getting sea sick on the Camino, hundreds of kilometres inland, but it could be possible. 

There must be over a thousand churches on the Camino so we ration ourselves as to how many we visit. Yesterday we excelled and visited two. It was Sunday after all. The first was at Villalcazar de Sirga, the church of Santa Maria la Virgen Blanca. The white virgin. This had been a commandery of the Knights Templar and had been an enormous complex with a fortified tower, surrounding walls, gates, church, cloister, chapter houses, residences, pilgrims’ hospice, silos, stables etc. Most of this had been lost to earthquakes over the centuries but what remains is still pretty magnificent. It was also a great place to get in out of the wind and sit down and rest the legs. We didn’t think we should eat our lunch in there though.

The second church is here where we are staying in Carrion de Los Condes. Our hotel is located in the Moasterio de San Zoila. This is a monastery of major historic and artistic importance founded in the 10th century. It has a beautiful church but for me the best part was a magnificent renaissance cloister. The ceiling has hundreds of intricately carved busts of kings, saints, patriarchs, prophets angels and of course Santiago. It was a very serene place, totally cut off from the outside world. Of course there is a miracle associated with the church, a blind pilgrim was brought to the monastery to sleep, but instead he stood vigil before the church’s relics, and in the morning he found his sight restored.

The hotel is grand, luxurious, sumptuous. We pilgrims are not suffering much. In fact we feel a bit out of place. We come in a bit smelly, sweaty, grubby, mud on the boots, not dressed at all like the regular guests. The hotel with all its ultra modern facilities is very well integrated with the thousand year old monastery. The food is excellent every day but here the food has been the best. Of course being the best the portions are also the smallest. And the wine was only one third of a glass. No other pilgrims other than those who are guests of the hotel eat here. It is way too expensive.

We resisted the temptations of the devil and didn’t use the Ipods today but the theme tune was : Blowin’ in the wind by Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you can call him a man
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Our third day on the meseta and so far we are not finding it intimidating but quite interesting.

A few disgruntled pilgrims this morning. Breakfast wasn’t until 7.45 and there was a queue at the door waiting. Pilgrims like their breakfast at 7.00am or earlier if possible. When the days are hot they like to get started as early as possible. Breakfast was coffee, juice, yoghurt, toast and jam.

Castrojeriz was a fortified village on the side of an impregnable island hill in the middle of a wide fertile valley. Outside the town was ia path up to the plateau, just over 1km long and 12% grade. Enough to get a bit of a sweat up. On the hill we met our friend Trish from Nebraska. I asked her how many hills Nebraska had like this. Answer: none. Trish is on her own and this is her first time in Europe. At first we thought, wow what an introduction to Europe. But on reflection maybe it is good. Very safe for women on their own and plenty of company if you want it. Also you can get by with very little knowledge of Spanish.

At the top of the climb was a guy with a table of fruit, coffee, bars, Cola etc. We bought bananas and it was donativo. It’s funny how when the price is a donation you always pay way too much. You always get rid of your coins. To lighten the load of course. After going across the plateau for a while there was a steep descent, 18% for 350 metres down into another fertile valley. The path was straight down, wide and concrete. Many people zigzagged across the path which was a bit hair raising when the cyclists came screaming down at top speed.

After two and a half hours we were flagging a bit. That breakfast just didn’t have enough oomph and we were desperate for the next village. It duly arrived and the approach was about 1km along a river and under the shade of some very welcome trees. The first cafe in a  village always gets the most business from desperate pilgrims. The further into the village the less business. Approaching Itero de la Vega a lady was out standing in the sun touting for business for her cafe which was in the middle of town. We thought she deserved a chance so went there, as did many others.

There were now two and half hours of crossing a flat region with no shade. It is an extensive agricultural area with wheat, vegetables and wine. There are many streams and canals the irrigate the rich soil. For the first time on the Camino we got out our ipods and wired ourselves for sound. While getting things set up Bryony and Roger came by, kiwis from Lower Hutt who we first met in the Human Evolution Museum a few days ago. They were intrigued we had ipods and we kidded them the playlist was hymns, psalms and Gregorian chants but we did confess it was really Meat Loaf, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd etc. The music did the trick and the time passed very quickly. The only problem is that with the music going you tend to speed up. It is really hard to walk slowly to a fast beat. Only when you are all alone are you permitted to sing out loud.

For the last hour we walked along the Canal de Castilla, an 18th century canal used for irrigation but also for transporting cultivated crops and power to turn the corn mills. The canal was tree lined which was welcome relief.

We are in Fromista which has a population of 840 and declining. It is best known for the beautiful Iglesia de San Martin (consecrated in 1066) which is said to be the best example of pure Romanesque in Spain. It has been de-consecrated, painstakingly restored and made a national monument. It is now a must-see site and is visited by endless bus loads of tourists. It does have exquisite proportions but somehow it has been restored too well. It is too clean, too straight, no stork nests, a bit lacking in charm and character.

It could have been an insufferably hot day today but our good fortune continues and we had passing cloud and a wonderful cooling wind that caressed us all day. But then on the Camino nothing is just good fortune, everything has been preordained.

Ipod theme song f of the day: Wired for Sound by Cliff Richard

I’ve liked small speakers -I’ve liked tall speakers
If they’ve music, they’re wired for sound.

A strange night. At 11pm we were woken by a very loud gurgling and splashing and running of water coming from above us. In my half awake state I wondered who the heck was having a bath at this time. It took a couple of minutes to think hang on a minute, we are alone in this house and we are on the upper floor. Barb got up to check we weren’t in a flood from a burst pipe or something, but everything was okay. At 3am it happened again. We don’t know what it was, maybe a supply tank or boiler flushing and refilling itself?

Since I had been awoken at 3am I went outside to check out the Milky Way. What a disappointment! There was a huge full moon. Bright enough to cast shadows. Only the very brightest of the stars were visible. You could have easily walked the Camino without a torch. I will have to wait about two weeks and try again.

Not much chat at the dinner table last night or breakfast this morning. 4 swedes, 2 french, 3 irish and us. I couldn’t understand anything said by anybody. We got a ride in the hotel van the 2km back to the trail. Initially it was cool climbing back up to the plateau but soon it was stinking hot. Not a breath of wind. The wind turbines were still and useless. Everyone was peeling off layers.

After a while, as often seems to happen, we were in a group of about 5 of our lovely lady friends. Talk about chat, chat, chat! I was the only male so I stopped and pretended to be taking a photo of a turbine doing nothing. This allowed me to drop back about 50metres where I could stroll along in the peace and quiet. It is peaceful on the meseta, just a few birds twittering and sometimes the sound of a far off tractor. I mustn’t speak badly of the ladies, they are all so much fun. Nobody is finding it easy but they are always positive and friendly and time passes much more quickly when you are with them.

Walking across the plateau you keep an eye on the person you can see furthest ahead. If they disappear it is a good sign. Then more and more disappear. They have moved off the plateau and gone down into a canyon. Soon a church steeple rises up out of the canyon. Then you are on the edge and down before you is a village. An oasis. It means toilets, coffee, food, a seat in the shade, taking your shoes off and airing your feet, cool fresh water in your bottles. Bliss!

Just before the oasis town of Hontanas we saw a group of people approaching from a path on our right. They had no packs, walking poles or drink bottles or any of the stuff of regular pilgrims. They looked fresh and above all clean, unlike us. Turns out they were a group of 29 kiwis on a bus tour. They had started in Le Puy in France and were doing about 1800km of the Camino in 3 weeks. They sometimes walked 12 km a day. Today they got off their huge blue coach 1km before Hontanas, walked through the village, and went a further 1km where the coach was now waiting. One chap asked me if we were staying in Leon tonight, as they were. I bit my tongue and told him it would take us a week to get to Leon.

I must not judge, everyone does their camino in their own way. And besides we are not carrying full packs and staying in albergues.

Lots more wild flowers today and Barbara found some strong smelling lavender.

Our destination today was Castrojeriz and the approach to it is absolutely magical. First you go through the spectacular 14th century ruins of a huge convent at San Anton. Ahead of you is a straight road and an avenue of trees. Beyond the trees is a high hill and on the summit a castle. At the foot of the hill on the right is a large church (The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Apple), and on the left the town of Castrojeriz. It takes nearly an hour to walk down the avenue of trees and enter the town and I found it just breathtaking.

Walking through the town we came across a delightful scene. A group of about 40 children, aged about six, all dressed as medieval pilgrims with floppy hats, brown cloaks, a staff, a gourd, a shell, and pilgrim passports. They were with adults, also dressed up, and going to the churches etc to get stamps in their passports. They were all so excited. Of course there were a few boys at the back who thought it was all pretty stupid and were whacking each other and anything else they could find, with their staffs.

Ipod theme tune for today: Moonshadow by Cat Stevens

Oh, I’m bein followed by a moonshadow,  moonshadow,  moonshadow
Leapin’ and hoppin’ on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow.

Today we were introduced to the intimidating Meseta. This is a high plain that starts at Burgos and extends all the way to Leon. It is featureless, with fields of wheat, oats and barley stretching to the horizon. There are no trees so there is no shade and it can be very hot. It can also be very windy so we will see many wind turbines. Occasionally there are rivers that have cut canyons into the plain. Villages are located at the bottom on these canyons where the water is. This means we must descend an often steep path from the plain to the village and then ascend back up to the meseta. We will be crossing the Meseta for a week! 

Leaving Burgos was much more pleasant than entering it. A walk through the old town under the Arch of St Martin part of the fortified city wall, through some parks, past the university and into the countryside. Near the university we came across the first free-standing public convenience we have seen so far. This was an automatic opening /closing /flushing affair that you could use for 30 cents. Interestingly the signs on it said “WC”  In bars and cafes the conveniences are called aseos. We also passed a large state prison with many watch towers. Many political prisoners were held there during the Franco years’ and so many young dissidents got a political education here it was nicknamed “La Universidad”.

After passing over and under several motorway flyovers we started a long slow climb for about an hour onto the true Meseta. For what seemed like hours we walked between flat fields of hay. A little breeze kept us cool and the path was flat, smooth clay. A few tractors were working, turning the cut hay for drying. Eventually we came to the edge of the first canyon and descended Cuesta Matamulas, Mule Killer Hill, to the very quiet village of Hornillos del Camino.

Our hotel was about 2km up a side road at Isar and our instructions said to telephone and they would send a car to pick us up. After some refreshments we felt good so decided to walk. It was hotter now as there was no breeze down in the valley but we got there comfortably enough. We actually have a whole house to ourselves, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, kitchen etc, about 100 metres up the hill from the hotel proper. It feels like we have the whole village to ourselves.

Isar is a very small, peaceful, rural hamlet, a total contrast to the hustle and bustle of Burgos. We have heard that a lot of these villages are nearly empty. Isar has about 100 houses, 50 would be derelict, 30 abandoned and 20 occupied. The only people left are farm workers, some service industry workers and the aged living off their government pensions. Where it passes through a village the Camino provides some employment by way of bars, cafes, albergues, small supermarkets etc.

I have been meaning to get up at night to look at the Milky Way which we are directly under, east to west. If the sky is clear this could be the ideal place as there will be no interference from artificial light.

A heap of bicycles around today. On the roads there were many road warriors, like us at home, decked out in their lycra and carbon fibre road bikes, powering along. And on the trail lots of hybrids and mountain bikes loaded with panniers. A group of seven had jerseys and shorts with “slow men” all over them. Some people don’t like walking the Meseta as they find it too monotonous, too hot, too windy, whatever. They walk St Jean Pied de Port to Burgos, cycle Burgos to Leon (which they can cycle in three days), walk Leon to Santiago. Others just get the bus from Burgos to Leon.

Ipod theme tune for the day: Nine million bicycles by Katie Melua

There are nine million bicycles in Beijing
That’s a fact
It’s a thing we can’t deny
Like the fact that I will love you till I die.

Today was a happy day and a sad day. Also a typical tourist day.

Sad because we said goodbye to a few of our camino friends. Tom and Eileen from USA are not having rest days so they carried on and will be one day ahead of us to Leon then two days ahead. Tom and Margaret from Ireland finish today and go home. Kevin, Stuart, Rose, Lynn and Eileen from northern England also finish today and got the bus to Balboa. These guys have been such good fun and we had many laughs together.

We met Victoria and Craig in the street which was great because we hadn’t seen them for a couple of days and wondered how they were getting on. Just on lunchtime we saw Carolyn and John and we decided to have some lunch together. In the cafe was Helen, who we have seen and walked with often, so it was a nice catch up. Ensalada mixta, which are large yummy salads with lettuce, tomato, olives, carrot, tuna, egg, onion, corn, asparagus.

This morning we spent 2 hours in the Museo de la Evolucion Humana, a wonderful new award winning museum. The museum has two parts starting with the history of the prehistoric caves at Sierra de Atapuerca, which we walked through yesterday, and contains over 200 fossils of Homo antecessor some up to a million years old. The remainder of the museum is devoted to the theory of evolution, human evolution, why we have a very special brain, the first tools, fire, Pleistocene hunter-gatherers, prehistoric art, symbolism and the complexity of the human mind. In the museum we met a couple from Wellington!  We didn’t recognise them as kiwis as their accents sounded so posh.

After the museum we went to the Catedral de Santa Maria. One of the most beautiful of Spain’s many cathedrals and the second largest. It is basically 13th century gothic but as it was enlarged, reshaped, and adorned over the next 500 years, it also has Plateresque, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo art. It has a magnificent inspirational exterior with a profusion of highly decorated pinnacles and spires. Inside, the enormous space is a treasure trove of artefacts and art works. We each had an audio commentary and there was so much history and detail it became overwhelming and we had to escape and get some lunch.

In the evening we went up to the castle which is not that impressive and wasn’t open but from the hill there is a great view over the city. Also saw the statue of the warrior El Cid on his steed Babieca. Spain’s most famous medieval warlord has a cape that floats in the wind so the locals have a nickname for the monument: el murcielago (the bat). For my generation El Cid will always be Charlton Heston (with the incomparable Spohia Loren) in the 1961 epic historical movie.

Burgos (population ~ 200,000) is the capital of the province of Burgos and the historic capital of Castille. It contains a staggering wealth of art, churches, monasteries, convents, museums, monuments and it’s jewel the cathedral.

We enjoyed today, it was nice to be an ordinary tourist. We are about one third of the way to Santiago and walked the last nine days in a row so we probably needed a day off just to freshen up for the nine days ahead. Can’t wait to get on the road again.