Burgos to Hontanas (31.0km)

Today, for the first time on the Camino, I woke up feeling very tired. I really wanted to get more sleep, but I knew it was going to be a long day ahead. I laid in bed for a few minutes drifting in and out of sleep, then got up a little before 6:30. I wouldn't have been able to get more sleep anyways, because the hospitalero turned the lights on at 6:30 and made sure everyone was awake by yelling an energetic "buenos días!" down each hallway.

I got dressed and brushed my teeth, then quickly got my bag together. I was downstairs eating breakfast by 7:00, and other pilgrims started to come down soon after. Dan, Margaret, and Sam joined me and we all ate some kind of small breakfast. Yeondo and Woody headed out before us, saying we'd catch up. Around 7:30, the four of us were ready to go. We said goodbye to our friends who were still getting ready and headed out.

It's interesting how quickly you get used to the routine of life on the Camino and living out of a backpack! It doesn't even feel weird to own only two outfits anymore. Every day is just waking up, packing your bag, and walking. I really enjoy the simplicity of it.

It was beautiful to see Burgos in the quiet of the morning. I was expecting more city bustle, but it was very quiet. Some people were out, and a few cars went by, but there was no huge morning rush. The four of us listened to some music to get the mood going for starting a 40km day. We listened to 500 Miles, and then some Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Multiple times, we came to an intersection and while trying to figure out where to go, locals would point the way. Soon, we were out of the city and headed into some fields on the city outskirts.

We approached the freeway, and after passing over it, headed out and away from the city and freeways. The four of us spread out and spent a good 2-3 hours alone. I prayed while I walked, and simply spent time walking with God. I didn't find many words to say, but sometimes it's beautiful to just spend time in silence with God.

Around 11:00, we came to the first town, and the only town until our destination that had an open cafe. I got a cafe con leche and ate an orange. We all spent some time enjoying our food and were soon off again.

It's the coldest day we've had by far, with a low of 34F. For the first time, I actually wore 2-3 jackets all day, with my buff and beanie as well. On top of the cold, there was tons of wind all day. The wind was pretty cold, and made it feel more like 20-25F. But I still enjoy the wind, despite the cold, so it didn't bother me much once I had the proper layering.

After leaving the cafe, we grabbed some bread at a bakery. I ate almost a whole loaf since I was still hungry. We all commented on how crunchy the bread is in Spain, and joked that maybe they only give the pilgrims crunchy bread. We left the city and soon came upon another smaller town, and had one of the best experiences of the Camino so far!

As we entered the small town, we saw an old Spanish woman sitting on a bench, watching us. When we walked by, she got up and came over to us, and pointed in the direction of the church and said "Cafe! Cafe!" which means coffee in Spanish. She explained in Spanish that she had some coffee for us and urged us to come with her. As we followed, I realized that she's a nun. She took us to the convent next to the church and made coffee for each of us. Then she called each of us over one by one, gave us a stamp in our pilgrim's passport, asked our name, gave us a pilgrim's blessing, put a Miraculous Medal around our neck, and gave us a big hug. We then drank our coffee as she shoved chocolate into our hands. Even though we didn't speak each other's language very well, we made some conversation and learned that she was a missionary in Africa for 35 years, ministering to lepers and vaccinating the people against monkey pox. It was a very enjoyable few minutes with her. She had a very genuine and kind soul which was evident in every interaction with her.

The fact that this kind woman, who is probably in her 70s, would sit outside in 30 degree weather with piercing winds just waiting for pilgrims to pass by so she could offer them some small food comforts was beautiful. She told us she had been sitting outside and waiting all day yesterday and no one came by. Her love was so beautiful and so undeserved, and from even just a few minutes of interaction with her, I think each one of us saw God's love purely reflected in her love for us stranger pilgrims. Thank you, God, for this woman after your own heart!

Refreshed in body and soul, we continued on our pilgrimage. We started to ascend some very pretty green hills. We played some riddle games to pass the time, like black magic, the magic ball game, and some others. I would explain them, but that would ruin the fun! It was very enjoyable to just talk and spend time together while walking.

After a while of walking, we came to a downhill slope that led to a village. This is one of the most common villages to stop at, Hornillos del Camino, but there was no open albergue. This was the 20km marker for the day, and it was only 1:30, so we were definitely making good time! Also, at this point we realized that the town before our original stop for the day, Hontanas, actually does have an open albergue. That means we only have to go 32km today! 8 kilometers may not sound like a lot, but it's probably 2-3 hours of walking, so it's a big difference.

We decided to eat our premade lunches in town at a nice grassy park area with picnic tables. I ate my hummus, cheese, and mushroom sandwich - no meat since it's a Friday in Lent. It was actually really good! I also stretched, since my hip flexors were feeling really sore, and put some moleskin on a tiny blister forming on my heel.

As we sat and ate, we saw Aya and her friend pass by, so we called them over. We also saw a guy named Luis that Sam and Dan had traveled with, and called him over too. Vitalia passed by as well, but she didn't hear us calling out to her. It was funny seeing all these pilgrims we know passing by though. We all talked about how our walks have been and ate a nice lunch together.

After eating, we continued on again. This time, we started a steady uphill ascent on a winding hillside path. It had been windy all day, but the wind had recently picked up and was getting very strong. We had a few minutes of sleet too, which waa funny, since it was sunny out at the same time. The surrounding scenery was beautiful.

Finally, we crested the hills to reach our final stretch of the day: the Mesa de Oca. This is probably one of the most unique landscapes I've seen on the Camino so far. A vast expanse of flat land stretched out in every direction. There was very little variation in the terrain. And the wind really picked up. At certain points, it was hard to even hear yourself talk. But it was very beautiful to walk through!

The Mesa turned out to be absolutely gigantic and very long. There were also no towns anywhere in sight. The thick and distant rain clouds raced by, and it shifted between walking in sunshine and walking in shadow, often multiple times in the span of a minute. The unique terrain provided good stimulation as we walked. The wind was too loud to talk, so we walked in silence.

On the path, we passed multiple crosses. Sometimes these are places that people have died. Other times, I think they're just there to serve as a reminder.

The plains seemed to stretch out forever, and it was a long, long walk across them. Suddenly, I was very glad that we weren't walking 40 kilometers. 31 seemed just fine enough, and I was eager to get to our albergue so I could lay down and rest my legs. I was really feeling it toward the end of the walk today. As Sean would always say at the end of every walking day: "I am wrecked!"

Just as I was getting antsy to find our town, I saw a glorious sight. It had seemed like our town was still nowhere in sight, but as we approached a tiny valley, the top of the church tower announced the presence of our town: Hontanas! It was a glorious sight, and rest was imminent. Hontanas is a cute little town tucked into a tiny valley that has a population of only 70.

Once we got into town, we checked into our albergue and I laid down for a little while. I read some of my book and let myself relax. Then I showered and started my blog for the day.

At 7:00, we had a pilgrims dinner. Two Koreans, two Lithuanians, a Frenchman, me, Dan, Margaret, and Sam were at dinner. It was a good meal of salad and lentils with meat or tofu. We all talked and had a good time getting to know each other. Because of the accents and periodic difficulty with English, many funny moments popped up out of nowhere. I love pilgrims dinners!

After dinner, I called Mikayla and talked to her for a while, telling her about my day and experiences. Then, I finished this blog post and went to sleep at 10:30. It was a really good but tiring day. Thank you God!