Burgos-Hornillos-Castrojeriz

The sun, high in the sky, brings tremendous warmth to this vast land. Evening is cool and there is often a gentle breeze that pushes the heat away. Nights are cold. Bundles of blankets provide much needed warmth. Still, one must depart at first light to avoid traveling during the greatest heat of the day. I never want to get up that early though. I am on holiday.

I bussed to Burgos on Friday but took a long walk along the Rio Arlanzon before meeting with friends. We treated ourselves to a hotel for the night. I took two very long, hot showers and an hour long bath in the short time I was there. Privacy. A full sized towel. Non-stop running water. It was luxurious. Burgos seems a great city, but it was a place of parting for some members of my Camino family. Angelo and Pierre bid us farewell to return to their friends and families in Switzerland and France. Our last evening together was a celebration of great friendships made on the Camino, and though I miss them, they are still here with me in spirit.

My knee was much better by the time we left Burgos so the five of us walked together again on Saturday to Hornillos. The way to Hornillos was beautiful but sadness was unavoidable; this was to be my last walk with Gregor, Ina, and Aleix as their Caminos were coming to an end. We squeezed into some of the last open beds in this small, middle-of-nowhere village. Aleix and Ina made a fabulous farewell (vegetarian) dinner for their last evening of the Camino. I suspect their efforts were a genuine attempt to make me happy after I complained I was going to starve to death in this damn country. (Vegetarianism is still a foreign concept along the Camino.) Though Ina is a vegetarian too she handled this much more diplomatically and gracefully than I. Whatever their reasons for cooking, it was wonderful. In the morning we said a tear-filled goodbye after a breakfast of muesli, toast, and coffee. Gregor and Ina turned towards the east and began their trek back to Burgos while we turned to the west. 

After their departure, I decided it was time to go it alone from this point forward. Being a part of the organic seven was fabulous, but Pierre reminded me before he departed Burgos that this was first and foremost my Camino, to be done at my own pace, for myself and by myself, not only as part of the group. As with so many relationships in my life, it is easy for me to lose myself when I am with others. I forget my own needs, lose my pace, my rhythm. As I started walking this morning I realized there were many things I had not figured out for myself on this journey. My purpose in doing the Camino was in part to gain trust in myself, to know I can do these things, and not be completely dependent upon others. I have in many ways been dependent on my Camino family but I also realize it has been necessary. Without their help I wouldn't have made it past Pamplona, let alone arrived in Burgos. They helped me get here and I am ever so grateful. They have shown me many things and now it is necessary to apply what I've learned and move forward on my own. The best way I can honor their friendship, guidance, and support is to make it to Santiago and carry them with me in spirit. 

Many things came to me as I walked today. A spectrum of emotions from tremendous sadness to overwhelming joy and gratitude. The scenery was again magnificent. Yesterday I tried to explain to Gregor that I felt like I was walking in a Peanuts Comic strip; perfect green grass, blue sky, and puffy white clouds. He had no idea what I was talking about. Google it Gregor! Being alone has brought a lot of clarity and hope to me. When I saw my friend Heidi today she told me, "The first ten days are about the physical body, the second ten, the mind, and the last ten, the soul." I am sure she's right.