Hornillos del Camino

10pm
Hornillos Meeting Place

Today’s walk started out real sleepy for me. There’s a festival in Burgos and people like to party! They start around midnight and go until we’re waking up to walk. HA! It resulted in very interrupted sleep, but it’s fun to see people having fun. The first half of the walk was a long leg, but went by fast as I chatted with my dad. We have struck a nice balance of walking silently and a few paces apart at times, and other times together and talking. We try not to walk side-by-side so as to allow room for cyclists and people faster than us (almost everyone), so it doesn’t always work out to talk much. But it’s nice when it does:)





We made it into the first town of this leg to have a lovely lunch (tortilla for me... shock! And a vegan sandwich for my dad). Along with of course, Aquarius. And a Diet Coke. Gotta get those caffeine boosts when I can! And once again, Alice caught up to us! Great to cross paths with familiar faces.

We walked a little further and made a very important ice cream stop. My dad went inside for a moment before we left, and while he was gone a small group of nuns walked by. They were delighted to see a "peregrina" (me), and talked with me for a few minutes (I was pretty proud of myself for carrying on this conversation in Spanish... but I think I got about every 4th word. Sometimes that’s enough!) before wishing us a "Buen viaje" (good trip). Before too long, the rest of the crew was walking toward us. We’re talking maybe 20 nuns. And I teared up as we passed, when EVERY ONE of the sisters wished us a buen viaje and wanted to stop to talk to us about where we’re from. The genuine delight and pride they clearly felt in us taking this trip was so soul-filling and encouraging, and honestly lifted me up. Another unforgettable moment.



The afternoon was HOT. Hot, hot, hot. But despite what some people say about this region of the walk, the Meseta, I love the rolling wheat fields and poppies and miles of flat terrain. It reminds us a lot of home, and has its own beauty. Though I can see why people call the middle section of the Camino the “mental” section. The first is physical. And it WAS. The next is mental, and I’m understanding that, because it’s just you and the road. For miles and miles and miles. The third they say us spiritual, and I look forward to learning more about that.

Anyway, it was a welcome sight to crest a hill and see our home for the night in the distance.

We said goodbye to Alice who is heading a bit further today, got settled and showered, and made our way down the road to a restaurant I had heard about with rave reviews and vegetarian options. And who do we run into again but JILL! Yes! She joined us as we walked down to the restaurant for a lovely dinner. 

The Green Tree is a beautiful cafe, featuring live music every night, a meditation room for all to use, and so much love. It was started by Emma, from Northern Ireland. She walked the Camino a few years ago, fell in love with her now partner, they made a baby together, and now their sweet family lives here and runs this beautiful place. Ohhhhhh, Camino. Classic Camino. They were preparing the restaurant for a party when we walked in, but of course still welcomed us with open arms. 

Our meals were divine. My dad and Jill started with tomato lentil soup, while I opted for their homemade hummus and naan. NO REGRETS. For the main course, Jill and I chose sage pesto pasta, and my dad had a delicious curry rice. Dessert was a brownie for me, and bread and butter pudding with ice cream for my dad and Jill. Emma chatted with us for a while, Jill very impressively guessing correctly that she’s from Belfast based strictly on her accent, but she lives in Belfast now, having moved their from England. We met another British couple at dinner, also vegetarians! They were lovely to chat with as well. Jill told of her desire to walk alone, despite its hard or scary moments, in order to rediscover herself and her identity after years of a demanding job and motherhood. I admire her strength. 

The last few evenings have provided some pretty amazing thunder storms, and spectacular skies. Not to mention the build-up in the afternoon, when we get to enjoy a nice breeze and cooler temperatures. We always seem to luck out and arrive at our albergue just before the clouds open up and downpour, so it’s truly the perfect weather scenario. 

The Camino provides, indeed.