I was awake early as there was a gentleman in our six bed room that insisted he needed to be up and out the door at 5 am. Since my bed was by the door, I was awakened when he opened the door. I lay awake until the lights came on at 6 am. I was dressed and out the door by 6:30 with the plan being to get a cafe con leche in the next town. It was very dark and the road was rough with rock so it was slow going. The pilgrims ahead of me both had head lamps so I was able to follow their lights.

As I reached Cruceiro 2.4 kms uphill there was a giant cross erected at the top of the hill and it made for a marvelous sunrise photo.

The morning was chilly and I had to have my wool long sleeve top, jacket and gloves. Once the sun came up, it did warm up a bit. It was another 5.6 kms later that I was able to have a cafe con leche so I had two along with a much needed rest. Just after this cafe stop in Orbaneja there was an alternate route that travelled parallel to the river into Burgos. The lady at the bakery in Atapuerca had shown me on the map where to go and recommended this route as being less noisy and not having to work along the highway.

I found the cut away point. At first I thought I was the only person along this path. But, I did see two backpack figures way in the distance. This path followed the fence line for the airport for quite a way. I was finally able to catch up to the two Spanish girls just as we were entering the village of Castanares. Just as we entered this village the Spanish girls struck up a conversation with a man from the village. He was very animated when he found out we were going to Santiago. This man was our guardian angel for the remainder of the trip. He walked us 6.9 kms into Burgos and right to the Albergue. As he turned to leave, I offers him 10€ for the help but he refused. As we were waiting in line for the Albergue to open the girls said that he had told them that he had always wanted to walk the El Camino but never had. Several years ago he had had a heart attack which ended that dream but now he walks to stay healthy and was happy to escort us to Burgos. Bless that dear Spanish man.

This Albergue in Burgos is dormitory style. Each floor has 145 beds per floor and there are four floors. There is a “full” sign of the front door. After a refreshing shower, I went in search of the tourist centre as I knew they would be closing from 2 to 5 pm. I got a map of the of the city with the various important landmarks highlighted. The tourist office was closing for siesta so I headed toward the Albergue to have a siesta myself. But, as I was passing the cathedral I noticed that I could tour the church. That is what it did. I spent the next three hours being amazed and in awe of the workmanship of the various chapels within the cathedral.

I meandered along the streets. There are various bronzes thru out the promenade and along the parkway there were street entertainers.

I decided I needed a rest weekend, so I have found a hotel room for Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully that will give my feet and hips a rest to tackle the Meseta on Monday.