I happened to leave my hotel window open last evening which was a mistake because it was early morning – like 5 am before the street noise became quiet.

I was up and out of the hotel as I wanted to see the quiet side. The only people up and about were the pilgrims leaving the city and the street cleaners washing the streets and collecting the garbage from the streets. By 9 am the bakery and pastry shops were beginning to open for the early risers.

I had a cafe con leche and a chocolate pastry at the first shop I found open. I just wandered the streets and the park across the river heading to where the museum of Evolution was.

This is the museum that shows the caves and the human findings discovered around the area of Atapuerca where I had stayed several days before. There is a 7 kilometer stretch of limestone caves, some going to a depth of 25 metres with the lowest level of caves dating back 2.5 million years, the middle series hold findings dating back to 1.5 million and the highest series of caves date to about 1 million years ago. The first fossilized human remains were discovered in 2007 and with cosmosgenic nuclide testing have been dated to 1.3 million years ago and have been termed Homo antecessor or “explorer”. These humanoids were believed to be the first major migration from the homo genuswho left the Rift Valley in Africa. The Homo antecessor species emerged in this western part of Europe after many thousand of years of isolation from the original population.

The museum also displayed the human brain and the neurons as they fire in nano seconds.

the lights are neurons of the brain firing
There was also a display on DNA and the origin of life from central Africa and the migration throughout the world. There were displays on symbolism and the important role it plays in each culture. Also adornment and portable art has been found dating back 400,000 thousand years to the time of Homo heidelbergenis. This picture of a perforated mollusk shell dates back 100,000 years ago. Even back then they were thinking of the Camino!

It was nearing siesta time when I exited the museum. I spent a few minutes watching people and the water display in the fountain,

Upon returning to the hotel, there was a note from the Fab 3 saying that they would meet me at my hotel at 6pm and we could have supper together. I rested and got my pack ready for tomorrow. I made sure my water bladder was clean and filled.
The Fab 3 and I went to the Plaza Mayor for supper. I had a series of tapas and the ladies ordered from the menu. Lydia is leaving the group to return to England. Doreen and Chris are continuing to walk so our paths will cross again.

Chris on left, Doreen in purple and Lydia on the right
After supper we strolled a bit of the promenade then found a chocolate shop where Doreen and I had chocolate, I had my chocolate with churros and Lydia and Chris had expresso. We watched the people promenade in their Sunday finery.
I hugged each of the ladies goodbye, letting each know that it was a joy to know the Fab 3.