To The City of El Cid
Our first stop in Castilla was in the city of Villafranca Montes de Oca, a small town founded by French pilgrims at the foot of the mountains. There we slept in a tent with a fine view of the Iglesia de Santiago.
After a steep ascent and walk through the forest, we reached the secluded monastery of San Juan de Ortega. A disciple of Santo Domingo, San Juan also worked to ease the pilgrim's route. The church itself was austere yet one of the most peaceful on the Camino route.
A few kilometres beyond the San Juan lay the villages of Olmos de Atapuerca and Atapuerca itself. Site of a great battle between Navarra and Castilla, the towns also claim the oldest remains of man found in Europe. Beyond Atapuerca, a steep rise stood before us and the descent into Burgos, the ancient capital of Castilla.
Our entry into Burgos was marked by a few relics of those that had gone before. The milestones were greeted with enthusiasm mingled with the type of corporeal grumbling that only really emerges after a 40 kilometre day.
Among the monuments to Burgos' glory are the Arco de Santa Maria, containing the old room of royal council and images of the great founders and heroes of the city. The cathedral, where El Cid Campeador and his wife rest still is a stunning example of Gothic architecture. Above the city, the old castle of Burgos, destroyed in a siege by Napoleon's troops, provides a compelling view over the city. Our first act when we arrived here was to eat pizza.
El Cid Campeador, the opportunistic hero of many an epic poem, and "liberator" of Valencia, served many masters, both Moorish and Christian. His prowess on the battlefield was such that his corpse itself, propped upon a horse, routed an army. Yet it may be his knowledge of both Christian and Moorish law, and the impartiality of his justice, that makes him a great figure of history.
It was in Burgos cathedral that we said farewell to the Camino, just as, a year before, we had said farewell in Santiago itself. Yet the road to Santiago, its traditions, its blisters, its legacy of ancient hopes and modern dreams, have a way of enticing you back. I don't know when but I do know that some day we shall follow the waymarks and milestones again.
488km.