day 37 – draft Wednesday, 11 October 2017 Burgos to Hontanas

day 37 – draft
Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Burgos to Hontanas
31 km today - 295 km on Camino Frances – 1,001 km from Le Puy - 489 to Santiago

This is a big day for me.  Not the distance as such, although 31 km in this heat is not a piece of cake: it is something I often achieved in my training.  Rather I am returning to the town at which, 18 months ago I broke down, both physically and emotionally and was ambulanced away from. I wish to meet the owner and give him a small token of appreciation I have brought from home.  The route breaks rather nicely into three segments, each of about 10 km.
I have been awake for hours and by 07h are dressed, pack shut and in the breakfast room.  And on the road by 07h30.  At the western outskirts of Burgos the track leaves suburbia and so do a lot of pilgrims.  The first break, Tajardos, is just before 10h (a bit slow) and, after loo, coffee and tortilla, I am on the way again by 10h30.

At the start of the descent into Hornillos del Camino a pilgrim calls out my name: It is Nigel from the albergue in Estella, more than a week ago, and he has something he wants to tell me.  We agree to catch up in the town ahead.  And we do along with his companion, Ian, at a cafe. What he wants to tell me is that his wife is arranging for the Estella newspaper for last week to be sent to her.  I reply that I have an electronic copy of the articles written at the albergue and can I email to him, which I do.  It is about 12h30 and I decide to stay here several hours to avoid the heat of the day before moving on.  And so I meet Polly, Grainne (Gertrude in Irish Gaelic),    and    all from Ireland.  A fresh bowl of sangria was prepared as I arrive and needs to be sampled.  This must be a different recipe from that I was used to in Burgos, just 20 k  away.  But I muster my senses and push off just before 16h.

I arrive safely at Hontanas just on 18h.  The owner and I recognise one another and he gives me a six bunk bed room with ensuite all to myself.  I tell the owner I have s small token of appreciation and would he join us as dinner ends.  Dinner follows shortly after and there are 12 of us at the one long table: I get to be dad.  It seems three at my end are walking together, plus the husband and wife from Newcastle, Australia I met last Thursday at Santo Domingo Cathedral.  It is a merry bunch and a good community meal.  After dinner I have the owner join us and he puts his arm around me: for the benefit of all I quickly recite the facts as they happened at Hontanas, describe the koru pattern on the merino beanie and present.  The Australian takes some photos.

And so to bed.