Don’t get your hackles up…this is not a disparaging post about the way(s) to Santiago…

Another Turning Point

Finishing a walk to Santiago is exhilarating. The anticipation in arriving. The joy in the Praza de Obradoiro. The celebration with friends made along the way. And then…

You wake up the day after, then the second day after; all your friends are gone, you have no goal or simple purpose for the day. The Camino Blues begin to settle inside you. Santiago de Compostela is a wonderful place, but it’s time to go home…

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

But first, a side trip to Burgos.

My phone alarm roused me at 5:30 am – time to wake up, pack, and head to the train station. These acts complicated by the last-minute cervezas and chupitos de orujo at the Bar La Cueva with Camino friends. No room for error, though, my 7:06 am train to Madrid was a must make. The connecting train to Burgos was at a different station, so there would be new terrain to navigate by 12:25 pm. I scurried out of my pensión and scurried through the empty streets of Santiago, then safely on board at Santiago’s Intermodal. I caught up on my beauty sleep as the train rocked and rolled south and east to Madrid.

The predictable Spanish train system did its work, now it was up to me. Hail a cab, cross the city, and then explore the complicated Principe Pio complex (without asking for help, the curse of being a by-the-bootstraps Texan). I found my train with enough time leftover for First Breakfast.

So, take the photographs and still frames in your mind

Safely on the train to Burgos, now comes the 4.5 hour stop and go affair. To kill the time, I devoted myself to reviewing and editing the hundreds of pictures on my camera roll.

What a gift cell the phone camera is! Hundreds of reminders of the beautiful countryside I walked through – the colors, the layers, the towns, the architecture, and of course, the great people.

Halfway through the project, we arrived in Burgos. 9 hours of train travel, I arrived exhausted after the long day. I decided to walk the 5 kilometers from the Rosa Manzano station to the Old City to clear the cobwebs. After a Camino, 5 km is nothing. The 1 hour walk turned into 2 hours, could have been because:

1. I was exhausted physically and mentally,
2. Or maybe the lack of food and water,
3. Or maybe because Google Maps can’t properly navigate a traffic circle or adjust to my walking pace.

So, make the best of this test, and don’t ask why

At the 2-hour, 5-minute mark, I found familiar surroundings. At the 2-hour, 10-minute mark, I found the San Patricio Irish Tavern, a place of good memories from 2022. A bottle of water, a good IPA, and a bag of chips set things right.

After the short break at Saint Patrick’s Tavern, I found my lodging, settled in, then went back out for a very good hamburger, a good local Stout, and then settled in for 11 hours of sleep. Lessons learned in time; all would be well.

For what it’s worth, it was worth all the while

Rejuvenated by the proper self-care overnight, I went out in the morning to gaze at the CATHEDRAL and have coffee. Casa Minuto on the Plaza was the perfect place, satisfying my sense of taste and sight. I grabbed a table on the plaza, then went inside to order coffee.

OBSERVATION: Spain’s cafes/bars have the best playlists on the planet.

Even the busiest coffee shops make coffee with tender loving care, one cup at a time. While waiting inside for my coffee to be handcrafted, I recognized Green Day’s Good Riddance playing over the sound system. Pleased, I listened in introspection and decided that this song is the best Camino theme song out there. If for no other reason, the chorus:

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.

Worth all the while…

Gazing at the cathedral and sipping my coffee, I thought about the Camino(s) de Santiago – this most recent one, and those of the past. The Camino is a turning point, a test, a lesson learned on foot. A good memory and worth all the while. It’s often unpredictable, and it’s not always easy, but it is good.

The thing about the Camino(s) de Santiago is that it forces you to slow down, to observe, and be transformed (IF YOU ALLOW IT). It reminds you that life has the capacity to overwhelmingly good – the diverse beauty of the creation, the inherent goodness of simplicity, and people (WE ARE ALL A LOT ALIKE).

The Burgos trip was just an extension of the Camino and further proof that pilgrimage and a pilgrim way of looking at the world travels well anywhere.

Slow down. Observe. Enjoy people. I enjoyed the visit with my friend. Stayed in a monastery. Spent time with some seminary students and friends of friends. And hiked in the area where “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” was filmed.

In the end, it was right. I had the time of my life!