Grañón to Atapuerca
Farther along, 55.5 kilometers (34.41 miles)
Theme song: To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra
The walk to Belorado was only 22 kms, easy-peasy, but it was cool and wet and windy all day long. To make it a little tougher, the last 6 kms into Belorado are right next to the busy N-120 highway. The roar of cars blazing by was nonstop.
Belorado itself was a welcome sight when the path veered away from the N-120 – quiet, finally. Another welcome sight was the Hostel Punto B , a perfect place to call home today – a welcoming host, food & drink in-house, and a warm shared bunkroom on the third floor (even though it’s up 4 flights of stairs). I made a note to add it to my favorite places to stay on the Camino Francés. My stay here triggered a lot of thoughts about what home is on the Camino…
The next day on the long and lonely (and hilly) 12-kilometer walk between Villafranca Montes de Oca and San Juan de Ortega, I was reminded that home is not just a place to lay your head at night, sometimes it’s simply a good place. There’s a portable sign on the path through the forest – ‘Dr. Coffee – The Best Coffee‘. A sign like this always gets my attention, no matter where it leads. On this part of the Camino, it leads to the Burgos Legend, a living, breathing, joyful example of pilgrim hospitality! Here in the middle of nowhere, home is a folding table with coffee & fruit, a half-dozen camp chairs, and a gracious host.
A quick stop here will lift your spirits and give you a boost to the end of your day. For me, that was Atapuerca and my home for the night. This was the third time I’ve stayed in the little town. The previous two times were very good, so expectations were high for tonight. The Hostel Atapuerca INpulsO didn’t disappoint, in fact, it became the gold standard – my favorite albergue on any Camino path – alongside the Albergue Laganares in San Nicolás del Real Camino, a few days in my future.
The hostel is a converted home, but still set up like a home (for a family of strangers) – a common area with a fireplace (see cover photo), another common area for quiet time, a dining room with a large table for pilgrims to gather around, a self-service bar (based on honor system, always a bonus if you’re honest), and the bunk rooms were small and cozy.
What really set this place apart were the hospitaleras – for them it seemed a labor of love. From the first welcome, to cooking the evening meal, to conversations with the pilgrims, to the breakfast in the morning, and the kind goodbye…you are part of the family, if just for one night. I’m convinced this attitude is infectious.
Sometimes home feels like a simple place with good people – volunteers and pilgrims alike. A donativo albergue with open ceiling and creaky bunk beds turned out to be a fine pilgrim home and a good night of rest. The bonus feature was the bar right across the street with hot lentejas and cold beer, and a matriarch host as kind as those across the street.
Sometimes home is just a 15-minute stop at a place of hospitality and abundance. The first, in Villares de Órbigo, you’ll miss if you walk by too fast. If you stop you’ll be welcomed at an unofficial pilgrim museum with coffee and conversation. And if you’re lucky, you might get a cup of sweet Málaga wine!
A good home is a place of grace and abundance and the finer things of life, just like you’ll find at La Casa de los Dioses between Santibáñez de Valdeiglesias and San Justo de la Vega, you can’t miss it and you won’t be disappointed and hopefully your economic philosophy will be challenged!
A proper home has a front porch with a view of the mountains and restaurante built-in. Casa Lixa in Las Herrerías has both! If you’re even luckier, your home for the night has homemade lentejas, vino tinto de Rioja, and a built-in library! The parade of cows and goats right outside the doors of Casa Barbadelo made it feel even more like home.
Sometimes home is just a place you stop by because you’re tired and ask for a bed, Claro, pasa, bienvenido. And because it’s like home, they notice your limp and ask if you’re okay to go up stairs (Claro, too prideful to admit my hip hurts like crazy and I’d prefer to sleep on the couch right inside the front door). The attic bedroom is cozy, and even better, the smells from the kitchen waft up through stairwell and out the window. The wafting smells are from tonight’s dinner – served around a table with 5 Italian pilgrims and a young pilgrim from the US. 3 courses, wine, and chupitos over the next three hours. It’s like being at grandma’s home (except for the chupitos de orujo).
Finally, a familiar place with friendly faces is like home! O Bandullo do Lambon in Santiago is like this. Good beer, too!!
Home on the Camino is sometimes good because of the facility (modern with plenty of charging outlets and steaming hot showers) or services (lavadora y secadora) or the food & drinks. But the best are always, and I mean always, made so by people and their hospitality (hosts and pilgrims). This is something we need to take back to our “normal” homes after the pilgrimage
Pilgrims and Prophets 