Then to two post offices, one for my letters and one to cash a check, and then I walked 39 km through a beautiful landscape. Passed through some nice villages, Irache and Los Aorcos, which was meant to be the overnight stop, but the refugio was closed and it was too early to make a camp. Got a stamp in my pass at a school and they told me that Viana was another 19 km. I could stay in a fonda, but a quick look inside made me decide to go on to Viana, where I met Pauline and Bill (the American) again. They had slept 5 km beyond Estella and plan to do another 35 km tomorrow. Not me, I am pretty tired and 25 will be enough tomorrow.
Arrived here at 1.30 p.m., at the door of the refugio were a lot of people, also some guards, who took me inside. My Credencial was almost confiscated, but later I got it back with a stamp. All this probably because it is the first of May, Labour Day, and also the start of certain festivities here.On 30 April again a long day from Viana to Najera, because the refugio in Navarrete was closed. Just before Logroño Bill was waiting for me, his foot was troubling him and he felt threatened by someone along the road. So we walked together, I am getting used to not being alone on the road. Must be terrible in June and July, no chance of taking a wrong turn then or everybody will.
Past Navarrete we had to walk alongside the road, it started pouring down, tried the Camino for a while but with the rain the clay path was like a slide, so back to the road. By the way, my galoshes are indispensable, whether it rains or not, I can recommend them to everybody. The refugio in Najera was also closed, so went to a fonda, not too good, but had a nice meal.
Today a real short day after two tough ones, only 22 km. I notice that quite a few refugios are closed, and that you have to pay for all of them, though not much. Here you are supposed to give a contribution, the average is Pst 400. More and more people are coming in, just now 3 German cyclists on their second stage. I better stop writing, everybody is talking to me in French, English, German and Spanish, there is a draft and my paper is blowing away, it's too much!
and I should be on my way. Back to Santo Domingo, a nice little town with an excellent refugio with lots a food in the refrigerator. Good atmosphere too. Yesterday picked up the package from Marga and Gerard, and the letter from Jol. The package was really heavy, I feel a bit like a war child, receiving food by plane. I had the two big pieces of 'speculaas' for breakfast and the half pound chocolate bar was good for quite a few kilometers.
Because there was no refugio in Belorado, I was going to try Villamayor del Rio and so would Bill and Pauline. When I got there, it was far too expensive and no one else to see, so I went on to this little town. The weather was awful, rain, even hail and a strong wind with gusts of force 10, ahead. On some narrow paths walking along the edge, it was hard to keep my balance with the sudden squalls and it was slippery too. A heavy day, but whenever the sun came through the view was really magnificent with that heavy sky above.
Met some people from Santo Domingo again here, a Spanish couple and 3 Spanish cyclists. The refugio is in a worn out school building alongside the N120. Almost all the doors are broken, there is only cold water and in an old classroom there are some bunk-beds and that's it. Going to buy some food and then on my way to San Juan de Ortega.
Today the weather was beautiful, quite different from yesterday, a blue sky with some clouds and almost no wind. It felt like mid summer, but when the wind came up from over the mountains like early spring. Saw a snake again today, have to stay on guard. You can tell we are in the South, the asparagus are being harvested, and the grapevines are pretty green already.
In this cloister it is also very cold, must be agreeable in summer, but now even the brother of the soup says is suffering from the cold. But it is a nice place, dormitories with very high ceilings around a courtyard. And then soup being served at 8 oçlock.
Bill and Pauline left earlier and the others were still in the dormitories. Started with a blue sky, but after half an hour a fog came up and getting worse. I could still see the path, so no problem. It is really nice walking this early in the morning, you are all alone with nature, far from the world. I went through the woods and after a while I came to a junction, where I could see Burgos. I took the left path, a small detour, I thought. It turned out to be a big one and it was really getting warm with the sun out now.
So I entered Burgos via the ugliest route with bad markings. Found the center relatively easy and went to a Hostal, where I took a small room, and met the German who is staying here also.
I am going to stay here only one night, just decided to leave late tomorrow after a visit to the cathedral. This city has so many nice things, but I feel it is becoming too much, so many impressions, so many beautiful churches and other nice things. I cannot absorb everything anymore, so then it is no use to go and visit too many sights.
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