Burgos and Leon

We are in Leon.  As planned we are staying in a pension for the week and will try to do walks from here.  The bus schedule is a very elusive beast here in Spain and we have yet to figure out if there is any way that we can possibly cover some of the missed Meseta by busing to villages along the route that we skipped over yesterday.  That plan may not work, but we had a chance meeting in a grocery store that provided us with an opportunity to have a nice long walk today.  As we were contemplating the wine selection in the grocery store a lady came up to me and asked if we were walking the Camino.  She was very friendly and said that we should come out and visit her and her husband.  It seemed a bit odd to receive such an invitation after just meeting a person but she appeared to be genuine so we continued our conversation with her.   As it turned out her daughter and Spanish husband run a language school very close to our Pension so we went with her to meet the daughter and have a cup of tea at the school.  The lady, Eileen and her husband Gunther, are from New York originally but lived in Germany for many years and now live here to be close to their 3 granddaughters.  After tea we agreed that we would walk to their village, about 17k north of where we are, for lunch today.  It was a great walk, although a bit odd to not be following yellow arrows.  It was about 3 degrees when we started out and the black clouds threatened us all the way but it didn't rain until after we arrived at their home.  We caught the 6:00 pm bus back into town after a really nice lunch a great visit.

Our time in Burgos was really very special.  Once we got over being so tired and a bit depressed about the weather we set out to enjoy the city.  The cathedral is amazing!  It is a World Heritage site with many chapels, the oldest one from the early 1200's.  We spent a very chilly afternoon wandering through the grandeur and opulence of this cathedral.

The next day we decided to take in the Museum of Human Evolution just across the river from our hotel.  The building is shaped like a prism and has a total floor area of 15,000 square metres.  Half of this area is for the permanent exhibition.  The focus of the main exhibit area is the Sierra de Atapuerca archaeological sites.  This is an area just outside of Burgos where the remains of the oldest human being in Europe (1.3 million years old) were found.  The exhibits were very informative as well as interactive.  There was also a section given to Darwin and Ramon y Cajal, two of the most eminent scientists in history. We should all know about Darwin - but  you may not know that Ramon y Cajal demonstrated the workings of the nervous system and cellular and neural connections.  There was a exhibition that showed the evolution of hominids over the last seven million years. We saw it on Sunday afternoon and the museum was filled with families enjoying this great place.

After leaving the museum Robert and I walked across town and climbed up to the castle that overlooks the city.  It was closed, which was okay we mostly wanted to see the view from on the hill.  The castle sits behind the cathedral so we were able to view it from a different angle.  Of course while we were up there it rained a bit so our photos may not be what we had hoped.

That evening we reconnected with Isabella, Renee and John who were staying at the same hotel we were in.  We all agreed to meet Tony for dinner at 7:00 in front of the Cathedral.   There was a pilgrim's mass at 7:30 so we decided to go there before dinner.  Not being Catholic and not speaking Spanish was not an issue as the priest enthralled us with his devotion and the way he spoke his message.  I didn't need to know what he said - it was the way he said it.  At the end of the mass he called all the pilgrims to the altar and gave us a blessing that was very touching and brought tears to my eyes.  I walked out feeling that my Camino once again has purpose and I am eager to continue.

After leaving the Cathedral we walked across the square to a restaurant that came highly recommended as a place that serves cordero (lamb).  This was a much more high class place than we've been dining in lately and of course the prices reflected that.  I have to tell you though without a doubt, it was the best lamb I have ever eaten.  Robert and I shared a salad and appie of grilled chorizo and then shared the main - roast baby lamb with patatas fritas (french fries).  We shared a couple of bottles of local Crianza wine with the rest of the group.  There was much moaning and slurping going on at the table as everyone enjoyed their meals immensely.  I was happy that we had a few blocks to walk back to our hotel (if you get my meaning Lori ;-)  This night will remain a high point of the Camino for us. Unfortunately, it will be the last time we are all together as John left the next morning to return home with his injured leg.

Tomorrow we will spend the day walking around Leon; there's a market in Plaza Mayor (Main Plaza) so we'll take that in.  There is also a building by Gaudi that we need to see.  We have already seen the parador that was featured in the movie The Way as well as the Cathedral.  There's lots to do and see!

Thanks for the comments and encouragement, it means a lot.