18 May - Belorado to Burgos

What an eventful day.   This is our last day on the Camino as we complete this leg of the Camino in Burgos later today.   And there is excitement at breakfast this morning as we learned our host, Anna, gave birth to her 3rd child at 2 am this morning, a healthy baby girl named Nora.  We knew Anna was expecting, but not quite so soon.  There was definitely joy in the household at breakfast.

This is our last breakfast on the Camino as we depart for Burgos.   There is definitely joy in the household this morning as all are excited about the arrival of new baby Nora.

Judi and the ladies fashioned a makeshift card to Anna and Baby Joy.   

We say goodbye to Mama as we depart La Aidea Encantada for Burgos. 

Judi and Chris head down the hill.

Jon Lynn and Lisa are in the lead.   We are in a hurry this morning as we take the 10:00 am bus to Burgos, some 35 miles away.

While waiting for the bus, we meet several fellow Pilgrims from Norway, Gerd and Britt.   They were very friendly and chatty.   That's what beer at 10 am will do.  

Here we are waiting for the bus.

Happily waiting for the bus! :-)

The bus terminal is just across the street from the portal leading to the Burgos Cathedral.   Here we are entering the Cathedral Plaza on the way to our Hotel.

To the left is the River trail and the Hotel we stayed in our 2017 visit with Juan Carlos Duperier

The Burgos Cathedral is magnificent, even in this cold and rainy weather.

There is a flower show in the plaza near our hotel.

We look back for a glimpse of the Cathedral as we head to our Hotel

We turn left around the corner and arrive at La Palacio de Blasones, a 4-star hotel right on the Camino.   Judi and Mike stayed in this hotel in 2017.  

Judi waiting to check into the hotel.   There is a large wedding here today.  We watched some very well dressed and beautiful Spanish families as they departed the hotel for the wedding at the Burgos Cathedral.

We walked several short block away to a favorite Tapas Bar from our trip in 2017 with Juan Carlos.

We had excellent Tapas at Chuchillo de Palo and a new favorite Rioja Crianza (aged for >1 year in oak)

Outside the Bar is a statue of a blacksmith working on an anvil.   The graffiti on his strong chest says "Mister Right".   There are many similar statues that decorate Burgos, making it a charming city.

We head back to the cathedral to see a long floral train extended the full length of the steps.

Here is the end of the floral train at the bottom of the steps.  Plumeria's are one of many flowers in the train.

The Burgos Cathedral is a world heritage site and one of the most brilliant cathedrals in Spain.  Here is the dome inside the Cathedral with Gilded Alter

Chris, Mike and Judi stop to take a selfie.

Chris sitting at one of the sculptures that decorate the Camino in this part of the city.  

This photo shows the actual Camino path as it enters Burgos, done in a modern brickwork design

We stop at the Fighting Bull, a statue we recall from a previous visit in 2017

We have that "looking for gelato" look as we wander the streets of the old town.  We find some!

We return to our hotel and encounter pilgrims heading west on the Camino as it passes our hotel. 

The Gaudi exhibit at the Burgos Cathedral.   shows a rendering of Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family), in the final stages of construction in Barcelona.  Many believe Gaudi modeled the ceiling of Sagrada Familia after the Burgos cathedral. Here you see Burgos on the bottom, Sagrada Familia on the top.   There is resemblance. 

Here are the ladies in the hotel lobby, dressed and ready for dinner at 7:30 (a little early for Spain where restaurants seldom serve until 9:00 pm)

The dining room at La Chuchillo de Palo.  Our table, waiting for us.

Here's to a great trip on the Camino.   Judi and Chris opt for Gin and Tonics.   This is a real celebration.  

All in good health, good spirits and no blisters, and proud of walking 150 miles in just under two weeks.

Our server tonight is Maria, the same server we had 2 years earlier in 2017

We finish our Camino in Burgos tonight.  Tomorrow we bus to Bilbao for our final stop in Spain before returning home.

There is a saying on the Camino that when you come to the end your Camino journey, that's when the real Camino of your life begins.  And so we await the next chapter of our Camino.

One more post to follow.   For now, Buen Camino!