"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more". - John Burroughs

It has been a week since my last post and so much, yet so little has happened. I was 2 days away from Burgos, (pop 170,000), the second of four major cities on the Camino. I have now been there and I must say that after spending so much time in the countryside, the city was a little overwhelming. That was also the one truly rainy day so far. Not hard, but very steady for the 10 mile walk.  I shared a hotel room with two other pilgrims and it was a delight to have a good bed and almost a bathroom to myself.

The Burgos Cathedral is stunningly over the top. I have seen a lot of cathedrals, but this one is huge. In addition to the main cathedral, there are 21 "chapels" around it. Each chapel is more grand than the next, each a small elegant church complete with gold everything, flying saints, etc.

After leaving Burgos I entered an area called La Meseta which is like a high plains complete with dire warnings about how desolate and forbidding it can be.

Fewer villages, less shade and water. What I found instead was the most extraordinary landscape you can imagine. 

The middle of the summer might be a different story, but this time of year it is beautiful. The altitude is about 2500 feet so the air is very dry, making for nice walking.

 I stayed a night at an albergue in the middle of nowhere. The next village was 3 miles away. They had no electricity other than what the generator could produce.  Best of all was that our dorm was heated by a wood fire burning underneath the tile floor. They must have really stoked it well in the evening as it got so hot that you couldn't walk on it without shoes. It is very cold on the Meseta at night, so it felt fine. One woman from Finland remarked that everyone in her country has a sauna in their home but she had never had one in her bedroom.

A good way to stay warm: blankets, new friends and wine.....

It rained that night and the next days' walk was through mud as thick as gumbo. Each step added another pound or two to my boots. It was dryer after about a mile, but a very long mile. I continued to walk through massive fields of grain. Thinking of "Amber waves of grain"  -this it is!

I am now more than halfway through my journey and feel great. I lost the other toenail on my little toe on the right foot, so now I'm matching. Other than that no issues and I have improved my walking pace and distances. Katie arrives in 12 days, but who's counting. I am. I love walking by myself, but also look forward to the company. We will have 6 stages to complete together - about 75 miles. 

I love my journey and would do it again. Any takers for the next time? 
Buen Camino!