I loved Burgos, but I am so ready to get back on the Camino. I slept real well last night, very comfortable beds and group of gals in room. The ticket to a good nights sleep is earplugs and an eye mask. My only experience with earplugs was when Loftin had his MRI, and have never worn an eye mask in my life till this trip. I wish I had pulled both out when I got on the plane. We woke to a nice breakfast of toast and jams, where I usually just grab coffee for breakfast.
My auberge stay was not as pleasant as I had hoped for. I read great things about the place, but my friend Tatiana had warned me about some of the parochial auberges (attached to a church with usual prayers and mass) and said that some of the women who run them can be pretty bossy...I wonder if she might have stayed here. Since I can't read Spanish I did not know that the sign on the auberge said you could not stay there if you had already spent a night in Burgos. Only one gal out of the eight in my room fit that description, so upon getting back to the auberge to my found pack I started to hand wash my clothes and the lady that runs the place asked where I was from...when I said the USA she instantly started saying, " ahhhhh....you stayed last night in Burgos....(I shared this with the guy when I registered by the way which is how she knew)...you can't stay here if you have stayed in Burgos...it is too late to wash your clothes...everyone is at mass (not mandatory but I would have gone had I not been buying new clothes)...we eat in ten minutes (which I knew)". As she left she mumbled under breath, "Americanas" to me implying something awful about us, maybe all of them trust too much and leave their back pack out at a church. Anyway with my grand events of the day I just wanted to leave...she made a comment about the drops of water on the counter as I cleaned my clothes at which time I told her that I was the mother of six and she didn't need to worry about me cleaning up after myself. Boy did she turn nice after that, but in my eyes her damage was done and I wanted little to do with her. Two of the other gals in my room were also having to stay another night one due to injury and the other I think because they enjoyed each others company. Recent college grads I assume, traveling around the world (I am amazed at all of the youth doing these grande adventures) and the three of us found ourselves at a small parochial auberge that only sleeps sixteen. We were first in line, sat for hours at the door till it opened at noon, enjoyed conversation with locals arriving to church and were pretty sure we had a 'place at the Inn'. At twelve the gal who runs the place without cracking a smile approaches the back of the line and collects pilgrim's passports and ushers a group in, everyone starts throwing their passport in her hands and while in the front of the line mine didn't make it into her hands intone to be one of the sixteen. Within seconds she was "complete" / full and I was sad. I didn't say anything and felt things would work out for me, instantly a gentleman of about eighty something knowing no English approached me and showed me a card with the name of a hotel on it. I recognized the name from one of the main streets and for twenty euros I was shown a sweet clean room with two beds, the catch is someone else would also be paying twenty euros for that other bed. I took the bed, balcony over one of the more active streets and set off to finally see the inside of the gorgeous cathedral where El CID is buried. When I returned the guy at the lobby told me he put "my friend" in my room someone from Brazil, I asked if it was a lady and thought I got the affirmative (he spoke little to no English). I got up to the room saw a Deuter back pack, knew a real pilgrim was my roomie. It ends up a nice guy who was actually in the lobby when I walked in was my roomie , he was trying to take a bus to Leon as he was running out of time and being a Sunday I guess they were booked. Super nice guy, I think about twenty five, lives at home with his mom and is missing his home and girlfriend. It is almost 7:30pm here and he has been asleep almost the whole time since returning to the room. We enjoyed some nice conversation and he mentioned a mom traveling with her son and eleven month old baby. He had a cute picture of them and oddly it is the family I slept with on my first night in Saint Jean. I was thrilled to see that they had started as it appeared they were taking their time getting out of the gates. She was a super mom and her son reminded me of my Reychoo (oldest).
The city is way calmer today ... I'm not certain if it is due to the sprinkles or that it is Sunday. Few things are open . I grabbed a piece of tapas of toast, goat cheese, Brie, tomato, brie grilled onion and mushroom in the tiniest amount drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
I'm just now reflecting on the days events with a little more clarity, I think I understand these auberges desire to fill their inexpensive auberges with fresh pilgrims right off the track vs someone like me who has lingered (with reason unbeknown to her), and thus starting at a point in line that captures these folks might be sticking more with their real duties on the Camino, to supply an inexpensive bed to the wandering tired pilgrim. I might look a little rested now, that will change tomorrow...
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