Neither Mrs Durham nor I were keen on going up the big hill to San Juan de Ortega today so we limited our walk to the San Anton Abad Hotel and Albergue at the foot of the hill. It was a pleasant walk and not too challenging which was just what my knee and foot preferred. I actually didnt have a problem at all today! Clearly it is worth taking it easy every now and then as I do recall walking from Belorado past Tosantos and up to San de Ortega in one hit on our first camino and feeling an unnatural ping in the sole of one of my feet that was to haunt me for the rest of the journey!

Anyway no such torment today! It was quite chilly and we were keen to have something to warm us up. We were told there was breakfast available only 1km away in the next village. Unfortunately when we arrived the lady informed us she was clos-ed. So we went to the next village. Nope. Nothing there either. Then finally we found a bar open. So did everyone else but luckily we were there early.

It was actually one of the best breakfasts you could get on the camino! I had an omelette with crispy prosciutto cheese and chilli on toast. The chilli was so spicy I couldn’t believe I was in spain! Usually picante in spain cant match Thai or Indian but this chilli was hot! Even the Mexican yoga teacher yelled out in shock! Mrs Durham ordered toast with tomatoes and had the most beautiful tomato slices you could get. All in all worth the walk and the wait. The Grañon team strolled in slowly. Couldn’t believe it when the Italian Chef from Grañon showed up without a shirt on again! It was freezing! I had triple layers on!

We continued on with a little rain here and there and passed an old building that the Choir master had investigated in 2018. This time Mrs Durham felt the desire to investigate. Apparently it’s locked but someone’s been in there having a party and a fire!

As we continued walking the clouds kept threatening to rain however we were pleased when Villafranca appeared so early in the day. I dawdled a bit and spotted a rainbow on the way in and I heard a friendly voice call my name. It was my Dutch friend who had walked with me into Najera and just as she arrived the rainbow expanded into a full arch. Sometimes magic happens on the camino!

So we arrived at the lovely hotel reception knowing full well we would be escorted to the back and the albergue entrance in due course. The nice lady checked us in and directed us to the bar to wait for her to come back and open the albergue. We saw a pile of luggage and for a moment felt traumatised. Was the bus load of Korean pilgrims heading our way? Thankfully the Jacotrans man came back with another bag and our minds were put at ease. The bar was very cosy and I remembered the decor from before. It was a good place to be as the rain began to fall quite heavily. My friend messaged from the west coast to warn us of a cyclone developing with severe impacts expected for us over the next two days.

We decided to book a loft apartment in Burgos for two days to wait it out and also queried availability of the local bus into the city on the morrow. After relaxing in the bar and getting organised for the storm we were escorted upstairs and both given single beds by the windows. What a thrill!

The showers were also impressive!

The pilgrim meal was a busy affair as there were actually quite a few dorm rooms and a number of pilgrims in the hotel rooms. We caught up with the Retired School Principal who I kept bumping into who just happened to know Mrs Durhams friend from the USA also.

I’ll be honest and say the paella was okay, the port fillet was far too salty but the tiramisu was perfect. Not bad for a pilgrim menu really but I couldn’t eat much of it at all.

Off to bed with wind and rain pelting down outside. Ominous signs of the impending cyclone developing.

Buenas noches.