BURGOS (Spain)

It’s time to read more about the third big city on the Camino Frances. The other two we have visited, are:

  • Pamplona – the place from where we started our Camino Frances in 2017 and an absolute beautiful city. You can read about our first big city on the Camino here.
  • Logroño – not as big as Pamplona, but nevertheless, a city with amazing architecture and MANY tapas bars. You can read about Logroño here.

It took us 5 days to walk from Logroño to Burgos – a total of 123.9km. And as per our previous post, here is just one highlight per day between these two big cities:

Day 5: Najera (30.1km)

Ruins of a medieval monastery – the Order of San Juan de Acre (12th century) where pilgrims were taken care of

(You can read about the hiking of Day 5 here)

Day 6: Santo Domingo de la Calzada (21.0km)

A rainy day as we walk on long dirt roads between farmlands

(You can read about the hiking of Day 6 here)

Day 7: Belorado (22.9km)

A beautiful sunrise with the temperature a mere 1°C

(You can read about the hiking of Day 7 here)

Day 8: Ages (27.9km)

Here we reach the small village of Ages – my most difficult day on the Camino Frances

(You can read about the hiking of Day 8 here)

Day 9: Burgos (22.0km)

At the highest point of the day – Cruceiro – and only 19km to Burgos (here I was hoping to see Burgos in the distance)

(You can read about the hiking of Day 9 here)

Long before we started our Camino, I read about the beautiful cathedral in Burgos and was looking forward to see this building which is outstanding for the elegance and harmony of its architecture. But now, ironically, when we reached Burgos, all I wanted to do was to curl up on a bed after drinking pain killers and preferably with my feet up high!

It will be therefore no surprise to you that there are not many photos in this post … what a pity! We would have loved to go on a tour inside the cathedral, but instead, we (I) was looking for doctors and buses.

But let’s see what we can show you. The walk into Burgos was a long slog through industrial areas. After walking for days through farmlands and small villages, it was a shock to find ourselves in a big city again.

It felt a little strange to find a Las Vegas Hotel & Africa Bar in Burgos
We are still on the Camino, but now it’s only in a big city

We arrived in Burgos just after lunch

Buildings in the main street of Burgos

Burgos:

Burgos was founded in 884 as an eastern outpost of the Asturian kingdom by the Castilian count Diego Rodriguez Porcelos. The city is an agricultural centre, its manufactures include liquor, flour, woollen and leather goods, chocolate and paper.

Burgos Cathedral:

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and located in the historical center of Burgos. Our accommodation, Albergue de Peregrinos Casa del Cubo de Burgos, was literally just around the corner from the cathedral.

Burgos Cathedral

The cathedral’s construction began in 1221 and after a hiatus of almost 200 years, work began again in the 15th and 16th centuries. The last works of importance were then performed in the 18th century. Today, one can only look in awe at this Gothic-styled church.

Burgos Cathedral as seen from the street where our albergue was situated

We only went into the main entrance of the cathedral where we received our stamps in our pilgrim passports … one can’t even really call that a visit to the inside of the cathedral!  

And the reason for the lack of exploring Burgos … my painful knee and blistered feet! If you’re sensitive, just skip the next photos (it’s not really disgusting), but only the reality of a long-distance hiker’s feet.

Drain (one of many) blisters and then patching them up again

Because of my knee and the severity of the blisters on my feet (some of them were also infected), Berto suggested that I rest for two days here in Burgos. While he continued on the Camino, I stayed behind in Burgos. Two days later, I took a bus to Fromista where I met up with Berto again. To everyone’s surprise (mine included), I then continued walking to the end.

Saying goodbye to pilgrim friends:

It was also here in Burgos that we had to say goodbye to some of our pilgrim friends. Conchi and Pili from Spain ended their Camino in Burgos (they would continue at another time) and we decided to enjoy their last evening with a meal in one of the many restaurants in Burgos.

A tapas restaurant in Burgos

Time to indulge in Spain’s wonderful food

I chose a classic burger and chips

After dinner, we walked back to our albergue. But then, just across the street, we saw another bar … oh Spain caught us in its web! We had one last drink before we called it a night!

Deulet (Kazakhstan), Berto and Conchi (Spain)

After Berto went back on the Camino the next morning, I had a last breakfast with Conchi and Pili. It was amazing how quickly we became friends and we were all a little teary when we said goodbye.

Saying goodbye

I visited a medical center later that morning. The doctor prescribed antibiotics for my infected blisters and a sporty knee guard and something about resting for a week before I continue my Camino, (but I sort of ‘missed’ that last part of his instruction).

I went back to the Burgos Cathedral and sat there for quite some time just looking at this magnificent building. We will definitely have to go back one day to do justice to Burgos!

Two weary pilgrims

Last look at Burgos Cathedral

To reach our fourth big city on the Camino Frances from Burgos, we had to walk for seven days and more than 180km. In this city, we saw another beautiful cathedral and more processions. We’ll see you there in our next post.