Where in the world is David today? Burgos

Santo Domingo trivia: because of his work providing bridges and improving the way for pilgrims, Santo Domingo is the patron saint of civil engineers, but also, according to the cathedral, of gerontologists and various other things. I failed to say yesterday that I learned a lesson about choosing a refuge: don't necessarily go for the first one you see, even if it looks charming from the outside, is run by what seems like a worthy organisation (e.g. a convent) and even perhaps looks like the 'official' one. Last night's was the nadir of refuges so far: cramped, uncomfortable, dirty, lacking in facilities, unfriendly, and even smelly in parts. When I went out walking in the city I quickly discovered that there was a comfortable, modern, well-equipped one just a few doors down the street. At any rate, if last night's was the bottom of the pile, today's is the Ritz-Carlton of refugios - a newly opened, clean, comfortable and magnificent modern refugio in a historic building. Hoorah.

Today's ride looked like it was going to develop into another hot one at first, but the heat didn't materialise. It was cool setting off at 7.00am, and there weren't too many trucks on the road at that time. I was delighted to make my first sighting of storks nesting on the tops of buildings as I exited Sto Domingo de la Calzada - they were on top of the old walls. I hadn't planned to stop so soon, but I couldn't miss catching them on film. From there it was a very straightforward journey really - N120 all the way - but the road got busier and busier as time went on with a lot of trucks. The motorway upgrade hasn't reached this far yet, but will probably mess up the best cycle routes when it does arrive. The pull uphill to Puerto de la Pedraja was tough, and it took me to 3875ft, which is actually higher than the pass by which I came over the Pyrenees, but there wasn't as much other climbing as on the previous couple of days, so the ride wasn't as long or as exhausting. That's good! There is more to come, but I am building up confidence in my ability just to keep the wheels turning. More food for thought there, I must say!

I have to say that with all the traffic, I didn't take as much notice of the scenery today, though I did glimpse some good views at bad moments for stopping on a busy road. Just after the summit there was a small, semi-open pilgrim chapel that didn't look as though it would be in use. Even so, there was confetti all over the ground, so maybe a couple came there for photos even if they weren't married in the chapel. On the other side of the road was a nice picnic place (which I didn't take a picture of) where all the benches and tables were made from old milestones - sorry, I can't get my head round calling them kilometre stones! What an interesting way of recycling them. Proper stones, that is, not lumps of concrete.

What was supposed to happen next was a long, swooping, fast downhill run into Burgos according to the book. Well, I will forgive the book this time because they author couldn't know that there would be a strong headwind today. However, even without a headwind it wouldn't have been a patch on one or two of the other descents since crossing the Pyrenees, and he seemed to think this was the best since the beginning of the journey. His judgments seem to me to be more and more subjective - negative if he was feeling tired or too hot, positive if he was fresh. The thing is, am I any better?? That's given me something to think about. When it comes to gradients, I think I am definitely more objective - I can read off the incline and the distance from the wonderfully restored bike computer and know that he underestimated the final ascent today by more than a km, and then conveniently forgot to mention that it was a double summit with another km to go beyond that even. Some of the German foot-pilgrims seem to have a book with much more detailed and helpful route profiles.

Anyway, back to the headwind. I don't know what it was, but it was enough to ensure that I needed to pedal reasonably hard in a mid-range gear to keep a constant speed on a 3% downward hill. With that much assistance from the gradient, I should have been wearing out the brakes not my legs, but if I hadn't been pedalling I would have ground to a halt. Add in the 'truck effect' and from time to time it felt like being blown backwards. So, the whole of the remaining 31km was work, not just coasting. When it came to the outskirts of Burgos, it was just like any other city in many ways, but I suddenly realised that, as with Pamplona, Logrono and Sto Domingo, the approach into the city was flat - in complete contrast to most of the major French cathedral cities where everything would turn out to be perched on top of a hill with steep approaches, even if the surrounding area had been flat. I wonder if there really is a very different pattern ?

As I got towards the centre, Burgos took on a character of its own, and I found I liked it very much. Distinctively different architecture, differently trimmed trees (in fact different species of trees), and just a different feel. Burgos is the financial capital of Spain, so there are bank-related buildings everywhere, but there is much more to it than that, and it still has an ancient feel to it. The approach to the city centre suddenly took me off over one old bridge (the Puente de San Pablo) and then back over another (the Puente de Santa Maria) to enter by a very striking gate which brought me right into the square outside the cathedral (Plaza del Rey San Fernando. And what an edifice Burgos Cathedral is - immense, and flamboyantly gothic in a very French way on the outside (it drew inspiration from the Northern French cathedrals), but with some moorish touches (pinnacles around the cloister, for example).

It turned out to be another place where you needed to pay €2.50 even as a pilgrim, and there wasn't any of the feel of being in a living church. In effect, a sign said - "If you want to pray or worship, go to a different church". I wasn't comfortable in there in the way I often have been, even in some of the extravagantly decorated Spanish churches, but I realised that it was basically a historical and cultural document in stone, and when I looked at it in that way it felt much better. Even so, I am curious that my reaction meant I was more interested in photographing floors and ceilings than the bits in between. There were few details to draw me in like the stonework of Sto Domingo de la Calzada, and I found I walked round really quite quickly, passing by many of the chapels with little more than a glance. On another occasion, in tourist mode, I might be more interested, but it didn't capture me and make me lose track of time as some places have, and I wasn't disappointed when the battery went dead in my camera (I took the last few with my phone). That was sad.

Out of the cathedral, I wasn't sure what to do next - my book didn't tell me where the tourist office was, or whether there was a pilgrim office, and the city map taped to the desk in the Cathedral shop wasn't much help. Having unlocked the bicycle, I was all set to wander into what I thought was more like the centre of town when I first got distracted by a sculpture of a weary pilgrim on a bench in the square (I came back to photograph it later) and then turned around and saw that the tourist office was right behind me all the time - a tiny door among some shops. What's more it was open, efficient and helpful. They showed me the best way to get to my magnificent refugio, and they also told me where to find this cafe with its free WiFi! Bless them.

Tomorrow's ride is slightly longer, but should be easier unless the wind blows wildly or the rain decides to pour (only the possibility of light rain is predicted). That will take me to Fromista which has a fascinating church, and if I get off early I should be there by lunchtime again. Just out of interest, it seems like I am more than a third through the miles I will do in Spain and 83% of the way there, and I am about to stow the first of my three Spanish maps and move onto the second one with ten days to go. And, by the way, my knee is doing very well, no other injuries or pains have developed (the bottom is much better with the shorter distances) and there have been no mechanical problems for several days now (which probably means I should do some maintenance tomorrow afternoon when I will have slightly more time for it. It is highly unlikely I will have a good internet connection tomorrow, so it may be another text-only update for the time being.


So that's it for now - I am going to post these rather shallow ramblings, go for a walk, and head back to enjoy a bit of siesta time on my lovely (top) bunk bed. There may be more pictures added later, but probably no more ramblings unless something remarkable happens.