Day #12 El Camino
Sunday 24th September
Burgos > Burgos (rest day)
Distance walked: not a whole lot
Today I continued where yesterday left off, bedridden. It was a good and bad feeling of course. My body hated me from yesterday and I was nervous to stand up, fearing I wouldn’t be able to move. I’d survived the night before on nuts, chocolate and water, I was thinking a Yoko Ono / Lennon record was about to be broken for time spent in a bed. Alas, midday was checkout and I had to slowly get my arse into gear. The cleaning staff, some dear old Spanish ladies caught me when the door was open at one point around 11.30am and hinted strongly that perhaps I could check out earlier to help them, I was having none of it. I’d specifically booked a hotel so that I could use the room right up until 11.59am and 59 seconds. Perhaps I was a little cold when I shut the door on them, but business is business. I paid for a service, not a negotiation.
I strolled into the city centre for a coffee, admiring the obscenely large cathedral in the Burgos centre. Although not a fan of religion as such, I do appreciate the architecture. They sure do like to build an impressive structure. If God is everywhere, surely he/she doesn’t need so many fancy clubhouses with the prime property to show off?
The next hotel was unattended, a sign of the future perhaps? I’d booked online and received a door code to get in and the check-in time of 2pm. I got there at 1pm assuming there’d be a reception to leave my bags. I pressed the door buzzer and was let in, but nobody was in attendance. I followed the clues on my email and let myself into the room one hour early. Quite a bizarre process. I’ve done this with Air-BNB before and thought it strange too, but never for a hotel.
It was Sunday so this is the Lords day of rest and being that I’m on a religious pilgrimage I think it was good enough reason to abide by the rules from above!
With only one tiny tienda open on a Sunday, the pickings were slim for food and beverages, but the sun was shining, people were out and about and so I joined some others for wine and beers by the river. In hindsight, I wish I’d just taken advantage of having a hotel for a 2nd day in a row. I wanted to rest, but I fell back into the habit of being social when I am feeling the pressure to be so, even though the people I FEEL would be upset if I didn’t join them probably wouldn’t care, I feel like I’m being rude if I don’t. It’s a hermit/introvert dilemma I’m faced with daily. The company was nice, but as the day grew long and the hours passed by, I became tired and perhaps a little tipsy with wine and all I wanted to do was go to bed. I went to bed feeling restless that I’m shit at deliberately being unsocial when I should be, instead I get all bottled up about what I really think and then it makes me unsocial or perhaps weird around others. Then I get angry at myself and it probably shows, then I get insecure that everyone thinks I’m acting all weird or being aloof. Ugh. This is what goes on in my head. Burgos was a lovely city, but not entirely sure it should have been where I “used up” a rest day. My thoughts went forward to Leon and the rest of the trip and kept me awake thinking about where and how I’d like to continue and in what manner. Something has to change. A rest day should not have had so much anxiety. It seems like this little walk across Spain is starting to become, dare I say it, quite an emotional soul searching journey.
¡Buen Camino¡