ZUTTOZOOM

El Camino de Santiago - 2017

Day 16: El Burgo Ranero to Mansillas de las Mulas

Michelle wrote:
22 Sept. Friday

The morning selfie at El Burgo Ranero

We slept in today because it was a rough night. Our bed made sleeping difficult because I spent the night trying not to roll into the middle of the bed, my back hurt, I was too hot, etc. We finally left at 8:30 am and had a nice long 13 km walk along a small, lightly traveled road.

The only life we saw was lots of pilgrims. The road was long and mostly straight with sycamore trees lining the path to give us shade. We arrived in Reliegos and had lunch at a nice little bar. I thought the food and atmosphere were very good.

My left leg has been very sore and was making walking difficult. It slowed us down a lot the last 5 km into Mansilla de las Mulas. We splurged a got a 50 euro hotel room with a good bed. Curtis rubbed some cooling gel on my feet and legs and that really helped them to relax. I fell asleep for about 30 minutes.

We had to take our clothes to the partner albergue to use the washing machine.  We walked around the town while our clothes were washing. It was an interesting town. There is a wide river on the the far side of town and large parts of the old wall surrounding the town. The walls are quite high and have the cutout places for lookouts or archers. My imagination started running with all sorts of battles, etc. All the old movies of castles and adventures flashed in my mind. It was fun! We crossed the bridge and I imagined that if there was ever a drawbridge, that would have been where it was. We stopped in a couple of tiendas and bought stuff for a light dinner and breakfast. Then we went back to the albergue to hang up our clothes in the late afternoon sun and eat our dinner in the nice garden area. It was a peaceful and relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Flat smooth walk from
El Burgo Ranero heading West

While we were walking around the town we ran into a Danish woman and a Mexican woman that we’ve seen on the trail and that had also stayed at the same albergue last night. The Danish woman is fluent in Danish, Spanish and English. She lives in Colorado, but goes to Mexico in the winter. The other woman is her friend. They were fun to talk to. The Danish woman has a great sense of humor. It’s nice to run into people like that. It always brings a smile.

Our hotel is across the street from the park and it is really nice to sit in our room and listen to the kids playing soccer, etc. Our window is open and we can feel the breeze. I love it! I think we will transport our packs in the morning so that there is less strain on my leg for the last 19 km into Leon.

Curtis writes:
We walked about 19 km today. It's interesting to note that blisters are no longer a problem but there are other things causing pain now. For Michelle it's a strained muscle in the calf of each leg. For me it's a toe that gets jammed underneath another tow in my left foot.
We have arranged to ship Michelle's pack ahead to our next hotel tomorrow, so that should lighten the load and make it easier on our feet.

Breakfast at a park bench along the trail
with the highest point in the county behind us.

The pain of walking kept me from enjoying the simple beauty of this section of the Camino. Some would consider it austere. I liked the far horizons and the subtle changes in the topology. I like the long straight lines.
We came across a rare park bench along the trail. It was a perfect place to stop and have a 1st Breakfast (2nd Breakfast was in Reliegos). You'll notice the meal included my new favorite chocolate drink: Batido de Chocolate from Central Lechera Asturiana.
The geographic area between Burgos and Astorga is known as La Meseta (think table-top like flatness). While some Camino bloggers get bored with it, I think the long uncomplicated walks allow for extended periods of deep reflection. For me, this was meaningful and valuable time.
Chanticleer sings a composition by Jackson Hill called Voices of Autumn that aligns with long things with slight variations. An even more worthy theme for this section is Arvo Pärt's composition Spiegel Im Spiegel. You really need to click on that text and start it playing before you read on.

Each note played on the piano is a tree. One after another, perfectly spaced along the Camino. From time to time there is a tree out in the distance. The cello provides the horizon - continuos, smooth, with gentle transitions. The trees make a beautiful contrast with the long lines of the horizon.

The view south, across la meseta between El Burgo Ranero and Reliegos

The view in the opposite direction has a faint mountain profile.

This mountain range on the northern horizon is the most beautiful I've seen in Spain: Los Picos de Europa

From this point we could also see mountains to the West, but the South and the East is just a flat Horizon.
What deep thoughts did I ponder as I plodded step after step? They are gone now. Did they matter? I think they did. Even though I cannot tell you how it changed me, I feel changed by the Camino. I know that it changed the desires of my heart. It helped me see my relationship with Michelle from a perspective never witnessed before. It made plain to me the power of her tenacity.
Michelle heard a different song. It was Tevye taking his daughter to the train (Fiddler on the Roof), to join her exhiled husband in Siberia.

From left to right
Ponferrada, Astorga, Leon, Sahagun, Carrion de los Condes, Burgos, Santo Domingo de la Calzada
these are all towns on the Camino de Santiago. On this map we're hiking from right to left.

Click on the map above so that it will expand and you can read the text, or click HERE to access Google Maps. Looking at the map and seeing the distance walked to this point, from Logroño, beyond the right edge of the map, to the red marker, I get a feeling of ... "Wow!"

Planted grove

Lest you think it was way monotinous... not so.

For those in need, there's the taxi option

When I would come across a sign for a taxi, I took a picture with the idea that, should I need one, I have the number in the photos.

Overview of Mansillas de las Mulas, entering from the East.

We enjoyed Mansillas de las Mulas because we stayed at a nice Hostal: Los Soportales.

Hostal Los Soportales
(soportales translates to "arcade", which, before it was filled with electronic
games, was a a covered passageway with arches along one or both sides.)

Clean modern room at Los Soportales

After the rough night in El Burgo Ranero, this place looked heavenly. The one drawback to staying at a hostal is that they usually don't have laundry facilities like the albergues do. Fortunately, this place is owned by a group that also runs an albergue, so we were welcomed to use those facilities.

After the required shower and laundry chores, we took a stroll through the town. We found that the city was surrounded by a wall at one point in time. Much of the wall remains on the west side of town, bordering the river.