Camino Frances 2024 Day 13 - Jun 17, 2024

Today was a relatively easy walk of 21 km from Atapuerco to Burgos. We are at about the halfway point. Burgos is a big town with great architecture and modern energy, versus Pamploma and Logrono which were both historic and more rural. We will take stock, rest and reset and plan the rest of the camino from here. Because I have to get back home by June 25, we have to travel a couple of legs by bus and do the final walking stretch from Sarria on. With my pains, it is also worth finding a physio but its more to cover the bases, not a huge priority [I found one that had an opening so was able to get some hot pads that she thinks will keep me good until the end of the camino]. Everyone is bracing for either the mentally taxing part of the walk, that we will miss, or the tourist onslaught that starts in Sarria. Out of Atapuerco today we met Sabrina a young professional from Los Angeles who might have sprained her foot and needs to decide if she can continue. We caught up with Amanda and Samira from Indiana and Paula the retiree from Italy. Jovanna and her Kiwi Brazilian walking partner are remarkable strong impressive walkers. I also met a Dutchie. We walked alongside the elderly man we had first seen going into Estella. Right at the end we caught up with David and Janet and said goodbye as they end their camino in Burgos. We likely will not see many people again after today, :-(, and start with a new crowd once we get to Sarria. I’ll miss this St. Jean community. Annette is in Burgos still so we might have one last meal with her tonight. [We did and she had her friends Anja from Hamburg and Angele from Hawaii with her. Turns out that Angela is a writer so we hit it off immediately. The two girls from Hong Kong and Beijing were at rhe next table over as well as the ladies from the farmhouse last night. As we left we ran into the three young Frenchmen and Paula]. By now we have routines and we know what makes a good day and a good walk, so the goal is to keep things stable for the next phase. We have gone through the minimize stage and now at the optimize stage. One key example is the poles. I left home not feeling I needed any but was persuaded in St. Jean to get a set. They were I dispenable clawing the way up the Pyrenees and staying stable on the rocky roads, and a steady brake in the treacherous descents like the one into Zubiri. In other places more flat it seems like they throw off your gait and create injury. So by now I know when to use and not use them. Another essential is water, which is more valuable than food on the Camino. I drink a lot!