Stage 1 – DONE

27.9km today to a little town called Agés.. Some parts felt like we were walking in Australia 🙂 up at falls creek and at other times trekking thru Nail Can it was very uncanny how much it felt like home….

Today started much like every morning up and packed by 6.30am have a yoghurt and a banana double check we have everything then it’s one slow step in front of the next… It takes about a km to warm up and force your feet in to another day of walking, and then all of a sudden the sticks are clicking and we are admiring yet another sunrise over the hills 🙂

Belorado has a Hollywood type feel walking thru it this morning – it’s own walk of fame 🙂 there bronzed in the Camino path is the boot and hand print of Martin Sheen 🙂 The Way star who so very convincingly made us want to do this in the first place! Very cool.

We stop in Villafranca for a kafé con leché and a supply run at the supermarket – this is the town where Ally made us do a runner… Stopped at a kafé I’m leisurely out the front while Ally orders – I here thru the window “umm Kell, this is not good.. We need to go… Grab the bags” and she makes some excuse in her broken Spanish and we are off! Down the street – apparently the waitress wasn’t up to speed on her cleanliness OH&S – finishing a smoke, emptying garbage and making coffees all at the same time is NOT acceptable… I know we are ‘roughing it’ but you gotta draw the line somewhere!

A much nicer cleaner place was found, refuelled we hiked up yet another mountain – with the Wind Turbines in our sites that’s where we wanted to get to 🙂

We run into new and familiar faces on the way 🙂 loud Italians who I can’t believe can walk up a mountain and still talk that fast without taking a breath! The happy German who doesn’t know much English but with a smile and a wave and plenty of hand signals we think his make is Ern. And Leon the happy Brazilian who floats along the way with such ease it makes us mere mortals jealous.

Following the ridge along the top and eventually heading back down into civilisation we pass thru San Juan de Ortega – with a population of we think 16, and one Albergue, we are feeling good to continue thru to Agés after a stop, some lunch (another ham and cheese roll) and Ally visiting the church (me “take some photos ill look at them”) we head off into our first walk in rain – lasting only 15 mins it was a refreshing change than just sun.

Heading down into Agés Ally and I realise how much we did today and we pretty stoked with our efforts we’ve gotta be close to 300km now…

One of the first things you do when you find a bed is find a power point to charge iPhone and iPod – after that – the next thing is to look around for familiar faces 🙂 Ann & Jon Franceś from France are here and Michelé from Italy! We have a long discussion about films and directors (does that surprise you) and we even convince the Italian to have Spanish Pizza for dinner (don’t tell his friends…) New friends are made from the US – a family homeless at the moment as they move Guam to Washington decided to walk the Camino while waiting to get their house… A new addition to add to our Camino family Mum and Dad Amy & Dave, and their son Zac (who is biking – don’t hold that against him, he has a bell) let’s hope we run into them again 🙂

Heading to the big city of Burgos next… An easy 26km away…

OR SO WE THOUGHT!!!!!!!!

After a delicious chocolate croissant and a donated kafé con leché from Zac (we are living on €4.60 till Burgos) we hit the trek only to run into our English film maker Mark 🙂 with a quick catch up we hear about his adventure to see the archeological dig site of the first human! Wow – the oldest site in the world is in Spain – if only we knew….

Mark stops for his morning cup of tea (he is British) and we head up the hill! Boulders – rocks – stones – pebbles – what ever you call them that is our road up – it was worth it! There is a beautiful view and breeze up the top! At this point Ally has a moment – we both do, a feeling you get, a wow feeling, about what we are doing, and that it all seems possible.

It’s amazing how that can all change in a few hours…

Down the other side we go and run into one of the funny sites you see on the way – huddled in a circle in the middle of a fork in the road is a bunch of 6 pilgrims, studying a guide to see which direction to take.. We all laugh and decide to go right – if we get lost we get lost together 🙂

All roads leads to Burgos! Some are better than others and Ally and I took the worst one… A decision made with our Brazilian Leon – as he floats off ahead of us we trudge thru the Indian Jones part of our trek! Lucky we had sticks!

Coming out the other side with the city before us you cannot fathom the dismay when we realise we have only hit Villafranca and Burgos is still another 9km away… Gutted.

Those km are thru an industrial site (Bron your breathing technique came in very handy thru this) a straight hard main road with no shade no scenery no love for the Camino.

Thru the harsh outskirts of Burgos we follow the yellow arrows. Someone needs to buy the Spanish a measuring tape – because at the 2.5km sign to the Albergue is seriously about 4.7km off its mark!!

One does not get happy when seeing these signs – one gets sad 🙁 because one knows it is wrong.

A slight ease of pain happens when you see other pilgrims in the same state as you – what’s better is when you finally see your bed for the night! (Lets ignore the Disney line we had to go thru to get in that joint) We’ve set up – showered – washed clothes – Burgos you better be worth it!

WOW only 10 meters up the road. WOW the Cathedral de Santa Maria – totally worth everything we have gone thru! An overwhelming place full of stunning history and sensory overload! After listening to part 20 on the audio tour it all became a bit much – and Ally enjoyed my refreshing take on what each of the following 7 stages of the cathedral were 🙂 the pictures do not do it justice, you have to come and see it for yourself xx

While your are here you can also check out the awesome castle ruins.. A castle which began construction in 884 (yep no 10th or 11th century here – early days, the year 884)

It took a few hundred years to reach its monumental completion and then the people didn’t like it anyway and used it for storage! (This is the History 101 Kelly version) plus a fire in 16th century gutted it before the French tried to take over Spain… All in all another wow moment. The views from there were amazing – again worth the trip.

On a lighter note the discovering of a bucket of 5 beers for €3 added another fantastic element to Burgos, Ally Mark and I set up on the street and welcome our fellow pilgrims to join us – all amazed at our find – when the rain forces us inside the pilgrims take over the top level of the bar – France, Italy, Austria, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Ireland, England, and more are all represented and of course the Aussies (and how stoked was Ally to lead the crew in the chorus of Aussie Aussie Aussie!!)

One of the funniest things I can remember from that night is that Ern, our German friend is actually Peter our German friend – oops

So it’s back to the Camino and thru Burgos we hit over 350+ km’s done (ya us!) ahead is the Meseta (the desert) and our next stage to the city of Leòn…

How will we go?

We’ll keep you posted.

Until then

Buen Camino!