Fuente de Santa María

I woke up at 5:30, as usual, but today, I just turned over and found that I could easily go back to sleep. It felt very decadent to wake up at 8:30, use up the last few granules of my instant coffee, and sit in bed with nothing to pack up and lug around on my back.

It had rained a LOT last night, but when I left the hotel around 10 am, it was cloudy but dry. I had never been to the Monasterio de las Huelgas, and Clare, being the good sport that she is, came along.

It was extremely interesting to learn that 23 cloistered nuns still live there, more than a thousand years after the convent’s founding. They run a laundry, and sell some baked goods.

I wish I could keep my Spanish kings straight, but the infant king Enrique I is buried in this monastery. Such intrigue—he was injured by a falling rock while playing with friends,
and his “handlers” brought in a “doctor” to try some experimental surgery, which involved cutting a hole in his skull. He died four days later. Our guide believes it was murder.

There was an amazing room filled with clothing from the 13th century, in extremely good condition. That was my favorite part, even more than the Romanesque cloister!

We met Juanma for lunch, my friend who owns an albergue earlier on the Francés (shoutout for the Albergue Maralotx in Cirauqui). We went to a place serving the Burgos specialty of roast suckling lamb. And the Burgos specialty of morcilla. I have to retract all the many bad things I’ve said about morcilla over the years because this was very good (maybe because the Burgos morcilla has rice added) and the lamb —yum. Thanks for driving so far to see us, Juanma, and thanks for taking us to this very non-touristy authentic asador. It was a great way to put a punto final on my Camino 2023.

In early evening, we had a vino tinto in the Plaza Mayor, and on my way back to the hotel I ran into the Corpus Christi processions.

Tomorrow, late morning bus to Madrid. Then home on Wednesday.Les mer