Camino Day 17: Burgos to Hornillos del Camino

Today we climbed Alto Meseta in the rain and wind-- a deliberate choice. The Meseta is reputedly one of the most difficult sections of the Camino; it is long, flat, featureless, and scorching hot. So when the weather report was rain, we decided to forego a day of rest in Burgos for a cool, damp Meseta crossing. Unfortunately, when we arrived in Hornillos del Camino at 3 pm (a perfectly respectable pilgrim arrival time), all the beds, inns, and hostels were full.

Soaked and dismayed, a hostel keeper offered us a ride to and a room at his mother's inn in the countryside. Though we were loathe to ride in a car during our Camino, we didn't have a lot of choice, so we accepted. It turned out to be another lesson in adjusted expectations: a detour can be an inconvenience or a beautiful experience-- it is all in your perspective.

El Molino is a beautiful farmhouse, with canals surrounding and running under it, and a flock of ducks holding court on the lawn. A crackling fire warmed the common room, and any reservations we had about out choice steamed away with the rain on our clothes.

We went to bed with bellies full of delicious, homemade food, and woke to sun peaking through the clouds for another cool day on the meseta.