Day 14 Ages to Burgos (April 1)

We got up early and were on the road by 0715. It was still dark and we were the last ones out (aside from Juan Ramon the cyclist). There was cold coffee and bread left so we had some. We walked a couple of hours then stopped at a bar which was way too crowded with pilgrims and very smokey. The next place to stop was in Orbaneja which is mentioned in the Brierley book. We had great coffee and a special Easter confection called Torrellegas (spelling may be wrong). The day is a little cool and it was cloudy/hazy. Once we left Atapuerca the walk became difficult. Lots of mud and wet rocks uphill and downhill. After our coffee stop, 2 Spanish girls and a young Spanish man asked us to take their photo. We had met them in Grañon. The girls were leaving him to take the bus to Valencia. He asked if we wanted to walk with him on the alternate route into Burgos to avoid highway traffic. We felt adventurous so said we would. We slopped thru muddy fields - this is the dirtiest I have been. We walked alongside the airport. The sun came out and we started to get too warm so once we hit a city street we said our goodbyes and thanked him for showing us this way. I´m sure it cut a couple of miles off of today´s walk. We had several more miles to walk. We arrived at the Cathedral and WOW! It´s huge. Found the municipal albergue - Jacobean. Great location, modern, clean, hot showers, what more could we ask for? All for only 3 euros each. The Austrian sisters are here as is the German couple from last night and several others from Grañon and Belorado. We went for a stroll to check out the cathedral. Stopped for churros and chocolate. We´re planning tapas for dinner so we can watch the procession tonight at 8. Guess who just walked in? Dieter!! We are so happy to see him. He arrived from San Juan de Ortega!