Photos for Edeltraud - Meeting Again

While walking the Camino in a rainstorm this year, I heard a very familiar voice.

I turned and saw a profile.

Was it?

YES!

It was Edeltraud!

She was a pilgrim I met while walking in 2006!!

So.. I promised to give her some photos from the fun fiesta we attended.

Here they are!

I can't remember which albergue this is taken in.

 Lamb stew cooking.

 Paella!!!

 They served us from wheelbarrows.

 Remember these people? They sat down at some family's private table and refused to move!  They pretended not to understand.  Bad pilgrims!

 YUM!

 Joe was happy!

 You were happy too!

 Remember this couple?

 The band played oompah music. It was great!

 OH yes, the BROOM DANCE!

 This little boy started at the top of the hill and was going so fast I missed the last shot!

 Joe was drunk and danced with the girls!

 Remember dancing?

 Such a fun night!

Meeting again on the Camino in 2012!

What a wonderful surprise!

Getting from Madrid to Pamplona

Here is some information for those of you flying into Madrid, and wanting to meet our group in Pamplona.  

From the Madrid airport, you can catch a city bus to the Avenida de Americas bus terminal, get off the bus, go upstairs and purchase bus tickets at the kiosk. It's under two euros to get to the bus terminal and they have free wifi on the bus!

If you are going to meet us in SJPP, you can check to see if the new shuttle is running from Pamplona to SJPdP....it's a new shuttle bus they started running last year during busy season. It's cheaper than a taxi.

If you are trying to purchase train tickets and having problems, this is because you can only buy tickets online two months in advance for any Spanish train.   If you purchase the tickets when they first become available, you can save well over half of the regular price. For every train, there is a limited number of "web fares" (cheapest) and "estrella fares" (next cheapest).

One experienced pilgrim, Laurie, says tickets on the RENFE website is hit or miss. One thing you definitely want to do is call your credit card company before you try to book them, and that might eliminate the problems that many people have. She says many people  go all the way through the complicated site, make their reservations, only to find that the payment isn't accepted.

As of 2012, ticket brokers can now sell the cheap tickets themselves, but only within the two month window. So Raileurope,  Petrobax, and others will sell you the same cheap fares with their service fee (about $8 US). Or you can try it yourself on the RENFE site and save the service fee.

Yet another alternative is to buy the tickets when you arrive in Spain. If you're over 65 (or is it 60?), you can then buy a special card that allows you a discount off the fare.  For ALSA and Renfe you are a senior citizen at 60.

There is a Tarjeta Dorada" (Golden Card) offered in Spain. This provides discounts to those over 60.  It costs 5.05 euros, and is available in RENFE train stations, RENFE ticket offices, and travel. It's valid for one year.  The discounts are taken off the regular ticket price (not the web specials) and are as follows:

For the AVE (high speed). Monday, Tuesday, Wed., Thurs., 40% discount with advance purchase. Friday, Sat., Sunday, and all days without advance purchase, 25%.

For the AVANT (next fastest). 25% discount M-F; 40% discount Sat-Sun (I know this is the opposite of the discounts for the AVE, but I'm just reporting what the RENFE website says).

For the regular trains: 40% discount all the time

Cercanias: 40% discount all the time

If you can get the online web fares two months out, they are even cheaper, but if not, or if you plan on  purchasing tickets while in the country, the Tarjeta Dorada may be the way to go. 

I'll post updated information as I find it.

Thanks Laurie!

Annie

 

See my website at 

Anniewalkers Camino

for more information about
Guided Walks on the Pilgrimage Trails of Europe
and
Walking the Camino Santiago

What to See in Burgos

Burgos was founded in 884. 
It has played a significant political and military role 
in Spanish history ever since. 
Romans fortified the hill 
overlooking the Arlanzón River.  
For a lot of great history on Burgos, see Linda Kay Davidson’s book The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago. 

 El Cid is famous in Burgos. 
Spain’s medieval epic, the Poema de Mío Cid tells how Cid raised money to provision his army by borrowing from Burgos’s Jewish moneylenders.
He then tricked them by offering 
a chest full of stones as security 
while requiring their oath 
not to look into the chest for a year!  
Would you agree???

Well, the Jews provided the gold, 
which Cid never repaid.
 He later rode into Burgos to pray at the Cathedral, before crossing the river to camp.
Maybe he was praying for forgiveness...

Burgos grew very wealthy from the wool trade. 
The wool from merino sheep 
have a very soft, fine, crimped staple.
It makes lovely soft wool fabric.
Burgos' wool wealth 
financed much of the great art and architecture 
seen in the city today.

No Spanish town had more pilgrim hospices 
than Burgos. 
In the late 15^th century, there were 32. 
Some were founded by royalty, 
some by private citizens, 
some by merchant guilds, 
and some by religious and military orders. 

Because of its strategic location 
on the Camino de Santiago 
and the main Madrid-France highway,
 Burgos got (and still gets) its fair share of tourists.

Burgos is not a town to rush through. 
It contains a staggering wealth of art,
 more than any other city along the road. 
It’s worth staying an extra day 
to see the wonders offered. 
Here is a list of some things to see while in Burgos:

The Cathedral,
 founded in 1221 by Bishop Maruicio 
under Fernando III.
This is Spain’s third-largest cathedral. 
The ground plan is a Latin cross. 
It was constructed in several stages 
over 3 centuries and involved 
many of the greatest artists and architects in Europe. 
The style is almost completely Gothic. 
Plan on spending anywhere from 2 to 6 hours to see completely. 
It is chock full of beauty! 

Here are a few photos I took in the Cathedral:

Davidson’s book has several pages 
dedicated to the art contained in this cathedral.

Retablo at Iglesia de San Nicolás Bari

 Iglesia de San Nicolás Bari 
contains a superb altarpiece 
by Simon of Cologne (1505) 
The carvings depict scenes 
from the life of St. Nicholas. 
This church was a showpiece of the merchant guilds.

Arco de Fernán González

 The Arco de Fernán González 
is a Renaissance commemorative arch (1592)

Photo by R.S. Antonio

The Castillo de Burgos is erected 
over the ruins of a Roman fortification. 

The Iglesia de San Esteban has a museum 
displaying 18 retablos 
from the 15th through the 18th century 
collected from churches
 in the province of Burgos.

Old postcard of Arco de San Esteban in Burgos; Arco de San Esteban: 12^th Century entrance showing Mudéjar characteristics.

Santa Agueda (Agatha) carries her breasts on a plate

  Iglesia de Santa Agueda

This is where El Cid made King Alfonso VI 
swear he played no part
 in the murder of his Elder brother, King Sancho II.

Casa de Miranda

 Casa de Miranda and Archaeological Museum

Museu de Burgos has finds from the Roman city of Clunia

 Arco de Santa María
This was the principal gate of the city 
in the 14^th Century.
It is carved with statues of various local personalities

Statue of El Cid

Named for his heroism, 
El Cid was a charismatic man of great courage. 
The tombs of El Cid and his wife 
are in Burgos Cathedral. 

Casa del Cordón and Capitanía General:
A 15^th century palace with a Franciscan cord motif carved over the portal. This is the spot where the Catholic Monarchs welcomed Columbus on his return in 1497 from his second voyage to the Americas. 

 Iglesia de San Lesmés honors the patrón of Burgos, San Lesmés.

 Cartuja de Miraflores is a Carthusian monastery founded during the 15th century.  

The church includes tombs 
containing Juan II and Isabel of Portugal 
(the parents of Isabel the Catholic) 
and her brother, Prince Alfonso. 
Also here is the multicolored altarpiece 
by Gil de Siloé, 
allegedly gilded with the first gold brought to Spain from the New World. 

Monasterio de las Huelgas – Access by guided tour only. 

A rural palace given over to a convent 
by Alfonso VIII. 
His goal, opposite of the Cistercian ideal, 
was to create the world’s most sumptuous convent, 
an opulent refuge for widowed nobility.  
 It contains the Museo de Ricas Telas, 
a textile museum containing ancient fabrics from the convent’s many royal tombs. 
 The Gothic cloister of San Fernando 
is decorated with Moorish designs 
of peacocks and stars.

 Sorrowful Mother in Iglesia de San Gil Abad

Iglesia de San Lorenzo has a beautiful Baroque ceiling.

Paseo de la Isla – a park created to reclaim the Arlanzón riverbank. 

 Hospital del Rey

If you have time, be sure to take the bus that carries you from the archaeological museum

 to the caves of the Sierra de Atapuerca. 

These caves contain a rich fossil record 
of the earliest human beings in Europe, 

from nearly one million years ago 
and extending up to the Common Era. 

They represent an exceptional reserve of data,

 the scientific study of which provides 
priceless information 

 about the appearance and the way of life 
of these remote human ancestors.

As you can see, 
Burgos is rich in culture and history.

Do yourself a favor and take a rest day here.

There are many inexpensive hostals and pensiones;

find one near the old town,

and enjoy the local cuisine from the wild fruit plates served at El Morito

 to the Patatas Bravas served in almost every bar

to the morcilla (blood sausage),

famous in Burgos

There are strange looking bars like Meson El Cid

and lovely dining rooms like this one at Hotel Ciudad

Try some churros y chocolate

which is more like a thick pudding

Or buy a pastry from one of the many wonderful pasty shops

Oh, and see the Cola Cao 
in the yellow packet above?

That is instant hot chocolate

and you can get it everywhere.

For those who don't drink coffee,

it's a great alternative.

As is the fresh squeezed orange juice 
you find in every restaurant.

Just ask for zumo naranja!

Oh yes, I almost forgot.

Don't forget to have your photo taken 

with the Naked Pilgrim!

Almost every Pilgrim has a photo of this fellow.

I think that's enough for today.

Remember... 

BURGOS!

Buen Camino!

Annie

See my website at 

Anniewalkers Camino

for more information about
Guided Walks on the Pilgrimage Trails of Europe
and
Walking the Camino Santiago