Instalment 3 Lograno to Burgos Day eight is an early start from Logrono, 5.30am; the city is in darkness with a feint hint of sunrise. Wayside marks are hard to see, so I have to stay focused or I might lose my way. Upon leaving the city behind, the bitumen and concrete turns to natural pathways and the rich red soil of Rioja - beautiful in the sunshine, but a nightmare in the wet as it clings to our boots like glue. Today s 30km walk will take me through the towns of Navarrete and Ventosa to an altitude of 670m over Alto San Anton and down into the town of Najera, and days end. Najera was the medieval capital of the Kingdom of Navarre in the 11th and 12th centuries, the monastry of Santa Maria de la Real houses the Royal Pantheon of burial for the kings, queens, and royal knights of Navarra. Of singular beauty is the royal tombe of Dona Blanca de Castile y Navarre (1156). The royal burial place is part of a beautiful church, as is the cave which gives rise to the legend of the church. The church was built by the son of Sancho the Great, Don Garcia. He followed his hunting falcon which flew into the cave where he found the statue of the Virgin and Child. The church has a magnificent cloister - The Knights Cloister. Statue found in Cave Day nine - 22km walk takes me to the beautiful cathedral city of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and the famous miracle of the Hen and the Rooster. The story is worth the telling: Legend tells of a German Pilgrim called Hugonell who was walking to Santiago with his parents, when they decided to rest at an inn in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The daughter of the owner of the inn immediately fell in love with him; however her feelings were not reciprocated, so the girl, angered, placed a silver cup into his luggage and accused the boy of theft. Thieves at that time were punished by hanging, and this was the fate of Hugonell. His parents, saddened by their son s death continued the pilgrimage, and upon arriving in Santiago de Compostela, began their return journey to visit the grave of their dead son. When they arrived in Santo Domingo however, they found their son still hanging in the gallows but, miraculously alive. Hugonell, excited, said to them: "Santo Domingo brought me back to life, please go to the Mayor's house and ask him to take me down." Quickly, the parents arrived at the Mayor's house and told him of the miracle. The incredulous Mayor, who was preparing to have dinner with friends, responded: "That boy is as alive as these two roast chickens we are about to eat," and suddenly, the chickens came to life, sprouting feathers and beaks and began to crow, and so, to this day there is a saying about the town which goes: "Santo Domingo of the Way, where Cathedral San Domingo de la Calzada the roosters crow after being roasted."
In front of the Mausoleum in the cathedral there is a stone, polychrome and gothic Henhouse, which was build in the middle of the 15th century to keep alive a hen and a rooster in memory of the famous Santo Domingo miracles. There exists documents from Pope Clement VI dated 1530 allowing these live animals to be kept inside the cathedral. Below the cage is a representation of the pilgrim Hugonell being hanged (painted by Alonso Gallego). Above the cage is a piece of wood supposed to be from the gallow. From the beginning, Santo Domingo de la Calzada has always been linked to the Pilgrimage of St. James. Its founder, Domingo Garcia, was Domingo Garcia born in Viloria de Rioja (Burgos) in 1019. He decided to devote his life to God and tried to enter the monasteries of San Millan and Valvanera but was not accepted. Around the year 1040, he became a hermit in the forests which occupied the site on which this city now stands. From his home he was able to see how difficult the pilgrimage was for those undertaking it and he began to work to help them by building a bridge to cross the Oja River, a hospital where pilgrims could seek refuge and a little church. Domingo received approval from Alfonso VI de Castilla who provided a piece of land where Domingo built the first church completed in 1106. When he died on the 12 May 1109, he was buried in the middle of the Pilgrimage, which he had designed. His followers maintained the little village which later took his name and they continued his work, creating a confraternity, which nowadays works keeping his memories, traditions and beliefs alive by working with pilgrims in the Hostel. There is a long standing tradition that if you hear the cock crow while in the cathedral, it s a sign of good luck - hopefully my luck will holdout. It crew twice while I was visiting the cathedral. Royal Courthouse and Jail, Santo Domingo Day 10 takes me from Santo Domingo to Belorado, a distance of 23km, leaving behind the beautiful region of La Rioja and entering the Provence of Castilla y Leone. This is the largest autonomous region in Spain and fifty percent of my journey time to Santiago de Compostela will be taken up walking through three of its nine provinces, Burgos, Palencia and Leon. It contains the incomparable Meseta - most pilgrims nightmare, with blistering sun and little shade, a predominantly flat plateau that makes up a third of the Iberian Peninsula, lying between 1000m and 3000m above sea level and following the Duero river basin. The predominant agriculture in this area is the growing of cereal crops mainly wheat and oats, and sheep and goats in the hillier parts.
This area is rich in history with many castles protecting the ancient kingdom of Castile. From the 11th century the Moors were largely defeated under king Ferdinand I and the famous El Cid helped push them back from his base in the city of Burgos. The town of Belorado has a beautiful church built into the cliffs dedicated to Our Lady. Day 11 takes me from Belorado through Villafranca Montes de Oca to San Juan de Ortega and to my destination of Atapuerca a distance of 32km - today was hard and by the time I reached my destination the feet were burning and it s beginning to rain. After leaving the town of Belorado, the path is open level ground surrounded by hedgerows and woodland. Halfway along this stage after Villafranca, the path climbs steeply through mountains to a height of 1150m at Alto Mojapan. It descends steeply to the river Rio Peroja and rises steeply again to Alto Pedraja, descending to the monastery of San Juan de Ortega. By now my feet have walked 26km are in need of attention, the monastery is a welcome sight. It s a chance to remove my boots and socks - and I have fallen in love with the Spanish Tortilla. The monastery of San Juan de Ortega, is dedicated to San Juan a disciple of Santo Domingo, who was known for his works of charity especially towards the pilgrim. He built bridges, churches, hostels and monasteries throughout this region and in this beautiful, but isolated place he built this monastery to support the medieval pilgrim. The monastery is Augustinian and built in 1150 and dedicated to San Nicolas de Bari and constructed in such a way that on each equinox the rays of the setting sun strike the Virgin Mary in the scene of the Annunciation. Just a piece of useless information the word Ortega in Spanish is "Nettle". As a child growing up in Ireland I was familiar with this stinging plant that grows profusely along hedgerow and remote areas throughout Europe. By touching or rubbing against the plant it gives a nasty sting and leaves small raised welts on the skin that continue to throb for the next 12 to 24 hours. Many of my fellow pilgrims were duly advised to be aware especially my North American and Australian friends. By the way the plant, cooked, is rich in iron and nutrients. All Photos Monastery of San Juan Ortega
On the Way Cross by the Way Finally, another 6km later I reached Atapuerca declared a UNESCO Word Heritage site on account of the earliest known human remains ever found in Europe. My accommodation was in a lovely restored 17 century farm house with original features. Atapeurca Day 12 is a walk in the park after yesterday, only 16km to the beautiful city of Burgos and my first rest day. Upon leaving Atapuerca I climbed to an altitude of 1080m to Alto Cruceiro (Crucifixion ) and descended steeply to level ground for a 10k excruciating walk into the city of Burgos round the airport and through miles of industrial parks on bitumen and concrete and, by the time I entered the city of Burgos, I developed a shin splint on my left leg. Burgos Cathedral
Burgos Cathedral in background Street Scene Burgos Santa Maria Arch, Burgos Statue of St James, Burgos On the way again Conch Shell Camino Sign