Stage Three - Castilla-Leon - Part 2

San Juan de Ortega built road and bridges, as did his mentor Santo Domingo de la Calzado. Evidently never very popular with the ecclesiastical hierarchy, he finished his days in a hermitage which is now named after him. This beautiful Romanesque sepulchre is his final resting place. The church is famous for the way in which the last rays of the sun at sunset on the two equinoxes each year illuminate a single stone capital that tells the full story of the annunciation and birth of Christ.




After a couple of tries, Encarnita decided that in general she preferred private accommodation to group sleep in a community hostal. We will discuss this issue further before we set off on next year’s journey. She was heard to comment that she thought this one in the town of Agés was tolerable. It helped that the lady in charge came from the Andalucian town of Tarifa, where Encarnita’s grandfather had been borne, and recognized his name.



On top of Matagrande (literally translated as “big killer”) we encountered a shepherd who was picking up several lambs that had been borne that evening. He was also encouraging the formation of a series of concentric circles by having each pilgrim who passed add a stone or two. I cannot image what theories archeologists ten centuries from now might ascribe to this uncommon ruin.


At this point our pilgrimage for 2008 closes. We reached Burgos, having walked around the airport and along the five kilometres of industrial activity that mark the eastern end of this beautiful city. As planned we rented a car to leave the Camino and drive fifty kilometres south to the medieval town of Santo Domingo de Silos, where the monks still perform the church rites to the sound of Gregorian chant. Our hotel was a small renaissance palace. The monastery is famous for, in addition to its music, an exquisite cloister whose colonnade is topped by detailed and varied capitals.



After an evening in Santo Domingo and a visit to Covarrubias, we returned to Burgos. Instead of continuing our pilgrimage as planned, however, we decided to end it for this year. Encarnita had a bad cold and the weather forecasts promised continuing rain and cold. We would pick up the Camino next year at Burgos, rather than at Sahagún, as originally planned.