Missy - To Burgos

I dropped mom off at the train at 6 in the morning on Saturday. 

Then I went home and tried to sleep and not think about the fact that I was going to fly. 

I put out beetle traps and put my indoor plants out so David wouldn’t have to worry about them

I checked over our packing list one last time and then off we went to the airport. 

We walked 12k steps in the airport. 

It all went shockingly smoothly and I managed to keep my anxiety under good control. I didn’t even take my Ativan until boarding time. 

We flew United direct from Dullas to Madrid. And checked our backpacks so we were very light. 

I was expecting to be nickel and dimed to death but we got free blankets and pillows and earbuds for the entertainment system. 

Kiernan had a woman in front of him recline all the way and then turn around to reprimand him for wiggling her seat. He was trapped like a bug for 8 hours. 

The Asian vegetarian menu was noodles and a kind of Greek salad. 

Pretty nice. 

It wasn’t turbulent and even though we didn’t sleep I feel like it was a good flight. 

At the Madrid airport we sailed through customs and immigration and caught a shuttle to terminal 4 where our bus to Burgos (about 2 hours north of Madrid) would pick us up. 

This is where we started flagging. Waiting for the bus and then sitting in the warm but for 2 hours in the rain was deeply soporific. 

We went through steep hills and into wine growing country. There were a lot of big wind turbines. 

Happily the Burgos bus station was enclosed and even had a nice little cafe and bathrooms. 

I did my first ordering in Spanish and Kiernan ate his first bocodillo tortilla and café con leche. 

We met up with mom here and ate and drank together. 

This thing that I know as a chocolate croissant or pan chocolate turns out to be called a neopolotin here. 

We had about an hour to kill before our apartment was ready so we did a quick and dirty run around the Burgos cathedral. 

A great and creepy statue is there. I think it’s referring to one of the legends of Saint James washing up on the shores of Galaica after his death and being covered in barnacles and shells. 

It’s a beautiful statue but there is a definite zombie vibe to it. 

We saw our first sea shells marking the Camino and got pointed to a big municipal albergue. 

We saw some beautiful street art on the way to the apartment. 

I’m hoping to see lots more old and new beauty tomorrow. 

Our apartment is peaceful and has a lovely courtyard with trees and flowers. 

So far so good.