July 17, 2015
Last evening we took the free bus to the Decathlon store to get Leea some new shoes and to get us some day packs so we can ship our backpacks ahead. Everything went great until we took the free bus back and didn't know when we needed to get off. We ended going a forty-five-minute walk past our stop. Fortunately, Leea figured out how to use the city bus to get us back.
Also, we must have some karmic attraction for poorly behaved children, or should I say, neglectful parents. There was a kid on the free bus who blew this high pitched whistle for the whole ride. People were turning to look at the mom wondering if she was deaf. Finally, they get off just before the bus driver tells us the bus doesn't go any farther and we realized we missed our stop. So we find a bus stop, Leea figures out what bus we need, we wait for it and get on the bus. The very next stop, I kid you not, you can't make up stuff like this, the kid with the whistle and his mother get on this same bus. Leea and I almost fell out of our seats we were laughing so hard. It stopped being funny a minute later as he continued to blow the whistle for the whole trip back. Then they got off at the stop we needed. We were walking behind them, the kid dropped the whistle on the sidewalk. It took an extreme effort and every bit of my willpower not to just stomp the whistle with my boot. Lordy!
We made it back without me owing any amends to a small child. It was dinner time. We sat out on the plaza and ate a yummy meal. We both slept soundly and for the first time in several weeks, didn't wake up until 7 am.
We went down and had the hotel's super buffet breakfast. What a treat. After breakfast, I went over to the cathedral and sat through the first part of the mass. About 15 or twenty priests were singing or chanting the mass. It was lovely. Then a tour group came in, yes that's what I said, came into the mass and stood around gawking. Very odd. Anyway, after that, I went for a walk along the river.
Outside the Cathedral, three young people walked up to me and the girl asked if I remembered her from Los Arcos, and then it clicked. I was eating breakfast in the Albergue and I noticed her trying to stretch and she had her knee wrapped. I went over and quietly asked her if she had a sore knee and she said she did. So I showed her the stretch I do to stretch the IT band which connects to the knee. Well she wanted to tell me that she'd been doing that stretch I showed her and she stopped having problems with her knee. She didn't even have the wrap on it. I was so happy I'd been able to do that small thing.
This year we have seen a lot of pilgrims walking the Camino backwards. I've seen a few in past years, but this time, there seems to be a lot more. So Leea tagged them as "oppies" Today I decided to be an oppie and walk back along the river the opposite way I walked into Burgos two years ago. Wow, what a difference. I was so tired two years ago and so just wanting to get to the Albergue after a long hot day, that I just didn't see anything except the ground right in front of my feet.
Well, today I saw that there is a path right down by the river, off the asphalt river walk. And there is a whole forested area of trees and plants with multiple trails. All this right in the middle of the city. It was like a small Central Park or Golden Gate Park. Anyway, it was amazing and there was a waterfall.
I walked beside a man riding a horse for quite a while. It was just a trip. I walked about 5km from The Cathedral and where the Pilgrim's stay to this spot that is like a beach on the river.
There's sand where people sunbathe, ducks, fisher people, dogs playing in the water, a playground, restrooms and a snack shack. The river is only about two or three feet deep but people go out and swim or flop around.
It was a lovely experience, then I walked back to our hotel in the same direction the pilgrims walk. On the way in I heard drums that sounded really cool. I got to the bandstand on the river walk and there was a group from Senegal playing the music and they had dancers too. It was way cool.
After my round trip walk, we had lunch and took a nap. Then this evening we were out for a stroll and discovered there were several musical dance groups from different places, including the US. It was part of a cultural tour of folk arts from different countries.
We tried to find out where they were going to perform, but were unsuccessful. Then we were sitting on the plaza having café and a parade of these groups came by, performing as they went. We watched them and then when the last group, which was the group from Senegal, went by we decided to join the parade. It was great fun. - Senegal dancers
Now we are tucked into our beds for another great night of sleep.
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