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| Early morning start on the Meseta |
Snacks and lunch, 3
Hostel, 5
Groceries, 5
Dinner, 10
Total: 23
Today we hiked onto the Meseta which had been described to us as a desert-like region in Spain. At first glance, it looks more like a prairie landscape with endless grasslands, rocky soil and not much else. I've read in our guide book that it will take a number of days to hike across it and during this time the villages will be spaced further apart. There will also be fewer services than we're used to, smaller albergues with less amenities. On this first day, the quiet villages and slower pace of life are actually a welcome change. At the moment we're sitting in the sun in a square with a few other hikers - most of us submersed in solitary activities, reading books, sipping coffee, checking emails.
The smaller albergues and distance between villages means that the group we've been hiking with has split into smaller subgroups. A few folks have stayed behind in Burgos to get an extra days rest with plans to take on longer days across the Meseta. A few of us have continued on and are breaking the trip up into smaller sections of about 20km (we're in this group). And some of the hardiest among us have pressed forward with plans to cross the expanse in a couple of days
It's likely a good number of the folks we parted ways with today, we'll never see again, but we're getting used to the comings and goings of friends on the Camino. After all, it isn't always goodbye forever. From time to time we unexpectedly run into familiar faces we thought we'd hiked away from. Earlier today, for example, we pulled into Hornillos just in time to catch our friends from upstate New York who had stopped in town for a quick lunch. Though we'd only previously met and shared dinner with them one night about a week back, our reunion felt a little like running into old friends. Strange how these things can happen...
That's why you never say goodbye on the Camino, just 'hasta luego!'
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