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Atapuerca → Rabe de las Calzadas 30.1 km (18.7 mi) |
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¡Hola, mis amigos!
I jumped out of bed super early this morning, because I wanted to spend some time in Burgos and the Museo de la Evolución Humana, and managed to get myself lost right away! Fortunately, that only meant walking an extra 3K to Olmos de Atapuerca and facing some switchbacks, which, in any case, let me see eight deer out in the field, the first large wildlife of the Camino! I was just about to shout “Hola!” to them, but someone started shooting at them and scared them off! At least none were hit. That would have made today’s trip sad!
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After a steep climb up a limestone ridge, I navigated a web of trails until, at last, I picked one and followed it downhill. That led me back to the scenic route of the Camino, which meandered through three villages among the rolling hills. It was amazing to think of a big city like Burgos hiding on the other side of these hills! I didn’t find any historical sites along the way, but the Camino passed through some lovely countryside. I did give me pause, though, when I found a “Coto Privado de Caza” (Private Hunting Area) sign on a playground fence in Orbaneja!
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Arriving in Villafria, my new nemeses, Pavement and Cement, gained the upper hand! All 8K from Villafria into Burgos was straight, paved sidewalk, passing tire dealerships and various emporia, and due to my earlier detour, it was already a hot, bright afternoon! I reached downtown Burgos just in time to find Andrew outside a shopping center, distraught that he finally found a Burger King, but it was closed! Burger Kings close? I had no idea! That’s Spain for you! While he went in search of something else, I spotted the sign for the Museum!
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Opened in July 2010 (a huge year for the Camino), this museum is spacious, rising four whole levels! The bottom level provides all the details of the Atapuerca findings that were otherwise inaccessible yesterday. Turns out I’d made the mistake of thinking the oldest specimen was 800,000 years old. That was the oldest age of the fossils found before 2007 when the Atapuerca Research Team unearthed a hominid jawbone in the Sima del Elefante dating back 1.2 million years!
That may not seem like much when compared to the eons of beaver presence in Europe (beavers were also found in the Sima del Elefante!), but considering humans have only been around for the blink of history’s eye, a half million year jump is huge! The jawbone itself is believed to have belonged to a member of Homo antecessor, which is Latin for “explorer man!” They sound like my kind of people! Their remains have been found in Spain and England, meaning their original arrival in Europe could have been even earlier!
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This is just one of many amazing discoveries found in the Sierra de Atapuerca! The Sima del Elefante was one of the richest sites, as it was a natural trap for animals, who fell inside and were scavenged by predators and people waiting below, but a whole network of karst caves (just like in China!) spans the sierra. Yacimientos (excavations) have uncovered relics dating from prehistory through the Stone and Bronze Ages, and even into historic Roman times! The Sima de los Huesos alone has produced over 90% of the known Homo heidelbergensis fossils in the world! Isn’t it funny to think of completely different species of humans living side by side? Just imagine how crazy politics would be if that were still the case today!
The actual specimens are kept in glass cases in dark rooms, very well presented. While inside, staring at the tooth of a European jaguar (not even leopard!), I realized just how little I knew about prehistory on continents other than North America! That makes me want to learn more!
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Level 2 detailed the Theory of Evolution, but most impressively, it housed a full circle of life-sized models from Australopithecus to Neanderthalis! (Actually, the Neanderthal was on loan to a traveling exhibition, but it had its space reserved!) The circle also featured a migration map of newcomers Homo sapiens, who only started out of Africa 100,000 years ago and wiped out all the other species in the process! A word used to describe this species was “competitive!” I don’t think I would call them good sports, though!
The third and final level (the fourth being the book shop) described the stages of humanity’s cultural and technological development! There was a walk-in chamber that blasted fire a full 360 degrees around me! There were exhibits on hunting, agriculture, domestication of animals, and so on. There were replicas of early religious artifacts, including numerous Venuses and an exhibit dedicated to music, that final step to culture! It featured whistles made from swan leg bones, which can be traced back to the Neanderthals over 40,000 years ago!
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Having limited time in Burgos, I did not get to admire the artifacts and specimens quite as long as I wished. That is a side effect of living. We don’t get all the time we wish, so it’s very important to do as much as possible with the time we’re allowed! In any case, I knew that the next stop after this remarkable museum would also be a symbol of the advances in human culture: the Cathedral of Burgos!
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The Cathedral arose in 1221 AD just after the 12th century architecture boom, under patron, King Fernando III. Like the cathedral in Logroño, it has been expanded and embellished much over the centuries. In fact, the cathedral itself wasn’t even considered complete until 1567, over three hundred years later! Now, it is considered an incredible example of high Visigothic architecture, similar to that which developed in France!
The interior housed a treasure trove of art work from intricate silver artifacts to a dramatic Santiago Matamoros archway to some surprisingly raw looking wall sculptures, which may well have had months of carving ahead of them! Another aesthetic surprise was that many of the chapels around the circumference were lit by motion sensors, producing the wonderful effect of stepping into a chapel and being suddenly illuminated! One additional surprise of the Cathedral was to find the tomb of El Cid, formerly housed in the humble monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña! What’s a Cid, you ask?
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There is more to say about El Cid than I can fit into my blog today, but he is one inspiring character! This fellow went into battle for the first time at the age of 14 and fought his way through victory after victory until, legend says, he defeated an Aragonese knight in single combat and earned himself the title of Campeador (Champion)! He served under King Sancho II of Castilla until the king’s assassination in 1072. The monarchy fell to his exiled brother, Alfonso VI (remember him?), whom our Cid deeply distrusted and had Alfonso publicly swear that he had nothing to do with his brother’s death. Alfonso swore then banished El Cid for challenging him.
El Cid wandered for years with his band of knights, killing time by conquering places like Valencia, until suddenly, Alfonso realized he was no match for the invading Almoravids and re-hired El Cid. El Cid held no loyalty for long, nor did he hold grudges. He simply found armies and cities to conquer, and he conquered them alongside Christians and Muslims alike!
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I asked a local “¿Qué hora es?” and found that I was “una hora tarde!” The crew had continued the next 10K to Rabé de las Calzadas, and it was already 16:00! I had to get hustling! Unfortunately, arrows were really, really sparse in Old Burgos. I circled back and forth, asking locals, who pointed me in the general direction. I consulted my guide, which mentioned the Monastery de las Huelgas on the outskirts. The problem was, this was an optional attraction and not on the Camino at all!
One hour later, at my wits’ end, I arrived in a park and asked an older gentleman on a bicycle “Señor… Buen, buen señor… ¿Sabe Usted cómo puedo regresar al Camino?” And do you know what he did? He got on his bike and rode with me all the way across the park, set me in front of a yellow arrow, and rode off into history. What a courteous caballero! El Cid would have been proud!
I must advise the potential peregrino against what I did this afternoon. This stretch of the Camino at the end of the day, when it’s hot and you’ve already been walking for ten hours, toys with your sanity. See, I started out on the first 8K to Tardajos and soon spotted a town not far off, thinking that wasn’t so bad. That’s when the Camino jerked to the right, away from the town! Half an hour later, I saw another town off to the right. “No!” said the Camino and jerked left! Having already passed wits’ end, I started going a little crazy. Crazier…
When I finally pulled into Tardajos with screaming feet, a groaning hip, and a kilometer and a half left, I ran into an old fellow who wanted to tell me about his experience on the Camino when he was 56, from day one to thirty-five! I couldn’t possibly use a Deadly Art on this nice, long-winded old man, but the thought did cross my mind! That’s when the fourth miracle of the Camino happened: his son appeared on a bicycle and started conversing with him! I seized the opportunity and bolted!
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The albergue Libéranos Domine was a gorgeous sight indeed! All newly arrived peregrinos, including Jean, Andrew, and a new friend, Lee, from Korea, gathered around the table for some hearty soup, pasta salad, tortilla, and yogurt. At the end of a long day, there is nothing quite like gorging on good food! Once I’d licked up the last of my yogurt, I was one stuffed beaver! This was a remarkable, tough day, which makes me wonder more about my pace. Is it the right pace? Can I keep it up? Am I just following Jean and Andrew for the sake of familiar faces? We’ll find out!
Buen Camino!
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Total Distance Walked: 297.0 km (178.2 mi) |
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