Day 1 Burgos to Hornillos del Camino: A Spiritual Awakening

Burgos Cathedral - Start of My Camino

How did I get here

It is said that nobody arrives on El Camino de Santiago by accident. That certainly was true for me. I was divinely called to do this mystical trek through Northern Spain and committed to do so "when my job in Bermuda ended." That unexpectedly happened in late November 2012. So here I was blessed with the all too rare combination of health, fitness, money and time. The divine messages and signs to go now increased. I listened to God and His Angelic realm. I ceased my job search. I threw caution to the wind and planned my Camino in under 2 weeks. Did I also mention that for some reason God called me to do this in the dead of winter where it is said "One has to be insane to plan a Winter Pilgrimage"? So I left Bermuda to attend my 100 yo grandmother's funeral in Ohio. I boarded my plane to Madrid on Christmas Eve. I arrived via bus to Burgos, Spain on Christmas Day. I would rest 2 days and then start.

Excitement mixed with a healthy amount of fear

El Cid Points The Way in Burgos

That is how my Camino would start. I tried to reassure myself that I had the athletic street cred to do this. I definitely had the gear. I told myself that I hiked to Mount Everest Base Camp and El Camino was only 1 week longer not to mention there was no altitude involved. I did this all over 2 Spanish breakfasts. Note that Spanish aren't big on breakfast so 2 of their breakfasts equals 1 American. Regardless I was procrastinating by eating until I faced the inevitable and started my Camino at 10:30am. At 10:35am, I was removing layers in front of the grand cathedral as I was overdressed for 4*C / 40*F. That is when El Cid took over and pointed the way to Santiago imploring me to begin the long journey with that first step. I did just that.. At that moment I prayed a simple prayer.

A Yellow Arrow - One of Many that would guide me over 500 km / 320 mi

Dear Lord, Archangel Raphael in Charge of Travel / Pilgrimage & My Guardian Angel,  Please come with me and grant me safe passage on the Camino this day. Bless me with energy, health and strength. But most importantly bless me with sight that I may truly see what I am supposed to see, hear what I am supposed to hear and feel what I am supposed to feel on The Way of Saint James. Amen

The City Walls of Burgos - Symbol of Making Myself Vulnerable

Liberate Yourself: Life is Simple

I was on my way and soon nearing the City Wall of Burgos where Pilgrims left the safety of a city for the wilderness of unknown risks and dangers. From here, I would start each day having no idea where I would eat that day or sleep that night. I would also be entirely reliant on yellow arrows to guide me on the correct path for the next 516 km / 320 mi. I was making myself truly vulnerable in spirit, mind and body before God. Few people are willing to do just that. It was liberating. It also was a bit daunting. 

The Way marked in the Spanish countryside outside of Burgos

I was intent on doing something very simple. Walk forward and pay extremely close attention to the way markers to make sure I was following the correct path. The metaphor for life could not be more clear, could it? One of the first lessons of my Camino was "Life is very simple. We just insist on complicating it."

The Rock Cairn

My first of many  rock cairns. I added a rock from my fav Bermudian Beach 

You will see many rock cairns on The Way. These are Celtic in origin and serve as a shrine to those who will pass by those that have passed this location. In Greek mythology they also used as tribute to Hermes, the god of overland travel. I added a rock from my favorite beach in Bermuda and put my hand on the cairn as I prayed for all the good energy of those who came before me. A pilgrim who passed this way inscribed "Serenity" on a stone and that was certainly part of the good energy. 

The History

Church of Santa Maria in Small Village Rabe de las Calzadas

Today's walk is rich with cultural significance. Burgos dates to 884 with origins in the Castillian kings' desire to defend their kingdom against the Muslim conquest. The Cathedral in Burgos is considered the finest Gothic Cathedral in Spain and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I would agree. It is also the burial site for Spain's greatest military hero El Cid and his wife. The two villages of note, Rabe de las Calzadas and Hornillos del Camino also are important. The church dates from the 13th century. Hornillos, as its name suggests, was once a site of a smelting furnace and it dates fom the 12th century. In 2012, both villages have an aging population of about 50 people. In fact, the woman who ran the Municipal Albergue where I stayed told us she was the youngest woman in the village yet she was a grandmother.

Arrival in Hornillos del Camino

About 5 hours and 20 km / 12.4 mi after I left Burgos, I arrived in the village where I intended to spend the night. It appeared to be a ghost town. There was no sign of anything open. There was no sign of human life. I was tired. I was a bit achy. I had a blister. It appeared I also had no place to sleep which was a bit unnerving as the sun was soon setting. I had no idea if it was possible to follow the path in the dark. The next village was 10 km / 6.2 mi which was about 2.5 hrs with a backpack. And I had no guarantee that the next village would be no different than Hornillos.

I sat down on a bench to rest, collect my thoughts and then weigh my options. It was then that I experienced one of several mind blowing miracles and divine interventions on my very first day on the Camino. Those will be explained in my next blog post. Stay tuned.

My Tunes for the day

I decided to bring my iPod Shuffle along, I listened to music some and walked without music some. I intentionally added some random, new to me, tunes along with familiar trekking favorites. One was Lana Del Rey's new album. I did not listen to this once before I started walking. This was an awesome track for a personal spiritual pilgrimage when you are all by yourself with just your thoughts and yellow arrows! The lyrics sound like they were written by an old soul and really resonated with me. I listened to this every day for my Camino. I never tired of it. Now it reminds me of my pilgrimage.