Day 7 Sahagún - El Burgo Ranero: God Was With Me on a Beautiful Camino Day

11th Century Puente de Canto leads out of Sahagún to Field of Lances

It's a Sunny but Chilly Morning

I had to wear a heavy fleece for the first time on a Camino morning.  I made my way out of Sahagún via its ancient streets. I soon crossed over the Puente de Canto that dated from 1186 out  into the Mesa. The sun soon warmed things a bit to just chilly so I was back to just my base layer in an hour though.

The Ancient Pilgrim Road Improved?

Beautiful Day on The Way

Today would bring a relatively short 20 km / 12.4 mi hike along what was once an utterly desolate Mesa with few if any terrestrial points of navigation until one reached the village of El Burgo de Ranero which was an oasis in the wilderness. 

The early pilgrims had troubles along this stretch. Just over the medieval bridge lies Charlemagne's legendary Field of Lances. King Charlemagne was waging battle against his CeltIberian villain Aigoland to make the Road safe for pilgrims. The night before a great battle some Christians struck their lances into the ground. At dawn they found their lances had grown bark and were covered with leafy branches.  Astonished by the miracle, they cut them off at the base. The roots gave way to the great forest known as the Field of Lances that remains today.

In the 1670's, a medieval itinerary notes a dead pilgrim was discovered with two wolves eating his body. An itinerary from the 1700's mentions the need to hire a local guide for this stretch to keep from getting lost.

Interesting fecha (yellow arrow)

This 2013 pilgrim found a well-marked, tree-lined crushed gravel path surrounded by a mix of farm land and municipal park land. There were descendants from wolves (eg dogs) but they were friendly and quite well-behaved.

Another eye-catching sign makes local guides unnecessary in 2013

The signs I found along the stretch were more than your official Camino de Santiago issue. Creative signs made my fellow pilgrims and artistic locals always brought a warm feeling and smile to my heart.

A Sign from God and my Guardian Angel

My Guardian Angel Sent a Sign

On Day 1, I met my Guardian Angel and was given 10 principles that were meaningful to my life mission. One of these was that dogs were God's Angelic Messengers of Love to me. I encountered dogs in very comforting ways along my journey. One such happened the fields outside of Sahagún.

A stray farm dog appeared out of the woods and onto the Pilgrim Road about 100 m / 100 yds in front of me. The dog acknowledged me. I smiled and said "Perro Bueno" (Good dog) to show I acknowledged him too. The dog continued to me and got close enough to allow me to pet him and give him a bit of bread. He then sauntered off into the field and then did something rather unusual. He had a wide open field to run but he slowly turned around, executed a Sit/Stay and just watched me. I felt a sense of warm love in this gesture. I thanked my Guardian Angel. I interpreted this to mean that God was letting me know that I was watched, protected and guided on my Camino journey. I should trust completely in this, above all other things. I felt very good in this moment.

El Burgo Ranero Iglesia de San Pedro housed a large stork's nest

Entering El Burgo Ranero

This village was a welcome site indeed. It appears in documents dating from the 12th century. Its name origins suggest twp diverse  etymologies. One suggests that burghers (merchants) sold ranas (frogs) from the town pond. Another notes that the town was called El Burgo Granero (Granary City). There are frogs in the Town Lagoon but I tend to think that its location in the middle of Wheat Country tends to lend more credence to the Granary City version.

God is Present in A Pilgrim Meal

A tasty Paella prepared by a Spanish cook and me his trusty Sous Chef

I found a simple hostel with a lively town bar. I met a very nice Spanish Pilgrim and struck up a conversation in the bar. He spoke a little English even. This was the first Pilgrim I had seen since Day 2 in Castrojeriz. The fellowship was brief but very welcome. Even better, he invited me to a shared meal in the Municipal Albergue across the street.




I arrived to meet 3 other Pilgrims which was amazing given the solitude of my previous 5 days. One was a Spanish cook and the other two were Korean students. The Cook and I soon went off to the market which oddly looked nothing like a market from the outside. This was typical of life in a small village. Everybody knows where the market is so why put out signs or advertising, right?

I truly enjoy cooking and consider it a very intimate gift to give to another person. I really enjoyed being in the kitchen chopping, sauteing and drinking wine. We soon would enjoy a marvelous Pilgrim meal by a warm fire. Cheese and cured sausage as a starter. A phenomenal paella with a delicious salad of lettuce, tomato and fresh minced garlic was the main dish. I supplied the wine and there was plenty. We also shared fellowship and conversation despite the different languages.

Through it all, God was there that evening in the shared meal and the fellowship among a somewhat lonesome pilgrim. He knew I needed a bit of company. Knowing that made this one of my most favored meals.

My Tunes for the Day

Another new to me selection...  ZZ Ward is a very talented soulful singer. I am glad I bought this album as one of my random unheard choices. Put the Gun Down makes for an excellent trekking song too. The beat marks a nice quick cadence and the lyrics make for a nice sing along. This is another of the everyday listens that I never tired off and will be indelibly marked as part of my Camino.