Gemilas en Burgos - part 2

I’m After my nap, as with all pilgrims, it seems, I decided to talk a walk.  I laughed about this a lot with many fellow pilgrims, that we walked all day, arrived hot, sweaty and exhausted to a place of refuge and once we had the trail dust washed off of us, what did we do?  More walking!  But, what else does one do if one wants to see a bit of the city?  I tried to find an internet cafe, but the place was packed and the woman running it was a complete grouch.  I decided not to waste my time.  Instead, I wandered a little bit around the hostal, looking at the architechture, and trying to place myself in relation to the cathedral.  Little by little, I worked my way back toward the cathedral, taking some lesser traveled streets, enjoying the cooler air, getting my bearings.  At no time during this trip did I ever feel lost or out of place.  I'm sure the walking stick, well worn clothes, dusty shoes and big hat gave me away, but the entire time I walked in Spain all I can say is, I simply felt at home.

Eventually, I found myself in front of the cathedral and went in.  It's quite a large structure, and one of those that seems to be more museum than church.  There would be no quiet contemplation here--at least not at this time, when there were dozens, if not several hundred people wandering around looking at various nooks and crannies.

I joined the ranks of lookers, marveling once again at work that was done, for the greatest part, well before any modern construction techniques.  Looking back, I wonder that I didn't fuss and fume about how all the riches and the efforts that went into building this one edifice might have been spread out to benefit the populace over time, but when you're in one of these places, those thoughts don't occur to you.  At a very basic level, I was nearly overwhelmed by the pure craftsmanship and obvious love and pride that went into creating this cathedral.  On another level, once again, even with the crowds of tourists/pilgrims/local folks, you simply cannot help but be moved by the thoughts of the many, many prayers that have soaked into the very molecules of each stone that makes up this place.  It's impossible to separate the energy of each person who has crossed the nave from the structure itself.  You become a part of it as soon as you enter, and now writing five years later, I realize that each place I visited along The Way has become a part of me.

After making a relatively quick tour of the place (I could have stayed for days), I wander back through the now familiar way that I first walked, out the cathedral, to the left, through a walk-way lined with various food vendors and shops that led out into a sort of open-air mall--the place where I had parted from Doro.  On the right, as I'm walking down the first alley-like part (only it's wider than your average back alley--more of a connecting walkway), there's a young man playing a musical instrument--a wind instrument.  I am sad to say I can't remember if it was a flute or a clarient, but the music wafted in gentle twists and turns down the mostly empty alleyway.  He was alone, with only a small backpack with him, obviously a Pilgrm.  There was a sign:  "SOS."  I rounded the corner, leaving him behind.  I realized he could be out to scam the city, but suddenly I didn't care.  Perhaps he was a faker.  But perhaps he had had an accident, a tragedy, had lost everything but what I saw there.  Who am I to judge?  I slid a 20-Euro note out of my pocket and went back around the corner and left it in front of him.  He paused in his playing long enough to give me the sweetest smile I think I have ever seen.  That's enough.

Then, it was time to turn for home.  I got back to the hostal, creaked up in the tiny elevator.  Elena greeted me, getting ready to leave.  It was good to see her, good to be up there in that quirky, maze-like place that is old and worn and not level on any part of it, but clean and tidy and welcoming.  Mother Nature decided to pay me a visit, which is why I had asked for two nights.  I made it through the labyrinth to my room, managed the cranky skeleton key, and took a luxurious shower.  Then I settled into bed with my store of nibblies and got ready for the night.  I decided to turn on the TV and discovered it's really disconcerting to watch English TV dubbed in Spanish.  I kept trying to read lips but the sound distracted me, so eventually I turned down the sound and just read the lips.  I followed along pretty well.  It felt wonderful to stretch out in the bed.  It felt even better not having the snorts and snores and other bodily functions of half a hundred other people around me.  I knew I would sleep well.