What a way to end week 2. Whew! I’ve put in some crazy miles this week, and since tomorrow’s a rest day, I finally have an opportunity for an update.

Friday was from Cirueña to Belorado and was my second longest mileage day so far…17.66 miles. I booked the first hostel that you come to on the edge of Belorado. Friends were staying at one about another 1-2 kilometers further, but I was at capacity and so I stopped for the night. And I’m glad I did! They actually offered massages there, and I jumped at the chance. And, they even kept the kitchen open late for me since I got in at 8:00 and my massage was at 8:30. The other highlight of Friday was switching up my footwear. My La Sportiva Goretex hiking boots were just not suited for the Camino. First of all, the Goretex doesn’t breathe, which meant my feet were sweaty all the time, and that combined with the narrow toe box pretty much guaranteed blisters. So, in Santo Domingo I swapped those boots out for a pair of Altra trail runners. They are literally the ugliest thing I’ve ever worn on my feet, but they are so much better for blister prevention.

Saturday was another pretty long mileage day. 15.7 miles from Belorado to San Juan de Ortega. The weather could not have been more of a contrast to last week. It did not get above 60 the entire day, and it was drizzling most of the day. I was dressed in layers to keep warm…my one long sleeved shirt and long pants layered with my normal t shirt and shorts, and the whole thing covered with a rain poncho. The albergue I stayed in was a fun, lively place, and the bar downstairs was full of young Europeans enthusiastically watching some sort of “futbol” game. I dunno. It didn’t involve people wearing cheese wedges on their head so I wasn’t interested. Anyway, my room was lovely and has the most comfortable mattress yet, which felt amazing after a long day.

Today’s mileage was short, thankfully. Only about 12 miles. Burgos is a city of about 200,000, so roughly the size of Madison, and a distinctly urban vibe. And this week just happens to be the Festival of San Pedro y San Pablo, so lots of buzz in the city tonight.