Yesterday was a shorter mileage day (8 miles), so I decided to opt for a little bit later start of 8:00. Big mistake, since I was walking through heat and glaring sun all day. But the place I stayed in Villafranca Montes de Oca was absolutely lovely….a big stone building from the 1300s lovingly restored into a beautiful hotel. Upon getting to my room, I rehydrated and napped. I’ve found that the better I treat my body the day prior, the easier the walk is. Water and sleep are key!
So, today I set out early at 6:00 to beat the heat, and was to Atapuerca by 2:00. Most of the walk was through the forest, which was lovely. The gnats were pretty bad, but better than the sun beating down.
The place I’m staying tonight is the best of both worlds: I have a private room, but there’s a communal dinner and nice communal spaces to hang out.
Known as San Felices de Oca, it is all that remains of a major Mozarabic monastery begun early in the C9th. A Roman villa once stood here, providing the foundations for the monastery. The early counts of Castilla used this once-grand building. And Diego Porcelos, who led the reconquest of Burgos, was buried here.
A Wisconsin Girl Takes a Walk 
Leave a comment