DAY 24: September 17 (Castrojeriz to Boadilla del Camino-19km)

Preparing to depart for Boadilla this morning we could not believe in a few hours we would be finished our Camino for this year. Despite some days of walking that seemed endless it has been a great journey and has passed quickly.
Even climbing up to Alto de Mostelares as soon as we left
Castrojeriz did not phase us. About 2/3 of the way up the bright yellow emergency vehicle was taking a cyclist and his bike off the hill. We don’t know what the problem was. It could be just a bike breakdown. The descent from Alto was difficult but then the land levelled out and remained that way for the rest of our walk. Dark storm clouds were overhead and we did hear a bit of thunder. Fortunately, the rain held off until we arrived in Boadilla:-) We have been incredibly lucky with the weather! Despite a strong head wind we made good time. Now we are back in Burgos.(Our transportation from Boadilla was right on time).
We had little time to see much of Boadilla, but as this is where we will begin next year, we will be able to appreciate it
better then.
Some of the very old houses in Boadilla are built on stilts with an enclosed space underneath in which logs are burned thus heating the floors. This was another Roman invention. Boadilla is also a part if the Canal of Castilia, one of Spain’s greatest engineering feats. This canal is 207 km long and has a lock system. It began in the 18th century and took 70 years to complete. Originally it was built to transport grain but the advent of the railway in the 19th century was more efficient.
We are very happy to have reached our goal of 360 km of the Camino for this year. It may sound strange but we know we will miss it. Walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostele is an incredible personal experience. We feel fortunate that we are able to do it. It is difficult to explain or express the feelings you have walking the Camino. Certainly, many days it was a physical challenge to us. We are grateful that out first half of the walk went well. How Mutti’ s head and leg would be able to tolerate the physical aspects of our walk was an unknown when we began. In the past month she feels her leg is stronger and only the hottest day’s bothered her head. The Camino is more than a long walk. It is an emotional experience as well. Among pilgrims of the Camino there is a saying, “Everyone walks their own Camino”. We are all following the same footsteps but the effect the Camino has on each pilgrim is unique to them.
Thank you all for your encouragement along the way. xo
However, to put our walk into perspective: In 1980 a Canadian young man with one leg ran 5,373 km in 143 days to help others…..
Thank you for slogging through the blog:-) It has taken us a day or so to put it to rest until next year. We are sending this from Santorini, Greece where we are giving our feet a rest.