Accidental Tourist
We left Ages early in the morning so we could reach Burgos by noon and spend the day sight seeing. We had familiarized ourselves with the area and were excited to see what was in this city. Since both Pamploma and Logrono were considered tourist areas as well as Burgos, we looked forward to our time here. Our friends Pepe and Victor were a day ahead of us and had made some recommendations of places to see.
It was Sunday after church when we arrived and the day of the El Cid festival. There were thousands of people out in the plaza. I have to admit it was a bit overwhelming after being on the trail for the last several days where I knew or at least recognized most people along the way. We decided to stay in a hotel and chose one rather randomly. It was a lovely four star hotel which honored the fact that we were pilgrims. We quickly cleaned up and walked to the plaza where we enjoyed some tapas. I'm not sure what happened exactly but suddenly after seeing so many unrecognizable people I began to cry. Right in the middle of everything. I was missing my familiar. I realized that we have been living a very simple and predictable life on the road. I was missing the simplicity of my daily routine and the beauty of the stillness around me. I found that I wanted my familiar. We went back to our room and took a nice long bath and laid down for a siesta. Something about the cool clean sheets and the down comforter also felt very soothing and familiar. We rested well and got up for dinner. We met a couple of our friends and all of us had had a similar feeling about being in the city again with all of its busyness.
I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that I have been looking for balance in my life. For hours each day one way or another I have been praying for this very thing. I realized today that I am still in a training program. While I have begun to feel comfortable with the ease and routine of my days not all my days will be this simple and predictable. I will not always live a life of solitude but what I want is to live my life simply. I know this will be a process and will take some work on my part.
We stayed in Burgos an extra day. We accidentally became tourist. We meandered through the plaza, into the cathedrals and museums, and just enjoyed a leisurely time. We will ready ourselves for tomorrow and then hit the road again. We are learning so much along the way.
Buen Camino.
It was Sunday after church when we arrived and the day of the El Cid festival. There were thousands of people out in the plaza. I have to admit it was a bit overwhelming after being on the trail for the last several days where I knew or at least recognized most people along the way. We decided to stay in a hotel and chose one rather randomly. It was a lovely four star hotel which honored the fact that we were pilgrims. We quickly cleaned up and walked to the plaza where we enjoyed some tapas. I'm not sure what happened exactly but suddenly after seeing so many unrecognizable people I began to cry. Right in the middle of everything. I was missing my familiar. I realized that we have been living a very simple and predictable life on the road. I was missing the simplicity of my daily routine and the beauty of the stillness around me. I found that I wanted my familiar. We went back to our room and took a nice long bath and laid down for a siesta. Something about the cool clean sheets and the down comforter also felt very soothing and familiar. We rested well and got up for dinner. We met a couple of our friends and all of us had had a similar feeling about being in the city again with all of its busyness.
I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that I have been looking for balance in my life. For hours each day one way or another I have been praying for this very thing. I realized today that I am still in a training program. While I have begun to feel comfortable with the ease and routine of my days not all my days will be this simple and predictable. I will not always live a life of solitude but what I want is to live my life simply. I know this will be a process and will take some work on my part.
Buen Camino.
No comments:
Post a Comment