It rained hard today.
We left our Casa Rural—Spanish for bed and breakfast—in Hornillos del Camino under cloudy skies and walked back up onto a meseta.
We were on the top of the meseta when the sky opened up. The rain softened the Camino—at first it felt good underfoot—and then it got sticky. Gobs of mud stuck to our shoes.
We walked through the mud in the rain for several miles before we came to the village of Hontanas where we stopped at a cafe.
After several hours, the rain stopped.
We walked past the ruins of the convento de San Anton.
By the time we reached Castrojeriz, our stopping point for the day, the sun was coming out.
We went into the church in Castrojeriz and saw an altarpiece depicting the Camino’s tradition of violence. The altarpiece shows Santiago Matamoros, St. James the Moor-Slayer, in battle—with a scallop shell on his hat.
A chapel in the Burgos Cathedral has a similar depiction of St. James. In this one, the scallop shell is on his chest.
According to legend, Santiago lead Christians in battle against the Moors following the death of King Alfonso II of Asturias. When Alfonso died, the Moors demanded reinstatement of a tribute of 100 Christian virgins that Alfonso had refused to pay. The Christians rose up in battle to resist the Moor’s demand, and Santiago rose from the grave to lead them.
The pain in my left shin increased during the walk today. I looked on the Internet and found a video of stretches designed to cure shin splints. I did the stretches, and my foot promptly swelled up.
We have decided to take at least two days off to give my leg a chance to recuperate.
This should be a good place to rest.