I had an extra day in Burgos, so hiked up the hill to visit the ruins of the castle. Originally a Roman fortress, it had served several purposes in the intervening centuries. There was a beautiful lookout spot over the old city.

I found a museum in the Iglesia de San Esteban and went in for a look.

When I got back to my hotel, I saw that the door to the church of St. Nicolas was finally open. It is a small Romanesque church near the cathedral.

There were two hand-printed forms on the bulletin board inside the door. I recognized them as a “posting of the banns” from my time in Spain 30 years ago. When a couple intends to marry, their names are posted publicly for a period of time so that anyone who might object can do so.

Maybe this is done in Catholic communities everywhere, but I have only seen it in Spain.

I took the Renfe train across the Meseta from Burgos to León to save a few days. The Meseta is considered the least interesting—and easiest—part of the Camino, and a 90 minute train ride will save me 6 days.

When I leave León, I will have 13 more stages to hike. So I am almost at the halfway point.

The train was comfortable and efficient. There was someone sitting in my seat, but he moved as I mulled around checking my ticket and the seat numbers.

At the end of the ride, I realized that I was sitting in the wrong car!

I made it to my hotel in León on the Plaza Mayor. The taxi driver gave me some tips about what to go see tomorrow.