Day 15: Burgos - Hornillos Del Camino, 21 km.
This is the first day walking with my friend Bryan, from the United States. Marina had kept walking while I took the day off in Burgos so she was at least a day ahead of me now. Getting out of Burgos was much easier than the slog around the airport it took to get in. We had a lovely walk along the river which lead directly onto The Camino. It was a 10 km walk to the first village meaning 10km to the first place to stop which was in Rabe de las Calzadas. We met the most lovely Inn and Bar owner who generously and quite spontaneously gave both Bryan and I Virgin Mary necklaces with a blessing.
The day consisted of mostly flat gravel pathways easy to walk on until one final ascent and decent into Hornillos. Bryan had a stellar first day and put his newly purchased walking poles to good use saving his knees during his first real hill of his Camino. We ended up finding a shared room for 4 in a lovely Albergue run by a very kind gentleman named Samuel. He had a movie poster hanging in the main room in the Albergue of The Way on the wall, autographed by Emilio Estevez & his father Martin Sheen.
The poster was of great interest to me because that movie was instrumental in me deciding to walk The Camino. I watched it multiple times and love it. The Way is a 2010 Spanish drama film directed, produced and written by Emilio Estevez and starring his father Martin Sheen. The film honors the Camino de Santiago and promotes the traditional pilgrimage. It’s given credit for reinvigorating and catalyzing the many tens of thousands that are walking the Camino every year. It turns out Emilio’s son Taylor, met and fell in love with Samuel's sister while he was doing the Camino with his Grandpa, Martin Sheen.
Here is the back story: In 2003, at a family reunion and celebration in Ireland Martin Sheen suggested that the whole family walk the Camino together. They weren’t really prepared and the only one who showed any interest was his grandson Taylor, Emilio’s son, who was 19. So they went to Spain and tried to figure out how to make a go of the Camino. Apparently Martin’s sister Carmen wisely noted, “You don’t have enough time or equipment to do this.” So they rented a car in Madrid and went to Burgos and stayed in a small Albergue that looks after pilgrims. And Taylor met the daughter of the owner and fell in love right then and there. They left and continued driving the route along the Camino as best they could. Taylor asked if they could stop in Burgos on the way back home from the shrine and stay over one night. Taylor ended up marrying her and lives there to this day. Martin went home from this trip and suggested that Emilio write and make a movie about The Camino and that was the beginning of The Way, the movie.
All that to say…this added a fun twist to this story of the Albergue we stayed in for the night.
