Well - we decided to walk the 2 miles into Burgos last night, found a delightful taverna serving cheap drinks and an amazing array of appetising tapas. Two glasses of wine and a medium portion of bocerones later we were charged just 4.50 euros - just the start for the meal at Casa Ojeda further towards the city centre. The restaurant was excellent - pleasing atmosphere, friendly service and a good choice. Much talk with our waiter Sergio about going to Pamplona to see the running of the bulls and a bull fight. We favoured the Burgos traditional fare: one calamares and one black pudding followed by the suckling lamb accompanied by a 14.5% Ribera del Duero. This was rich, fatty stuff after the bocerones and one of our number had tummy problems the next day! We returned by walking, quite well oiled and singing mostly scottish songs badly or incompletely and had to climb the fence to get back in the campsite!
In our absence, the site had filled up alarmingly despite our attempts to discourage newcomers from coming close to us by playing the desperate, raw Flamenco songs of Camaron de las Islas. We haven't yet reached more than track 5 before even we give up. The crowding here seemed worse as the holiday season approaches and because we are now back on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail. There was a 'pilgrim's facility' set up not far from us on an industrial scale complete with tents erected with scaffolding, a field kitchen, accommodation etc. What sort of pilgrimage is that? This experience has heightened our resolve to get away from these type of sites whenever we can.
It was a shortish drive to Vitoria to view the plain west of the city which was the scene of another devastatingly successful battle against the French under King Joseph. An open plain with a few defining hills and a river which led to a battle in which Wellington's skill at manoeuvre and surprising the enemy on the flanks with applied force gave him an impressive victory. The hill at Nanclares (pictured) gave a clear view of the battle field (this was where Wellington had his command post before he led the central attacking force) then on to Trespuentes (pictures show M1 on the bridge and a large frog under it especially for Rory) and Mendoza which had both featured dominantly in the action.
We drove on and after one map reading error which increased the journey time, we parked for the night in an isolated spot in the beautiful green hills south of Durango next to a small pasture occupied by a massive bull and his entourage of cows and calves. But this was not quite the quiet place we had envisaged as there was plenty of passing traffic in cars and on motor and push bikes although this subsided as the night wore on. Earlyish to bed.
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