5/3 Comosapiens

We walked down to a bar last night for dinner.  Interesting pilgrim menu...for your second course, your entree, you had a choice between pork cheeks, pork tongue, or stewed venison.  Polly and I were about to see if we could have 2 salads and skip the entree, but a pilgrim from California had joined us and ordered the pork cheeks and they actually looked pretty good.  We were sold on them, but then the server said they were out of the cheeks.  We both opted for the venison.  I remember ordering a half of beef one time...came with a package labeled "tongue".  That package sat in the freezer for over a year and then I pitched it.  I...just...couldn't.  The venison and potatoes were good, I'm glad I ordered them.  Eric, our friend from Portland, had told us about an amazing restaurant we would be walking by in Atapuerca called Comosapiens.  Trouble was...we would be walking though Atapuerca around 10:30 in the morning and they didn't open for lunch until 1:30.  Dang.

We left the albergue a little too early...5:45.  I kept trying to open my eyes wider so that somehow, I would have more light.  I could see the headlines now..."Elderly Woman Falls and Breaks Hip Because She Couldn't Wait for 10 Minutes".  There were trees blocking the view of the sunrise, but somehow, it just manages to impress.  The route took us up a steep, rocky path that was hard to walk and harder to bike.  I saw several Camino bicyclists walking their mountain bikes.

With no towns on that steep climb and descent we had to wait until San Juan de Ortega (8 or 9 miles) before finding a bar that was open.  It just happened to be a magical bar.  Here's why.  The owner was short-handed and there were a lot of pilgrims.  A young gentleman, a South Korean who just happened to have barrista experience, offered to help.  Offer accepted.  My cafe con leche came with a foamy heart.  But he wasn't just talented with an espresso machine...he could whistle...through his hands...and play Ava Maria...on key.

I met a woman younger than I am at the bar who lives in Portland and works in the wine industry in the Willamette Valley.  Her name is Shirley and I think she said the name of the winery is Adea.  I plan to check it out.  She had strained her knee climbing over the Pyranees, so she had backed off the mileage and was trying to heal. 

We're very close to Burgos after a 27 kilometer day today.  We hope to leisurely tour the city tomorrow and stay in Tardajos.  At that point, we will be in the Meseta, and we have something very special planned for our first full day on the Meseta.

Oh, and that great restaurant in Atapuerca?  We decided to hire a cab to take us there for a late lunch.  What a treat!  Polly had a lovely salad and lamb...Francine and I had pasta with pesto and cod.  My dessert was a chocolate mousse with mango and cherry sauce.  And plenty of wine...you know, to help you sleep if you're in a room full of snorers.