Day 12 – Belorado to San Juan de Ortega

One of my best days so far on the Camino! The weather was a perfect combination of sun, cool air and low humidity. The trail was challenging but enjoyable as it was almost exclusively through fields and small villages.

Along the way I met a young fellow from France, Paul, who recently joined the Catholic Church. His good company made the last 5 miles or more go by very quickly.

San Juan de Ortega (St. John of the Nettles…no, I’m not making that up!) is a very small hamlet consisting of a church, monastery, some places of lodging, and a bar/restaurant. I went to evening mass in the old church that contains interesting retablos, as well as the burial place of San Juan. This church being very tuned into the needs of a diverse pilgrim group had the mass proceedings laid out in 6 different languages, so everyone in the congregation could follow along. Could not help being struck by the fact that the congregation was contributing to mass in multiple languages on the Feast of Pentecost when the apostles “spoke in tongues”.

Dinner was simple but tasty. Pork chops, sausage, salad, and several glasses of wine all for 10 euros (about $12.50 USD). Shared the meal with 2 nice ladies…Rosemarie from Netherlands and Nancy from the US.

With 11 days of walking I have now completed one third of the Camino de Santiago. Tomorrow, I walk to Burgos, and will spend an additional day for rest.