June 13, 2013

Happy Feast of St. Anthony!   We left Burgos after having a toast and coffee breakfast at a nearby café which was open!  (We should have waited a bit for the one downstairs from our room!)

                  We walked to Hornillos and were in a little grocery store buying bananas and cheese when I asked the owner if there were any Casa Rural in the area (because the albergue and the nearby one were full).  She offered to call someone in nearby Isar to see if he had any vacancies.  He did, so he came to pick us up and another couple our age from the Italian part of Switzerland, near the Goddard Pass.  The owner at Isar drove us to his place (at 120 km/hr!), Hotel Rural La Consulta de Isar, which turned out to be lovely!  Thank you, St. Anthony, for finding it for us!  The only drawback was that neither Hornillos nor Isar had a Mass today!  The village priest lives in Burgos and only comes for Sunday Mass and for special feast days, like June 24^th, San Juan!

                We showered, washed clothes and hung them out on our little balcony, Praise God!  Then we went on a little tour, guided by a Spanish lady, Nati, who lives across from our “Hotel Rural.”  She has the keys to the 17^th Century church, San Martin, which we toured.  She then took us through the tiny village and showed us the ancient pilgrim “hospital,” which was run by the Knights Templar!  She also showed us the outside of another church, Santa Maria, from the 13^th Century, the wooden crucifix of which now hangs in San Martin.  She showed us a very ancient well which used to be the only water source when she was a tiny child.  We also saw the town fuente, fountain.    There are only 60 inhabitants in this town, with more in summer, Nati said!   

                The owner made us a good supper of tuna and potato soup, salad and pork loin rounds, bread, wine and fruit.  We exchanged e-mail addresses with the Swiss couple, the two French ladies, and the lady from California.

                Don and I sat on our little balcony after supper and looked at his day’s photos.  God is Good—Blessed be God iin His Angels and in His Saints!  Buona Festa di Sant. Antonio!