Burgos & the Beginning of the Camino

After some transportation complications we left Madrid yesterday, half of us at 12 and the other half at 1. We took a three hour bus ride north to Burgos. I was exhausted but fought off sleep because I desperately wanted to see the amazing scenery throughout the ride. The landscape is always one that I associated more with Tuscany. The combination of the softly-rolling hills, yellow and green fields and tall, thin trees make it impossible to stop admiring it.
Burgos was also a beautiful city, but very different than Madrid. It was much smaller and quieter. However, last night kicked off a ten day festival. The entire city was out and about listening to live music, watching performances and watching spectacular fireworks. It was a fun experience and nice to be able to talk to the locals.
Our albergue there was only a couple years old and very nice. We met a group of fellow Americans as well as an Irish group. While I am thoroughly enjoying using my Spanish it is always a kind of relief to speak to someone else in English, especially since more than half of our group does not actually speak or understand Spanish.
We were able to do some exploring and eat lunch in the shadow of the grand cathedral in the main square. Then this morning we got up at about 6:30, packed our things and began our very long walk. It went by surprisingly quickly and was a short day. We only did 8 miles instead of what will be the normal 12-14.
Tonight our hostel is in a sleepy little town made up of all stone buildings with Spanish terra cotta rooftops, bright flowers overflowing from balconies, and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Literally the only sounds are birds chirping. We have passed about four residents who were all reading the local paper outside of their homes. There is no other way to describe it besides wonderful. I truly feel as though I am on a movie set