Layover in San Sebastián

No room at the albergue in San Sebastián but we got good sleep at our clean but funky and expensive pension in the old section of town. San Sebastián is the vacation capital of Spain and much of Europe & Britain. It is a par-tay town this time of year. There are great beaches that are full of people and the streets of the old town full of restaurants/bars. When a couple of old dudes with red scarves come hobbling into town on a Saturday night, watch out San Sebastián! So anyway, we slept well and in the morning, decided we needed to reassess our situation and decide if it was necessary to revise our plan. We immediately set up a situation room at a nearby bar/coffee shop (photo below). After coffee and ibuprofen, it became clear to us that the Camino del Norte is no country for old men. Spectacular scenery, but the terrain… It’s supposed to get easier after the first 5 days, but we still see a lot of “Sierra del …) on the map ahead. The towns are farther apart, which means less flexibility if you want to either stop early or walk later. And there are fewer pilgrims on this route. We haven’t really felt that Camino kinship with fellow travelers because fewer people walk this route, especially with the impact of Covid. We talked about continuing on as penance for our sins, but couldn’t really come up with anything we had ever done. So we have decided to (drum roll) head inland and pick up the Camino Frances. Dale has already done the Frances, but many people have done it multiple times. We will catch a bus to Logroño tomorrow morning and resume our walk on Tuesday having had a two day rest. We spent the rest of the day moving to an albergue and walking on the beach. After a seafood dinner, I’m back in bed writing up the day’s events. Speaking of food, the Basque people are famous for their cuisine, specializing in seafood. Pintxos (the x is silent) is a class of small cheap finger foods that can be a snack or a meal. It is served everywhere. It is typically served with a young acidic wine called “txakoli”, which is poured into the glass from about 3 feet above. We ate well. That’s all the news from Spain. Going to get some sleep now.
Buen Camino,
PhilRead more