Reset search
Camino 2017Camino 2017
SatelliteEdit route

Camino 2017

September - October 2017
A 36-day adventure by Camino 2017 Read more
  • 26footprints
  • 2countries
  • 36days
  • 68photos
  • 0videos
  • 3.5kmiles
  • 3.2kmiles
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • Camino 2017Camino 2017

    Ready to go!

    September 3, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    I!m flying out of Boston to Madrid tomorrow. From there I'll take a bus to Bilbao and spend the first night in a nice airbnb room. So I don't start walking until Wednesday. I'm doing the first three weeks solo, then will be joined by my sister Janet, niece Seikah, and friend Chris for the last two weeks. I'm a little nervous, but mostly excited for my big adventure!Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    Day 1

    Travel to Spain

    September 4, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Monday 4th - Travel day, long but uneventful. Got to Brunswick at 11:30, almost didn't get a seat on the bus to Boston. Then tons of traffic, so a good thing I hadn't gotten a later bus. Pizza in airport, boarded without trouble. My seat was next to an old Spanish lady with a dog, so I got changed to a seat farther up front with good leg space and a nice guy next to me. At one point I was sure I was going to throw up but I didn't. I didn't sleep at all on the plane (not really tired), arrived Madrid airport 6 am.

    Tuesday 5th Got bus from airport to bus terminal without difficulty, just got on the 8:00 bus. Ride seemed long, didn't sleep, two times I was sure I was going to through up but I didn't. Bilbao quite large. I started to worry that I had never heard from my airbnb host Armando, tried to message him from the airbnb site with no results. I had to work at getting a cell phone (hard to figure out), then was able to call him. I'm pretty sure he didn't know I was coming but he said ok. I ate then took metro to Barakaldo. Unfortunately I should have taken the train, so I was in wrong place. Kept on calling Armando for directions which didn't work, finally figured out what I had done wrong, had to walk an extra thirty minutes. I was hot and tired by the time I got there. Good to get a shower and unpack. Talked with Armando who was a sweet man, language teacher. The duffle bag that Megan had gotten worked great for the plane and other transport, but I dragged it around too much, put hole in it and little one in backpack:(. To bed at 8:30, room super dark and I slept well.    Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    Day 2

    Bilbao

    September 5, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    A marathon trip to get here - car to Brunswick, almost didn't get a seat on the bus to Logan. And then all of my friends from MA were on the road with us, getting out of Maine after a holiday weekend. 6-hour flight was uneventful, but no sleeping. Into Madrid at 6 am (photo below), got 8 am bus to Bilbao, arriving at 1pm. Then I worked on getting a local prepaid phone so I could get in touch with my airbnb host. I got pretty confused getting to the house, so even though today wasn't an official Camino day, I got my steps in! Now I'm clean and sleepy, looking forward to getting out of cities and on the Camino tomorrow. I'm staying in a very modern apartment with a nice balcony.Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    Day 3

    Pobena - Wednesday 6th

    September 6, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Bilbao-Pobena, 17K
    Up at about 10 am, Armando was at work so I had the apartment to myself for breakfast and packing. Left at about noon. My first day of walking was good, light rain to start which got me over the phobia of "what will I do if it rains?"(answer- get wet. Big deal.) I had a hard time finding the route (as I wasn't on it to start), was so happy to see that first arrow! And the escalators going up the steep sidewalks - but unfortunately that was only a one-time thing. My first day was about 12 miles, some city walking but pedestrian paths at the end, and then beautiful beach. I walked the last 5K with a German girl, Elena, and checked into my first hostel, which I liked a lot. Very well organized, fairly small. Not a lot of Americans, which is good, but a lot of Germans so I'm still stuck speaking English :). Walked 1.2 k back to Arena to shop, had supper right by the water.So far, things are as I expected, but even better! The shoes are great and it feels really good to be doing this.Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    Day 4

    Castro Urdiales

    September 7, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Pobena - Castro Urdiales 17.5K
    Slept fine my first night; I set alarm for 7:30 as we had to be out at 8, but the lights came on at 7:30 so no need for alarm! Hostel had 40 beds, only 2 toilets, but it all worked out somehow. . Had breakfast in bar next to hostel with everyone else, gigantic chocolate croissant. Started walking at 8:30. First part along the coast, ,beautiful. Then the path split and what I thought would be coastal path was on a highway, climbing up. I was sure I was lost but finally came back in to coast. Then through some tunnels and rough climbs - I'm pretty sure that was wrong. Finally into Castro, beautiful walk along promenade but I was tired. To the hostel at 1:30, so 5 hours walk with one little break. Hostel not open till 3 so had lunch, sat around. Good walk but lots of doubt whether I was lost. Feet and back doing well, hips and legs hurt a bit. Went into city with Elenal, fun to talk. Beautiful day, walked breakwater. Went to library for internet but not available, oh well. Egg dish for supper, to bed early.Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    Day 5

    Liendo

    September 8, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Castro - Liendo, 20.6 K
    Slept ok, major snores but lying awake didn't bother me for some reason. Up and out early, after 5k got really good coffee and muffin. Walked with Elena and an American, Mike, works for Linde which is lincare. Beautiful route by water. Walked with Francois for a while, good to speak French. Stopped in village, went under bridge by water for lunch. Was feeling good, only 8 k more, but then trail started uphill and just went on and on. I was hot and tired, managed to keep going, listened to music for first time (not in the mood for podcast). Walked for a while with a Korean guy. Finally made it to Liendo. Hostel great, in little town. Found I had left soap (for use on clothes, body, hair) behind in Castro on day 2. Did yoga on the lawn. Met up with Elena and Mika again, chose not to go out to dinner with them, too tired. Slept ok.
    Castro - Liendo 20.6 k    Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    Day 6

    Noja

    September 9, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Liendo - Noja - 20.2K.
    Beautiful leaving Liendo, up and over a big hill but I knew it was coming. Just in outskirts of Laredo when the skies opened. Packa was great but I got soaked from mid-thigh down. Rain stopped and I had coffee in town. Walked 5K along beach when it started raining again, very windy. Got the ferry to Santona, changed into Keens to let my socks dry. Walked out of town, another downpour. At least now I know that my feet are comfy with both sets of shoes even when wet. It finally stopped raining, but I had to climb a pretty big hill, completely muddy (clay) and slippery, a little scary but with poles and care I made it. Beautiful views of water the whole way. Walked into Noja on the beach. No pilgrim albergue so I stayed in a youth hostel. It was weird and I didn't like it. I was assigned to a room with 2 other women, perfectly nice but it felt isolated. The hostel is a little way out of town and it continued to pour on and off which was restricting. But only 10 €. I went out for usual egg dish, ice cream. One of these days I'll get a real meal! Doing about 12 miles a day which seems about right.Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    Day 7

    Guemes

    September 10, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Noja -Guemes 15.6k
    Beautiful walk to town, coffee by water. Then spent about 45 min trying to find arrows, which was ok because town very pretty. Asked a couple of people and finally found the route. Walked a while with an older Canadian couple which was nice. Stopped for kind of weird mushroom fry up, at least it was a veggie! Occasional light rain but mostly really nice day. The way to Guemes seemed long; I kept expecting to be there but the road went on and on. Finally got there, kind of in the middle of nowhere. WONDERFUL hostel. All arrivals were greeted with cup of cold water, food if hungry. Rooms really nice, green space in middle. I was in a room with Australians and kiwis, really nice people. I wandered down to the tiny village to get sweets, beautiful countryside. At 7:30 there was a talk in the chapel about the spirit of the albergue. I volunteer to translate for English, someone else for French. It was so much fun- the speaker was really funny and I tried (and mostly succeeded) in being funny too. I was famous at supper😌. After, there was a get-together in the chapel, uke and flute and singing. I interpreted again. Such a great group of people, a great place.Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    Day 8

    Santander

    September 11, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Guemes - Santander 17K (total to date about 100K)
    . We got breakfast in the hostel which was great. Raining off and on, mostly on, the whole way. Almost all oceanside paths which would have been great except they were super muddy which made for slow going. A few walks on the beach which was also tough. No real markers of distance so it felt long. Stopped raining in Somo. I took the ferry to Santander. Was in the municipal hostel by 2; I thought we'd have to wait til 3 but it was open. I was in same room as some folks from Frances, including Claude the other interpreter. Some other pilgrims from Guemes were laughing about that (in a nice way). I was tired, decided to take a rest day, found an Airbnb room for tomorrow for $25. Walked along the oceanside path - Santander really a beautiful city.Read more

  • Camino 2017Camino 2017
    1
    Day 9

    Rest day -Santander

    September 12, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I decided to take a rest day in the beautiful coastal city of Santander. I spent the first night there in the hostel (amazing how well I'm sleeping in the hostels), but the next morning while the good pilgrims slogged off in the rain, I had a nice coffee in a cafe/bar and checked into an airbnb room ($25). The room had only ONE bed in it, with no bunk over it, and I could put my stuff all over the place. It was also right in town, and Pilar (host) was very nice. I felt like I was at the Ritz! It rained off and on but I enjoyed the city, went to a museum (Centro Botin, modern art, didn't like that much), strolled along the shore without carrying 20 lbs; it was great. And I fulfilled the mandate of this blog site - found a penguin in the little zoo.Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English