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Camino Del Norte 2022
  • Alison Kelly
Jul – Sep 2022

Camino Del Norte 2022

First time walking the Camino del Norte Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 19, 2022
    Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    We have arrived

    July 19, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We have arrived - after 3 planes, 2 trains and countless cabs we have arrived in Irun the starting point of our Camino del Norte. We have met up with George our hiking buddy from the States, booked into our first Albergue, eaten and drank at our first Bar. It’s good to be back on the road to Santiago de Compostela.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Irun to San Sebastián

    July 20, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Our first walking day - We wake to the sound of music, lights and a voice telling us it’s time to get up, its 5:57am. Sweaty, bleary eyed and tired we get ourselves ready and head downstairs for coffee and toast. We hit the trail at 8am and before we know it we have made it to the outskirts of Irun. We are walking in a rural setting in an upwards direction and its beautiful. There are quite a few pilgrims on the trail today and as we hit our stride, we seem to spread out nicely. Not too long into our walk the rain starts, lightly at first like a nice refreshing mist, but it soon picks up in intensity and starts hammering us for the next couple of hours, we end up pretty soaked. The rain does eventually stop and we do dry out. We are all hoping and praying that this rain is falling where all the fires are burning across Spain. As we continue on I am lulled into a false sense of ease as we make our way to Paisaia, and it isn’t until we get to the last few kms that I begin to understand my mistake. Over the years countless pilgrims have told me just how hard the first few days of the Camino del Norte are and now, I understand. The climb out of Irun wasn’t too bad, it’s the down hill into Pasaia that is the problem, it seems to go on forever, just ask my toes, ankles, knees and hips! Eventually we make it to the lovely little albergue in Pasaia it’s already 1:30pm. This albergue only has room for 14 pilgrims and there are 9 pilgrims already lined up, we decide to head down into the main square to get our selves something to eat and drink as we are famished and thirsty. What will be will be, if we miss out on staying at this lovely little albergue, then we will just have to walk on to San Sebastián. We end up having lunch at this amazing little seafood restaurant, Lisa and I decide to share a garlic prawn casserole and some patatas bravas, we also drink wine, coffee and eat cheesecake for dessert, our meal was exceptional! George has sardines, flan and a cervesa. We then start our next leg to San Sebastián - we can’t bare the thought of walking up all those stairs just to find out that there is no room left at the albergue, so we call it and head to the ferry to take us to the other side of the inlet. Then comes the climb - George has named it “the stairway to heaven” I think I will call it the stairway to the stars as it will be dark by the time we get to the top. Once we have finally conquered the stairsway it’s not too long before we are walking on a lovely dirt path following the coast line with spectacular views. We hope everyday will be like this. We eventually get into San Sebastián, it has been a fabulous day, but we are all buggered and need to rest our weary bodies.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    2 Rest Days in San Sebatián

    July 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    I know, I know, we have just started and already we are having not one, but two rest days. Well in our defence we weren’t meant to get here for another day and well, we’re in San Sebastián! It would be wrong to fly through here without soaking up the sun, vibe, food and wine, so here we are. We wake late around 9:30am get organised and go find a bar for breakfast, it doesn’t take too long, we head straight for the beach front knowing that there will be bars for days overlooking this magnificent view. With breakfast under our belts, we go exploring. First stop is a ride on the hop on hop off bus - they are great for getting your bearings in a big city and finding out some interesting info and history. This takes a couple of hours, then it is time to get some lunch and relax for a bit, enjoy the vibe of the city, catch up with friends, whilst trying new dishes - some lovely, some not so much. Before we know it the day is done, and we need sleep. We haven’t got our trail legs yet, so they are very sore. Day 2 and there are chores to be done, we need to get our washing sorted out and stock up on supplies, the next walking day has no pilgrim support and our bodies can’t run on empty. We also need to get lost for awhile in the buzzy little old town streets of San Sebastián - have a drink here, pintxos there and just soak up the lifestyle of the Basque people and the tourists. Rain is forecast for today, but so far there hasn’t been any, it is overcast and cooler, which is a welcome change from the heatwave we were experiencing in Paris and Irun. We have tried to get a bucket of prawns to eat at the beach but the price is out of our league at €78.00 per kg. So we will see if the price decreases as we leave the tourist destinations and get to the smaller coastal fishing villages along the way. We have dinner at a beautiful seafood restaurant right beside our hotel, it is a delicious meal and our last one in San Sebastián. We head back to our rooms, do some social media and drop off into La La land at around midnight, with our alarm set for 6:30am.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    San Sebastián to Orío

    July 23, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We wake up excited to be walking to our next destination today, we are off to Orío 16km away, it is a little overcast as we leave San Sebastián, but this won’t last for long, we have a top of 30 degrees today. We meet George at 8am in the lobby and from there will follow the way and hope we come across a bar to eat breakfast. The walk out of San Sebastián is stunning with an overcast sky and a few early risers either running, walking, cycling or swimming. The Camino follows the beach line, and thankfully we end up finding a bar right at the very end of it, we enjoy a lovely breakfast consisting of a ham & cheese toasted croissant and a coffee. The trail then turns left and takes us up, up, up into a forested area. It’s time to take some pics (code word for suck in a few deep ones and wait for the heart rate to drop a little bit 😉) and watch the fit locals pass us by. We are walking on a dirt path with lots of rocks, we take our time, soaking up the view, we chat with a fellow pilgrim also named George, he is from Argentina and will be finishing his Camino is Bilbao this year. The trail is continually changing from dirt paths to quite roads to cobbled stone surfaces, the different surfaces don’t bother me but the accents and descents do, I am so looking forward to the day when I can climb a steep path and not have to stop multiple times before reaching the top. There is no pilgrim support along our path today so we end up finding a nice shady spot and stop for a bite to eat, take our packs off to rest our bodies and just enjoy some downtime. As we continue our walk the scenery changes from forested area to beautiful clear vistas of the Cantabrian Sea, unfortunately my photos don’t capture the absolute beauty of these views. We finally arrive at our albergue, we are staying at a lovely little albergue called San Martin it is on the outskirts of Orío and has enough room for 20 pilgrims. We check in, get our credential stamped, shower, wash our clothes, wait for our clothes to dry then head down into Orío in search of food and wine. We fill our belly’s then try to get a cab back up to the top of the town to our albergue, this doesn’t work, George has asked the lady serving us and she basically calls him a pussy and tells him No, it’s a 10 minute walk, you walk! So we haul our butts back up the hill and settle in ready for bed. It’s been a big day and sleep is very welcome.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Orío to Zumaia

    July 24, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Not a lot of sleep was had last night, I was trying not to snore so I didn’t keep everyone awake and we were sleeping opposite the bathroom - thank goodness for sleep masks, I was sleeping on a top bunk - first one this trip and I am a little rusty so I was conscious of not falling out and just to add to the atmosphere there was a fiesta in a town some where close by, we could hear the mariachi band and all the people celebrating through out the night, it sounded like everyone was having an awesome time, if only I wasn’t so old and tired, anyway before we know it, it’s time to rise and get ready for another day on the trail. We have breakfast included for our €20, so we get ready and head to the little kitchen/dining area. We enjoy a variety of food including fresh fruit, yoghurt, porridge, toast, little cakes, tea and coffee. There were about 10 of us, the rest of the bunch got up early and left before breakfast. It’s going to be close to 30 degrees again today with not a lot of cover from the sun. Our walk today takes us through and out of Orío and it is stunning. We walk along the river enjoying the views of the boats tied up along the rivers edge, and the buzz of activity as people go about their day. We cross over the river via a bridge and start heading out of town, in no time at all we are heading up, up, up again. This is another picturesque walk with a lot of coastal views. It is summer holidays here in Europe and there are tourists, locals and pilgrims everywhere enjoying the outdoors. We pass a few camp grounds which seem full of surfers. The walk from Orío to Zarautz is through country side with rolling green hills and the sea as a beautiful backdrop. We stop in Zarautz for a drink and light refreshment at a lovely little bar and their tortilla patatas is so fresh, it smells and tastes devine. Then it’s a fairly flat walk via a coastal walking path, along side a busy road, this walking path is bustling with people as there seems to be a triathlon and the swimming leg is underway. The swimming leg seem to start in Getaria and finish in Zarautz, there is a lot of support people on the water, in boats, on jet skis or on paddle boards. Man o man I don’t know how they can swim that far it’s 2.9km in the open sea 😳, I would have sank and drowned after 30 metres. The vibe is electric and I feel very fortunate to be here experiencing this. We make a small climb into Getaria and walk down to the old part of town, the bars are all busy, but we manage to find a table in a lovely little bar and have a couple of vinos and a plate full of prawns, life is good and it would be very easy to settle in for the afternoon but we need to keep moving we still have a ways to go to get to our destination today. The walk out of Getaria is quite the accent, Lisa and I do the usual - walk for about 20 steps, stop for 20 breathes, then repeat until we get to the top. There are lots of hills between here and Zumaia and they all seem to be on the Camino path. We finally get to the outskirts of Zumaia and it’s all down hill from here, we gingerly make our descent, thinking that when we get to town we will taxi to our accommodation, but unfortunately there are no taxis around and we end up climbing a very steep, long street to get to our hotel. Our hotel reminds me of something out of the seventies - picture the hotel in dirty dancing. We do the usual chores before we go to find the bar in the hotel, they direct us to the an open air area, where we need to hold our glasses or they would blow off the table, I look like ‘cousin it’, my hair is covering my face, I can’t see Lisa, I can’t see or drink my drink and I am not game to let go of my glass, we can’t stop laughing and eventually we move indoors. After a chat and a vino we head to the indoor pool, our bodies have taken a beating and it’s time to show them some love. To our surprise the indoor pool is a therapy pool there are specific stations situated around the pool focusing on different areas of the body, I start with the stomach, move to the thighs, then the carves, then the back and neck, lastly the all over body station. I feel like I am going to walk out of this pool 25 years younger, and in my mind I feel it, but no, I still physically look then same, even my cellulite is jiggling it’s way to the change room, oh well, at least my muscles are no longer aching. We go shower and get ready for dinner, we dine at the hotel which is exceptional, George shouts us a beautiful bottle of Vino Tinto from the Rioja region, we drink, eat then we call it a night, our room is dark and we drift off in no time.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Zumaia to Deba

    July 25, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We sleep in and are late meeting George this morning, he is already enjoying his buffet breakfast at our hotel. The options are endless this morning, it’s hard to pick, but I end up with a big thick piece of toast with butter, ham and cheese, freshly squeezed orange juice and a coffee. We then head back to our room to finish packing and get ready to hit the road. We start off today on the GR121 which will take us along the Ruta de Flysch - this is a
    Geological phenomenon where the sea erodes stratified rocks and forms interesting rock formations. We will rejoin the Camino in around 3.5 km. We follow a narrow path along the coastline, it is a beautiful clear day with little wind. There are a lot of people walking on this path in both directions. The cliff sides and rock formations are so amazing, I understand why scenes from GOT were shot here. This has to be my favourite day so far as the scenery is just so beautiful, it is picture perfect and I just can’t help but stop, look up and smile every few minutes, I am just so happy to be here. We wind up and down hills all day, we eventually get to the outskirts of Deba and the down hill is super steep, we take it very slow and our joints are letting us know that they are not happy! We arrive at the first street in Deba and the downhill has not ceased, there are stairs as far as the eye can see and George is on a mission to get to the end of them and to our Albergue. We on the other hand keep taking photos, putting off the inevitable, I turn to my left to snap a photo and low and behold I see a lift - stairs or lift 🤔, this is a no brainer, lift all the way! We take the first one down just to see there is a pedestrian crossing and it leads directly to another lift, we are on it! We meet up with George at the Albergue, there is only 1 bed left out of 59 so we collect our other backpacks and go to a bar to workout a new plan. There is absolutely no accommodation of any form left in Deba, so we look further afield. We discuss booking at our next destination and boomeranging back here tomorrow, but we are unable to source any accommodation there either. We jump on booking.com and check out what we can find - all we can find is one place up in the mountains via Eibar. We book it and then I ring to check that they have a restaurant and that they will feed us, l have turned into a labrador this trip and this lab can’t go without a meal! Robert (The owner of the establishment) assures me that we will be feed, so we finish our wine then go to catch the train to Eibar. It takes about 40 minutes before our train arrives. We hop on and George gets a seat facing the entry and exit. Lisa and I are standing in this area. The train takes off and we are rolling along nicely, then all of a sudden a lady who is also standing in the entry and exit area starts screaming MEDICO, MEDICO! Everyone starts looking around and this lady is now running through the train shouting MEDICO! Next minute she is running back with a younger women in front of her, who must be a nurse or doctor and she is onto it. A man sitting behind George is having a seizure and she quickly but calmly gets him on the floor and lays him on his side and clears his airways, this works a treat and soon he seems to be recovering. We get to the first stop and on jumps a train attendant who b-lines for the man. People are strongly discussing if the man should have been taken off the train as there is a hospital near by or if he should stay on the train. He stays, the medical woman returns to her seat and the train attendant stays with the man, he ends up getting off at the next station with the girl he was travelling with. We get off the train after another 2 stops, only to be told to hop back on as there are 3 stops in Eibar and we need the 2nd one so we can catch a taxi to our destination for the night. So back on we hop and 3 minutes later we are lugging our selves and our backpacks off the train in search of a taxi. George is all over it and we have one before we know it, all our packs just fit in the boot and we jump in, next minute we are being whisked up a mountain with Lionel Richie blasting out of the stereo, of course Lisa and I assume we need to sing along, so we start singing - off key of course! Well old buddy the taxi driver starts driving like a rally driver, I lean, well half fall over to Lisa and tell her that I don’t think he likes our singing, cause he’s now driving like he stole the cab - I think he just wants us to shut up! It works we stop singing, but start laughing instead. Thank god we arrive in one piece, we thank the man for not killing us and head in to our hotel for the night. Robert meets us at the reception desk, we book in, he chats to George for a while, George lives in Florida and Robert lived there for 10 years, so they have lots to discuss. He books us a table for dinner at 8:30pm, which gives us time to shower, change and feel human again. We meet George in the restaurant. We are feeling very spoilt - lovely accommodation, spectacular views, beautiful wine, delicious food and fabulous service from all the staff here. I don’t think we are going to want to leave tomorrow. Our day is done, our belly’s are full and it’s well and truly time for some shut eye.    Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Eibar to Markina-Xemein

    July 26, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    This morning we sleep late, have breakfast late and just have some time to catch up on our journals etc. Robert the owner of this establishment is also a taxi driver and will drive us to our next stage on the Camino at around 1:15pm. We are staying at Markina-Xemein at a lovely albergue called Albergue Intxauspe, it has one big room which houses 20 pilgrims. There is a lovely grassed area with chairs and lounges scattered throughout, it’s a fabulous place to sit and relax. We have a high of 22 degrees today, which is just a perfect temp to enjoy the outdoors. The man running this albergue, is checking people in, giving them the grand tour, whilst prepping dinner and serving drinks to all the thirsty pilgrims. We spend a great afternoon drinking, chatting and belly laughing. Before we know it, it’s time for dinner and it’s lovely, we start with a homemade broccoli soup, followed by thin breaded pork with chips then viennetta ice-cream for dessert. Then it's off to bed.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Markina Xemein to Mendata

    July 27, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Amazingly we are not the last to leave the albergue this morning. But due to the fact that we didn't walk here and this albergue is located out of the town, we need to navigate our way back onto the Camino path. It doesn't take us too long though and before we know it we have made it to town. We have an eye out for an open bar, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any open yet, so we push on. We have a top of 23 degrees today and at the moment it's overcast, the walk starts off very pleasant on even ground and no hills yet. We meander on a narrow dirt path alongside a stream, it's nice and peaceful just listening to the flow of water and the birds chirping. We come to a really pretty little village, that looks like it is loved and cared for by the whole community, the homes are all different, but look like they should all be on a postcard. We see an open bar and take a seat, a fellow pilgrim comes up to us and asks where we are staying tonight, we tell her and she asks if we can pass on a message to friends of theirs - Lyn has hurt her foot and they have booked a bus to take them to Bilbao, where Lyn can rest up for a couple of days. You never know whats going to happen, you can be tracking along quite nicely then all of a sudden a small injury can turn nasty, and plans need to be altered. We head off after wishing Lyn a quick recovery, we walk out of town into a forestered area and the shade and breeze are much appreciated. The scenery today is stunning as we wind up and down and around hills, the homes we are passing are beautiful with planter boxes in the windows bursting with colour. We arrive at our albergue just after 4pm, we are allocated our bed and sheet, we then shower, find Neala and Lota and give them Lyn’s message, then head back down the hill to the bar, we are well and truly ready for an afternoon bevy. We get down to the bar only to find it closed, we are all devastated and deflated, we head back up the hill to our albergue, we chat to the pilgrims there and find out that we are able to buy a bottle of wine off the owner, we do this and sit out on the balcony chatting with everyone and listening to music, the afternoon passes quickly and before we know it, it's time to eat, we have a communal meal at the albergue, we chat and laugh our way through and beyond dinner, we have had such a lovely time getting to know this group of pilgrims, but it's now time for sleep. Off we go to our bunk beds for another night of tossing and turning, but trying not to be noisy in a metal bunk bed. 😳.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Mendata to Muxika and Morga

    July 28, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We are up at 7am this morning its breakfast at the Albergue - toast, butter, jam, yoghurt and coffee are on the menu. It doesn’t take us long to eat, finish getting ready and head out the door. The walk starts off fairly flat and follows a nice easy path. We have our fingers and toes crossed that our trail stays like this today, but we all know it’s wishful thinking. The climb starts a couple of kms into our walk, the sun has sting today and with a top of 25 degrees, I’m not surprised. The Camino bypasses the first small village this morning, so no cafe con leche for us. We keep moving now in a downwards motion heading into Gernika. We stop at a bar order some water, wine and pinxtos, rest here for a couple of hours then continue on our walk. There is a steep climb out of town with a very uneven surface, it is very exposed and not a breath of air, we take it slow and steady and this accent seems to go on forever. The views are beautiful but very hard to capture today as the sun seems to be photobombing every picture. We finally make it to our albergue, sweaty, hot and aching. We check in, jump in the showers, make our beds and go sit down outside, with some snacks and cold drinks. We are in the middle of nowhere, so no wine or pinxtos.
    Fun Fact: Everyone who stayed at our albergue last night passed us before we make it to our destination today 😂    Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Muxika and Morga to Larrabetzu

    July 29, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    We wake up this morning late for breakfast it is 6:50am and we were scheduled to be at breakfast at 6:30am., which means we are interrupting the next lot of pilgrims, who were booked in for 7am, we all make it work though and crowd around the table, the food is beautiful and in abundance, we finish breakfast, finish packing and head off, we are on the road at 8am. This albergue has been super busy it has 19 beds in total, then a couple of tents set up to accommodate the overflow in the front yard, and also has plenty of room to set up your own tent if you are toting one. It was a great place to stay and the vibe is fabulous, lots of Spanish pilgrims staying at this albergue and they are always so social and fun. We say our goodbyes and so starts our walk for today. First up we have a down hill, after a little while it evens out, we have our fingers and toes crossed that it will stay on level ground but it doesn’t last long before the up, up, up begins and we all know what that means. There is no pilgrim support along the Camino until we get to Larrabetzu, but fortunately for us we cross paths with a trail angel who has a sign at the side of their house letting us know it’s ok to fill up our water, George partakes and we carry on. We walk under a canopy of trees which shade us from the direct heat of the sun, it must be 10 degrees cooler in here, it makes for very pleasant walking conditions.
    Side note: During our walk through Basque Country it is quite clear that there is political unrest here and they are very quick to tell you that they are not part of Spain or any other neighbouring country.
    The Basque Country is absolutely beautiful both here on the Camino del Norte and the Camino Frances, it’s one of my most favourite Camino regions. We get to the outskirts of Larrabetzu before lunch time and it seems to be a very friendly and inviting town, also a very active town with lots of people going about their day. We find a bar and decide to eat and have a drink here, we have booked accommodation and didn’t realise that it was out of town, so after our lunch and a snack haul from the supermarket we map our way to our accommodation, it is 3 km along a quite country road with a nice steep climb at the very end, it is boiling with no shade and we arrive hot, sweating and tired. Lola and her mum are looking after us though, we have lovely rooms and the rest of the house we are told to treat as our own, we enjoy the lilo’s out in the backyard, sunning ourselves like lizards. Later we head inside and sit in the lounge room chatting and enjoying a bottle of wine we bought in Larrabetzu. I then go for an afternoon nap - first one this trip and it’s lovely. Lisa wakes me up just before dinner at 8pm, we are eating at the B&B and are served a beautiful fresh salad with lettuce, tomato, white asparagus, corn, olives, onion, tuna, jalapeños and dressing, followed by crumbed steak and hot chips, we decline the coffee. George goes to bed while Lisa and I sit up chatting, it is just past midnight when we decide to call it a night.    Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Larrabetzu to Bilbao

    July 30, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Lisa wakes me up and we get ready for breakfast at 7am, then it’s back to the room to finish packing up, this takes us awhile. Poor George is probably so sick of waiting for us. We seem to get into our accommodation pull everything out of our backpacks to find what we need, and before we know it, we have stuff everywhere, and our room looks like it’s been ransacked, we have become pretty used to this by now and we just know that if we are staying at a hotel to always put the ‘do not disturb’ sign out on the door handle, the cleaners don’t need to contend with our mess! We are finally ready to go and it’s now 9am, we need to head back down the steep hill we climbed up yesterday and make our way back onto the Camino path. It’s 3 kms and we do it with ease, we walk through the industrial area of Larrabetzu, then into a lovely little village called Lezama, there are open bars everywhere and they all look very inviting, but due to our big breakfast none of us want to stop this morning, I think we all just want to get to Bilbao where we can settle in for the next 4 days. We get to the outskirts of Lezama and we are walking through a beautiful park, it’s level, pretty and an easy walk, once the park ends, we turn onto a service road, and near the end of this road is where the two Camino paths merge together and we see other pilgrims, we pass each other with a “Hola, buen camino”, George is ahead of us by a good 30 metres and I notice these guys pointing to George’s tattoo, they have a little chat amongst themselves, then as they pass George, there is more conversation, I realise then, having walked behind George for three different caminos, this is a regular occurrence. It starts with the tattoo, moves to George’s age, then onto what a legend he is. I feel very honoured and lucky to have walked so many miles with this very dear friend of mine and to be honest, I can’t imagine walking a Camino without him. It’s funny though, sometimes we feel kinda like his security detail and want to put a hand out to keep all these people at bay and say ‘please, no paparazzi’. In our book George is an absolute legend and this year his Camino is going to be a very special one. George will leave Lisa and I on the 16th August and head to Lisbon, Portugal ready to meet up with his 3 children - Todd, Marsha and Tarsha. They will all be doing the Camino from Porto in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela and I know how much this will mean to him. We are looking forward to hearing all about their journey and wish them a Buen Camino! We get to the outskirts of Bilbao, we are a fair way above the city below and we start to head down, once we can make out the buildings, I indulge myself in a game of Where’s the Guggenheim? I have never been to Bilbao before, but I have seen the Guggenheim on the net and in posts from fellow pilgrims who have already visited, so I sort of know what to look for in this beautiful big city. I eventually find it and verify it with George. It is a very steep decent into Bilbao with hundreds of steps, that lead us directly to the old part of the city, as we are walking down the steps we can hear a blues band playing in the distance and as we get closer to our hotel the music is getting louder, when we have finally weaved our way through the narrow maze like streets of Bilbao’s old town we arrive at our hotel, we book in and are in room 202. We have a balcony that opens up and gives a perfect view of the blues festival. We could not have planned this better. Tonight we are dining at La Tagliatella, we have shared many meals with our Camino family in this chain of restaurants and it is not only yummy but holds many great memories. After dinner we meander back to our lovely hotel, enjoying the vibe, music and dancing, we hit the hay and let the music lull us off to sleep.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Bilbao

    July 31, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    There is no sleep in for us this morning as we have a tour booked and we need to be at the bus stop at 8:50am bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for a full day of checking out the filming locations from the Game of Thrones, along the Basque coastline. We arrange to have breakfast at 8am at our hotel, then off to the bus stop we go. Our tour guide is Ann and as we travel along she talks about the history of the areas we pass through and how the locals felt and dealt with the cast and crew of GOT. We arrive at Zumaia, pile out of the bus and all walk up to the Ruta de Flysch. We are shown pictures of the scenes that were shot here - beach scenes at Kings Landing, it's no wonder they used this location in the series, it's an absolutely perfect setting. We spend sometime photographing and wondering around this area. Then it's time to head back to the bus to move onto our next location. Next we are headed to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe this is the island fortress of ‘Dragonstone’ in season 7, and yes we did zigzag our way up all 241 steps to get to the little church at the top, which unfortunately was locked. We spent enough time up here for our heart rates to return to normal and take some pics, before descending back down the stairs. Once off the island the climb and countless steps back up to the parking lot to meet the bus was a beast none of us really wanted to defeat, but we had little choice, so with lots of breaks we finally made it to the top with enough time for a cold drink before departing this leg of our journey. Next up we visit a castle from the middle ages, this location is not in GOT, but it's included in this tour just to show us what a castle would have looked like back in that time. Last but not least was another beach location that was used in the series, in real life it's a nudist beach so I didn't take too many photos here. We head back to Bilbao after a full day out and about, tired but happy to have had such a good day seeing more of this amazing country.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Bilbao

    August 1, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today we get to go to the Guggenheim Museum, we are up early keen for the walk down there, it is a beautiful morning, a bit overcast at the moment and a very pleasant walk along the river Nervión. We are there by 9am which allows us plenty of time to wonder around the outside and marvel at this amazing building. Most of Bilbao is still waking up, it still surprises me that minimal businesses are open before 10am over here, I love it, except when there are no bars open, so no morning coffee. The Guggenheim opens it's doors at 10am and we spend the next 4 hours going through the collection, I really like the layout and sparseness of this museum. I often feel overwhelmed in museums and don't know where to start because there is so much to see, read and take in, but not here. My absolute favorite exhibition though was ‘The matter of time’ by Richard Serra, I loved wandering through these massive weathered steel maze like sculptures. I have been able to get through the whole collection and spend a bit of time at each exhibit or piece. With sore legs Lisa and I walk back and meet George for lunch, we then spend more time walking around the old town of Bilbao, enjoying this beautiful Spanish city.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Bilbao to Portugalete

    August 2, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We wake up this morning, have breakfast then head back up to our room to sort through our gear, we are having another shake down, sending another box of gear home and also another box onto Santiago de Compostella. It takes us quite awhile to get this sorted, then we are off to the post office to send our boxes to their respective destinations, we know this will take a while and we have our fingers crossed that we get someone who speaks better English than we speak Spanish, this will aid in speeding up the process. It ends up taking longer than anticipated, so I call the hotel to let them know we will be a little late checking out, they are cool about it and tell us not to rush. We finally finish and head back to our hotel, check out and have just enough time to catch the 1:15pm ferry boat to Portugalete, it costs 8€ and takes roughly 60 minutes. To walk out of Bilbao, the Camino path follows along the industrial area of town all the way to Portugalete, a lot of pilgrims have said it is a very boring walk, so we decide to skip this stage. The ferry boat ride is a much better option. We dock and disembark at Portugalete, this seems like a lovely little outer suburb of Bilbao, this is also where the Vizcaya Suspension Ferry is located, of course we will go for a ride across the river on it. Our hotel is right near where we docked and at the far end of the plaza. It is a fabulous location and bonus it has a bar, so we settle in for the afternoon . We go to a lovely little Italian restaurant just a little ways down from our hotel and we all order garlic bread and pasta dishes for dinner, they are all delicious, oh and a lovely bottle of red. We then call it a night, go back to our rooms and drift of to sleep.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Portugalete to Pobeña

    August 3, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We don't want to leave our hotel today, we have had such a comfy nights sleep in an air-conditioned room, but reluctantly we get organised, and go down for breakfast before heading off for another day on the Camino path. This is my first walking day since the shake down, my backpack feels heavy but no doubt I will get used to it, I kinda have to because I have sent my smaller backpack on, so there is no option but to get used to it. As we leave our hotel we head up into the main shopping area of Portugalete, and because of the steep streets, they have installed moving side walks, we all enjoy this add extra and take advantage of each and every one of them. We finally leave the town behind us and today we have a lot of road walking ahead of us, we finally get into La Arena this is a lovely little beach town, we have lunch there then walk to our town for the night. It is off the Camino path because we were unable to get accommodation at Pobeña, so we are now headed 2.5km off the path to Muskiz, lucky for us there is a dedicated walking path a long the river that runs all the way to our accommodation then over a bridge, up a steep but short hill. We arrive, check in, carry out the usual routine then it's time for dinner, we catch the bus back to La Arena we have dinner at a funky bar that overlooks the beach, it's packed with a lot of younger people drinking cocktails, the music is banging and we are loving the whole vibe, we order dinner and wine and it's beautiful, we then try to catch the bus home, we end up on the wrong one and have to walk 2.5 km back to our accommodation but in a different direction to how we came in. Well at least we get to see more of Muskiz. We finally get home and crash and burn for the night.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Pobeña to Castro-Urdiales

    August 4, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    I wake up tired this morning, I had a restless nights sleep, I was cold, and just tossed and turned all night. We get ready and go for breakfast, we then check out and head to the bus stop, we catch the bus back to La Arena and pick up the Camino path where we left off yesterday. It’s a beautiful day and we are walking on a lovely wide wooden path along side the beach that takes us all the way to Pobeña. We stop here for a quick coffee before tackling the 142 steps up to the headland. The coastal path along the headlands is beautiful, there is a nice breeze and lots of clouds in the sky, I had forgotten how magnificent the views are along the Cantabrian coastline, we have been walking inland for quite a few days, so I am really enjoying the walk today. We take some time and explore the ruins of an old iron ore mining operation, the iron ore was mined then transported via railway and aerial tramways to awaiting ships for exportation to other countries, operations ceased back in the 1960’s. There are a lot of locals out walking along this part of the coast too, and why not when there is a beautiful path 6 km in length running from Pobeña to Ontón. As we walk down into the village of Ontón we pass a soccer field that has prime position overlooking the sea. Also we come to the end of our walk through the Basque Region and take our first steps into Cantabria, Ontón is the first village on this Camino path in the Cantibrian Region.
    Fun Fact: We have walked 185.95 km in the Basque Region.
    We are hoping that there will be a open bar in Ontón, we all need a drink and the toilet. Fun Fact: Spain does not normally have public toilets at parks, rest areas or scattered along the Camino routes, so bars are really the only option.
    Unfortunately there is no bar in this town and we push on, Ontón is a small village that you have to walk down into and then, up out of, from here we walk on the side of fairly busy roads all the way into Castro Urdiales, it's a hard slog and a bit scary at times, but we finally make it into town. Tonight we have an apartment thanks to George, it takes us a while, a phone call and lots of laughs to locate our apartment. The first thing we do when we get in there is check out the kitchen, Lisa wants to cook us dinner, but before she can decide what to cook us, she needs to know what appliances this kitchen has, then it's off to the supermarket. Louie ends up cooking us roasted maryland chicken pieces, mashed potato, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, carrot and corn and of course red wine. Thank you so much Louie, it tastes absolutely amazing! We don't stay up much past dinner, we are all tired after our walk today, sleep comes easy.    Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Castro-Urdiales to Rioseco

    August 5, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We wake this morning and get ready to head off, we stop at a bar to get coffee and some breakfast then it's time to hit the road. It starts off pretty warm today and as we are nearing the outskirts of Castro Urdiales we pass the bullring, then it's a climb up and out of the town, we are now on a quite country road that runs along side a busy freeway, it's nice and quite and a few pilgrims pass us on this stretch today, we then wind down and under the freeway to get to the next town, this is a tiny little village, I stop and ask a man if there is a bar here and he informs me that there is not. Just out of this village we hit a very rocky, hilly path, there are locals running, not just jogging past us, they are obviously a lot fitter than we are and not at all worried about twisting or breaking an ankle. This path winds it's way along the headland and goats get to call this place home, it is truly beautiful, especially as the sky darkens and you can see the rain on the horizon, and hear the sound of the sea rolling and roaring as it hits land, we take some time just to savour this moment… We then continue on, we get to the next town and we stop here for a coffee, it's good to get the pack off and rest for a bit. Before we get back on trail, the rain starts, not heavy, just enough to wet everything, so on goes the backpack covers and our rain jackets. We head out of town and it looks like we will spend the rest of our day sharing the bitumen road with the cars, there is a barrier or at least a designated walking path though. We make it to our destination, we are wet, tired and hungry, we check in and Mar the lady that owns and operates this place looks after us. We have our showers go downstairs to the bar, have a drink, make our rolls, then we go for a walk around town, this doesn't take long, we then head back to the bar. Mar let's us know that we will have to go 2kms down the road for dinner tonight. When dinner time rolls round, Mar tries to ring us a taxi, but they are busy and won't be able to pick us up or drop us back later. In the end Mar closes her bar and runs us into the next town and tells us to ring her when we are ready to come home and she will come and pick us up, it doesn't get any better than that, Mar is an absolute trail angel and we are extremely grateful for everything she has done for us. Thanks Mar ♥️Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Rioseco to Laredo

    August 6, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We leave Mar this morning, and wish we could take her with us, but we know her 98 year old mother needs her more than we do. Our first path today is along side the road on a designated walking track, once we get to our second town for the day this changes dramatically, we encounter the steepest climb thus far, along a dirt track that reminds me of the overgrown motorbike tracks leading down to Styx River. We can actually hear motorbikes in the background as we climb this beast but can’t pick if they are headed our way or not 🤷‍♀️. When we are 3/4 of the way up this hill, a guy with his two dogs comes casually walking up behind us, as he overtakes us he lets us know that we are nearly at the top and then it flattens out, this is music to my ears. Once at the top we sit for a few minutes and have a drink, that climb took it out of all of us. We take off again and meander down the next hill. The countryside we pass through today is absolutely beautiful with lots of cows, horses and the odd donkey. The towns are small, well kept and pretty. We get to the last town before our destination and we have options, we choose the blue (recommended) route, it takes us up behind some rural houses, on the fringe of a forested area with rural views overlooking the farmland, we have excellent shade which drops the temperature considerably and we enjoy our walk. We eventually come out of this though and then it is uphill with no shade, but the views are stunning, it’s a hard slog with the constant climbing. The next phase of our walk today sees us weaving our way along a goat track lined with brier bushes, dodging rocks, prickles and people, this track seems to go on forever, then out of no where, when we turn onto a road that just heads down at a steep decline, we drop into Laredo. We take a seat at the very first bar we find, it’s time for drinks, it’s hot, we are buggered and our hips, knees, ankles and toes are all aching. We eventually get back up, and hobble on, we find a supermarket to get some food to make a late lunch, we then locate our accomodation, shower, change, make our lunch and head to the garden area, we have a great barmen, who looks after us and we settle in here for the rest of the arvo.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Laredo to Santoña

    August 7, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We wake to the sun streaming into our room, it's a short walking day today so there is no need to get up early and get ready, so over I roll and go back to sleep for another half hour, I re-awake to people in the courtyard chatting and eating their breakfast and decide it's time to get up. George and Lisa have left to go to breakfast, I will follow shortly. It's a beautiful day in Laredo and I would have loved to have spent more time in this city, it's beautiful, friendly and has a party vibe at night and a relaxed vibe during the day. We finish breakfast, finish packing our backpacks, check out and head off. We walk to the esplanade, we can't see the sea over the high sand dunes, but you can hear it and smell the salt in the air, it's a lovely walk out to the point to catch the ferry to Santona. There are bike riders, walkers, runners, couples, dog walkers and pilgrims, we have a flat paved walk to the point then we hit the beach to walk to the ferry that docks right on the beach. It costs 2€ to take the ferry and takes about 10 minutes to get to Santoña. We then walk to our pension, we can't check in until 1:30pm, but we swing by in the hopes that we can drop our backpacks off, we arrived at our accommodation, but can't find anyone so we head into the plaza for a drink. We follow the sound of music and find a table in the shade facing the plaza and we sit back and enjoy the festivities going on, there is music, dancing, a foam machine and a presentation. The plaza is full of families and it's a very upbeat vibe. By the time we leave a lot of kids and parents have been foamed, but the presentation hasn't started. We head back to our pension, book in and catch up on some posts, journaling and sleep. I think we are all pretty exhausted and my feet are throbbing. We meet up with George at 8pm in search of dinner, we end up at an Italian restaurant where we order peppers, pizza and spaghetti bolognese, oh and wine of course, we then head back to our rooms for sleep.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Santoña

    August 8, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Yay, sleep in today! I wake at around 9:30am, it's been a noisy night in this Pension, so continuous sleep has evaded me, but that's what you get with shared accommodation, at least I can get up when I am ready. George and Lisa go to breakfast and I sleep on for another 10 minutes or so, then I hop up, shower and head for breakfast. I meet Lisa and George at the door to the Pension, I hand over the keys to our room and I head for breakfast, leaving Louie to do her washing. I have a yummy cafe con leche at breakfast, work on my journal and chat to Mum and Ann. Then it's time to head back to our room, I need to wash my smalls so they have time to dry before heading to lunch. Abby (the lovely lady that runs this pension) recommended a restaurant a few streets away called “La Tradicional”, so we decide to check it out for lunch today. Louie and I order prawns two ways with red sauce as well as chicken wing dings and patatas, George orders Paella Mixta and of course we all order wine, the meals and the wine are delicious, we leave with full bellies and I am in need of a nanny nap, all this wine (2 glasses) has gone straight to my head, I am such a light weight when it comes to drinking, sorry Louie, you have been trying to train me in the art of drinking for the past 27 years and I am still a complete disappointment. I sleep for a couple of hours while Lisa and George go exploring. I then wake up and continue working on my journal until it's time for dinner, on our way home from dinner, we pass a laundromat, we can't believe it, we tried to Google one in this town but it said the nearest one was in Laredo, google how could you, you lied to us, keep that up and we will have to find a different search engine!! Anyway the day is done, I have got a lot of journaling done over this rest day and that is what I wanted to achieve, oh and to rest these throbbing feet.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Santoña to Noja

    August 9, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We are up and ready to go at 8:30am, we meet George at the front door, and walk to breakfast, then head off ready for our day of walking, its not a very long walk today, so we are not in a big rush. We head out of town with quite a few locals going for their morning walk. After about 20 minutes we are passing the El Dueso prison, the walls are high and yes, this is definitely an active prison, there is police detail everywhere, we keep walking, nothing to see here. Soon we hit our first town for the day, it is a little cute surfer town. There is a big 4 star hotel that dominates this town called Juan de la Cosa. Fun fact: Apparently Juan de la Cosa was a 15th Century cartographer, he is credited to have created the first map of the Americas and is the only cartographer to have witnessed first hand the first voyage of Columbus. We keep walking and just after we leave Berria we follow the blue Camino trail thinking this is going to be the easier route out of our two options for today. We are so WRONG and end up walking over a very sketchy hill that is sandy, rocky, slippery, narrow and a briar-lined goat track, it wound up and then down for the next hour or so. I have never been so happy to get off a hill as I was with this one. Once we felt the sand from the beach under our feet and I had swallowed my heart back down my throat and pushed it back into my chest, we decide to just stay on this beach and not divert off to follow the Camino, we make our own path for the rest of the way to Noja. We map our way to La Casona, we can't check in until 3:30pm so we sit in the restaurant that is under our accommodation, have a few drinks and then some scrumptious lunch. We then book into our place, shower, and head to the laundromat to do some long overdue washing, I can't wait for the smell fresh clothes, it's the little things.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Noja to Güemes

    August 10, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    The alarm goes off at 7am, I am not ready to get up yet, so I sleep for another half hour. I then hop up and start with the usual chores, pack up my things and head down stairs to check out and meet up with George. We find a bar in the plaza and order our coffees, then on goes the backpacks and off we head for our day of walking. We walk on roads all day, they range from quite bitumen to quite dirt roads, there is not a lot of climbing today, which is very welcome. It is overcast with a slight breeze when we start this morning but, it soon heats up, the clouds disappear, as does the breeze and the sun is now high and dominating the sky. It’s a really hot walking day, shade is hard to find and we break where we can. Our first opportunity is nothing more than a mirage - the cafe doors are open, the awnings are being rolled out but, no, they are not open, we are skirting around the towns, so have little to no options. After climbing a hill we find a big old oak tree on the side of the road, there is enough room under the shade of this old gentleman's branches to sit and rest for awhile, so off comes the backpacks and we just sit and relax for the next 10 minutes. After this mini break we get back on track, we walk for another 10 minutes or so, George sees a camping ground with buildings up ahead, so asks a man taking out his trash if there is a bar up there, the man nods and ends up walking us to it. We all have cold drinks and sit for the next 1/2 hour or so, then it's back to the road - these kms are not going to walk themselves. We arrive in Güemes and festivities are underway, there are 2 bars in town and they are both overflowing with well dressed families and friends all chatting, laughing and having a great time. Cue the smelly, daggy pilgrilms, in we walk and George happens to snag us a table, so we sit, drink, eat, chat, laugh and enjoy watching all the happiness that is surrounding us, we stay for a least an hour before pushing on for our final 1.5km. The last segment of our walk is extremely hot, not a breath of air and mainly up and down on a bitumen road, we get to our albergue, are given a drink of water on arrival, check in, are shown to our beds, then shower and find a cool spot under some trees and relax. The albergue we are staying at is a very special one and could quite possibly be the best one on all camino routes. It's called La Cabaña del Abuelo Peuto and is run by Ernesto and a team of volunteers, we sit and listen to a talk on the history of this albergue and the life of Ernesto, he was born in the original building and has dedicated his life to helping others across the world. Tonight there are 87 pilgrims staying at this albergue, we have a communal dinner where we are all feed at once, the meal is divine and one of the best I have had thus far, it consists of fresh bread rolls, a broth with meat and veggies, bottles of red wine, jugs of water and yoghurt. This albergue is a donativo, which means you pick the price you want to pay, some pilgrims don't pay anything as there is no set price. Güemes is on fiesta so a lot of the 20-30 year olds head the 1.5km back to Güemes to attend, they are partied out and head home around 3am, us oldies just sleep while we can, trying to forget our aches and pains.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Güemes to Santander

    August 11, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We decide to get up earlier this morning as it's going to be hotter today, we aim for 7am to start our walk but don't get away until 7:30am, it is lovely, cool, still and quite on these Spanish country roads, the sounds of birds, roosters, cows and the odd bell accompanys us. The lions share of the 87 pilgrim's staying at the albergue last night were up and gone before the sun rose this morning, so just a few stragglers will overtake us today. Our path today will mainly be on a lovely dirt track over looking the Cantabrian Sea, meandering up and down without any really steep accents or descents. We wind our way along and over headlands with sheer drop offs on one side and fields of corn on the other, it is a truly beautiful walk and I feel very grateful to be here doing this. We eventually come down off the headlands and are walking on the Somo beach it runs for around 4km and we zigzag our way through sun bathers, sand castle builders, dogs, beach gamers and heaps of surfing schools of varying levels. The beach is dotted with hundreds of different coloured and styles of beach umbrellas and it looks so pretty. By the time we come off the beach my ankles and heels are killing me, the downward pressure of the backpack combined with the soft sand has taken its toll, but I recover rather quickly once we get to a bar, take the backpacks off, order a drink and a sandwich and sit for a good half hour, we get a few drops of rain, but thankfully not enough to put our jackets on. We then head to the Los Regina ferry, it costs 4€ and takes about 20 minutes to cross the bay of Santander, we then head to our hotel, book in, shower, grab all the washing and we head to the laundromat, once the washing is done we meet George and go for dinner, we decide to dine at our hotel, it's easy and means we don't have far to go to bed afterwards, we are all tired and looking forward to a good nights sleep.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Santander to Arce

    August 12, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We have a great nights sleep in Santander and I am wishing I had of planned rest days in this city, there seems to be lots to see, it’s beautiful and we are quite settled in, but it’s not mean’t to be, so we push on. It takes quite awhile to walk out of town, our walk today is on roads all the way to Arce, some quieter than others. There are few bars on the Camino path, so our choices are very limited today, we stop for our first cafe con leche not too far out of Santander, it’s set in the what feels like an industrial area. We break here for the best part of 20 minutes before continuing on. There are some lovely rural scenes on our walk today but they are pretty few and far between, mostly we are walking through built up areas with few amenities, this has probably been my least favourite walking day so far. When we arrive at Arce, we are fortunate to have booked into a lovely place to stay the night, this beautiful old building could tell a story or two, our room is spacious and very comfortable. We complete the usual afternoon rituals, then head down stairs to the bar for some pre-dinner drinks with George. We sit back and enjoy just chatting while resting our weary bones, and before we know it, it’s time to go in for dinner, all our meals tonight are scrumptious, we go to bed with full bellies after another day on Camino.Read more

  • Alison KellyCamino Del Norte 2022Traveler

    Arce to Santillana del Mar

    August 13, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We leave Arce at 9:30 am, rain is forecast for today, but hopefully we will get to Santillana del Mar before it starts. We leave our lovely hotel and start our morning walk along a dirt road, locals are out riding their bikes and walking their dogs, we are walking along with a bounce in our step because it’s the start of our walk and our bodies aren’t broken yet! We see a small dog running towards us with his owner running after him, calling out to him and waving her arms. We all get into position and block this wannabe run-a-way, there is a slight stand off as he approaches us, he is a tad wary of our presence, we seize this opportunity to grab his lead and we hold him until his owner arrives. She is huffing and puffing from her early morning sprint, she thanks us and proceeds to tell us that this dog is loco, we are all laughing, we exchange goodbyes and continue on. Today is a beautiful walking day that is cooler in temperature with the added bonus of a darkened sky, our surroundings change from rural settings to industrial towns then back again, we seem to be walking in a circular motion, as though we are taking the long way round. As we near the last few towns, the clouds darken even further and we are unsure if we will make it to our destination before the heavens open and the down pour starts, we put the pedal down and increase our speed, just breaking momentarily for a quick drink every now and again. We make it, just! We have enough time to check in, go to our room and start unpacking before it starts. Santillana del Mar is a village made entirely out of stone, it is so beautiful and a huge tourist destination. We have 3 nights here. Unfortunately we were unable to book accommodation at the same hotel as George, but we will make it work. George’s host has given him some great recommendations for dinner and one of them is an Italian pizza place, it doesn’t open till 8:00 pm, we can’t book, so we make sure we are there a good half hour before it opens. By the time it opens there are about 30 or more people lined up ready to be seated, we are in the first 10 and get a table no problems at all. We don’t mess around ordering and eating our dinner, we know our table is in demand. Our meal and the staff are fabulous, we have a great time, finish our meal and head back to our respective hotels. It’s time to lay these broken bodies down and get some restorative sleep, until tomorrow.Read more

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