... in Larrabetzu

I left the albergue at 7 and was in Gernika at 10, just as the museum opened. Though its focus is more generally on peace and reconciliation, I only had time to visit the part dealing with the German bombardment. There's a little "reenactment" in a small room with a woman musing about the meaning of the church bells ringing (usually to call you to mass) and the factory whistles (usually to signal a change in work shift). And then you hear the planes. There's a very nicely displayed exhibit of Gernika during and after the war, and all of the floor is glass over debris from the bombing, broken china, charred wood, some pieces of toys, etc. After a quick walk around the important tree trunk with its importance as a symbol of Basque sovereignty, I had a boots-off rest and then another long 18 km. Lots of ups and downs, mainly through pine forests with a few scattered hamlets. Generally very pretty.

I'm in the town of Larrabetzu (which used to be a real ETA stronghold) in an albergue that's one week old. Run by the Bilbao Camino Association, it has 20 beds and so far there are about 9 of us. This was a long 32 km day, but I wanted to get as close to Bilbao as I could because tomorrow I will have lunch with a father and son I met on last year's Camino.Read more