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camino 2017

May - July 2017
A 49-day adventure by Laurie Read more
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  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 8

    Getaria

    May 24, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Today's walk was about 30 km again. Several big ups and downs, some gorgeous coastal scenery, and a bit of re-routing to get us across the superhighway/autovía/toll road. It's called the A-8, and it wasn't here the last time I walked through. We went through two coastal towns, Orio and Zarautz. I remember that in 1995 our family had spent a few nights in Zarautz-- it's a less expensive (and much less beautiful) place than San Sebastián. But the waves were great, I remember how our kids loved them. And they are still huge and crashing.

    The last 4 km into Getaria were alongside the coast, squished between the narrow road and the cliff over the water. Pavement is always hard on the feet but at least this was beautiful. I started talking with a very stylish French woman. She was either starved for company or delirious from the sun because she told me my French is excellent. She does the camino the fancy way --sag wagon, rooms in nice hotels, food waiting at designated rest stops. Lots of ways to do this thing.

    I'm at an albergue and so far we are about 12. Mostly men, though there is a Finnish woman and another American. The guys are French, Romanian, Italian and US. I expect this will be an ear plug night. No complaints and a lot of gratitude. Not a bad way to end the day!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 9

    ... in Ataun

    May 25, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    This was a 25 km day that felt like a lot more. But I don't think there could be a more beautiful coastal walk. For whatever reason, the good people in charge of the Camino arrows do not follow the coastal path. I had read that there was a GR route that ends up in the same town of Deba but is much more beautiful. I had it on my GPS, and three others I knew from the albergue wanted to come also. There were three hard ups and downs, though I don't think the total elevation gain was more than 750 m.

    I could have stopped after 20 km in Deba (Dana, there is now a new albergue in the train station), but knew there was a private albergue about 4 km away (all uphill of course). At about 2:45 I dragged my weary body into the albergue. It is in an old family cow barn, with a view over the hills to the ocean. Separate rooms for male and female--hooray!!! 25€ for bed and dinner. No charge for the hour I've been sitting in the old cow pasture under a tree in a lounge chair. Life is good!!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 10

    ... in Munitibar-Arbatzegi Gerrikaitz

    May 26, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    This morning I woke up as a few people started to move about. I glanced at my watch and thought it said 6:15. So I got out of bed and went out of the dorm room to start packing up, make my coffee with the electric coil, etc. About fifteen minutes later I looked at my watch again and saw it was 5:30, not 6:30. No point in unpacking my sleeping bag, etc, so I just stayed up and left at 7.

    Today's walk was very nice, the first 20 kms through a pine forest with occasional views out over more pine forests across the hills. In the large but not very beautiful town of Markina, I had a Fanta de Limón (my daily picker-upper) and a long rest with a nice German couple who were not walking today because of illness.

    The second half of the walk was 12 hot kms with lots of ups and downs. First through the hometown of Simon Bolivar, then through the town with the Zernautza monastery where Dana and I slept years ago (Dana I thought about you on that steep slog up to the monastery). After a short rest there, I went on 4 more km to Munitibar, where there is a comfortable albergue.

    Tomorrow I will walk through Gernika and hope the peace museum is open. It also seems like the king is wandering around these parts, though I haven't yet seen him or his entourage. So it may be a fun day!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 11

    ... in Larrabetzu

    May 27, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    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

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 12

    ... in Portugalete

    May 28, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today was a great day. I had a long walk on a lot of asphalt but it was worth it. I was on the road by 7, spent a few km on the side of a quiet road and then up through a big pine forest, and I was in the beautiful city of Bilbao by 10 am. Getting through the city was of course all on asphalt and then another long 12 km along the canal/port, and I was very glad it was a Sunday with no trucks whizzing by on the narrow roads. Finally I got to Portugalete, where I got to ride on a mixture between a funicular, a train and a ferry across the river.

    Once settled in the albergue two of my friends (a father/son pair) from last year's camino came to pick me up for a long lunch, a long walk around town, and a lot of great memories.

    Time for bed because tomorrow will be another long day, on a lot of asphalt I am afraid.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 13

    ... in Castro Urdiales

    May 29, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    It was raining when I woke up, and it started to rain about 15 minutes after I arrived in my small hotel. But in between, not one drop fell. That is a Camino miracle!

    This is a very pretty little town, it has a very nice historical core, with lots of new apartment buildings all around. But the walk was really quite good, except for a fair amount of asphalt. Great views of the ocean along the coast, and a lot of pilgrims walking! I've met several Spaniards, a couple from Santa Fe, and bunches of French. The route is well marked and very pretty. When I got here at around 12:30, I decided to get a room in a little place near the beach for €35, which won't break the bank. The albergue is about a km out of town and looks very cramped. This way, I have a couple of hours to visit the historic core this afternoon, which is really quite pretty. I hope the pictures show that.

    Tomorrow will be anywhere from 27-33, km but I think I will make a reservation in Laredo so I don't have to worry about space.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 14

    ... in Laredo

    May 30, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I started at 7, which seems to be my norm these days. There were going to be decisions to make, like whether to stick to the side of the national highway instead of adding 7 or 8 km by following the arrows. And then later on, whether to add a few more in order to take the coastal path, which would of course involve ups and downs.

    The first ten km were nice, through small hamlets with nice views. Cloudy and cool, just perfect walking weather. But then just as the camino dipped down into the forest along the coast, I had a goat standoff. Not my first, as Dana will remember from our first Norte, when I was startled by a wild looking goat and took a lot of ribbing for a few days. But this time is was a whole bunch, several with big curly horns, blocking my way. I clacked my sticks, cajoled, yelled, and sang, but nothing worked. They just stood there looking at me and wouldn't move. Finally a tall Australian came through and just walked on confidently, with me cowering on the side. He did tell me that goats have been known to charge, but fortunately he only told me that after we had walked through.

    In Islares, the route goes on the side of the national highway. It's not as bad as it might sound since most of the cars now take the new "superhighway." But there was enough traffic to make it unpleasant. About two kms along, the arrows went off road. I knew that staying on the highway would be quicker by about 8 km, but I hate walking on asphalt.

    So I turned off, and for the first 5 or 6 km I was on asphalt. Grrrrr. Now not only was I on asphalt but I was walking 8 more km on asphalt! Finally, in the small hamlet of La Magdalena,I turned a corner, the road ended and up I went through a eucalyptus forest. For a couple of hours the surface was dirt and lovely on the feet. Then a steady drizzle started and I had to put on my rain poncho (well, actually it's Dana's -- thanks Danagrina!)

    From the top came a descent into a really pretty valley, and then the asphalt started again all the way into Liendo.

    In Liendo, there was another decision. Take the straight shot on the side of the highway or wind around and up and down along the coast. How could anyone pass up the coast??? It was quite pretty, probably not as spectacular as some of the other parts but far far superior to the side of a road.

    By 2 pm I was in my room at Hotel Ramona with a 29 € rate I had snagged on booking last night. But then came the bad news. Big red splotches and bites all over my arms. Looks like bedbugs again, though I'm not sure. As luck would have it, I was planning to take a short day tomorrow to the albergue in Meruelo, where my dear friend Helena is helping out. I called to explain my predicament and was told to buy a couple of things here in Laredo, and they would take care of me tomorrow. Bedbugs are a very common phenomenon on the Camino, wherever you stay or however clean the place may be. I am so lucky to be a day out of Meruelo and Helena's TLC.

    The town of Laredo has a nice old part, which I think we missed somehow last time, so I will make sure to explore after lunch.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 15

    ... in Bareyo

    May 31, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    So yesterday after walking around town I got myself a haircut and paid the princely sum of 15€. A little hip and spiky for this old lady but it was fun.

    Today's walk was one I remembered well from last time. First, a 6 km walk along the beach to the end of the boardwalk. At about 9 am, the ferry starts up, taking pilgrims across the inlet and saving us a 12 km walk around.

    Then comes a walk through the town on the other side, where I had a good cup of coffee and some tortilla. Spanish coffee just isn't as good as it used to be, but sitting outside in the morning sun in a cafe right near the water is pretty special no matter how good the hot beverage.

    There was a short steep walk up to the headlands, followed by a short steep descent to the beach. I like the ascents and struggle with the descents. Thank goodness for my hiking poles.

    Then after Noja, the Camino turns inland and after about 8 km through green hills spotted with little hamlets, I came to the albergue where Helena is helping out for a week. Though she agreed with several people who think that the bites are fleas and not bed bugs, she insisted on washing and drying all my clothes, letting the pack sit in a big black garbage bag in the sun all day, and a few other camino tricks. Hopefully, that's the end of that.

    Tomorrow is another short day to Santander, a pretty city, and I may or may not splurge on another 30€ pension. TBD. I do remember that the albergue in Santander is not one of the best on the camino, but it is run by a very nice association of volunteers.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 16

    ... in Santander

    June 1, 2017 ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    This is a day that has beautiful country views, followed by beautiful sea views, followed by a 4 km walk on the beach, ending with a 20 minute ferry into the very pretty city of Santander. Perfect weather, nice people along the way, a clean room in a 29€ pension and now the afternoon ahead of me to enjoy the city.

    I am going to take a roundabout route tomorrow to hug the coast again and hopefully avoid some asphalt. This is not a Camino route but I have the GPS tracks and others have told me it's quite nice. As long as I'm in Gijon by next Friday, I'll be fine.

    My visit with Helena yesterday was so much fun and totally unexpected. I'm still savoring it, it was very special.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017
    Day 16

    Afternoon in Santander

    June 1, 2017 ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Getting ready for bed so that I'll be up and raring to go early tomorrow. But my afternoon had some great discoveries.

    First I took the requisite trip to the cathedral for my pilgrim stamp. Then I came across a little door in a big plaza that announced "medieval wall of Santander." I went in and down a flight and learned there would be a tour in about 15 minutes. Fascinating. Turns out all of old Santander burned to the ground in the early 1940s. A ship carrying war materiel exploded in the harbor and the whole city burned. Then about 12 years ago when they were doing some renovations on their replacement plaza, they found the 12-14C walls. Really nicely displayed.

    Then a few minutes away I saw a sign for the Prehistory Museum of Cantabria. With some time on my hands and and 2€ in my pocket, I thought it was a good way to spend an hour. Well worth a visit, with displays from the oldest human settlements in Cantabria (my mind can't keep track of how many tens of thousands of years ago that was) all the way up to visigothic. Not at all a bad way to spend some time in Santander. Off tomorrow to a town called Boo. :-)    Read more

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