Gernika to Bilbao

Today took a significant toll on Bonnie and me. We have walked for a week and have covered 102 miles. We climbed up and down like Billy goats and smelled like them too. It was by far our longest day at 20 miles, and was also the hottest. Some of our new friends cut this stage in two, but Bonnie and I wanted a well-deserved day off in Bilbao tomorrow so we pushed through.

I didn’t take as many pictures as I was putting my focus into moving forward. I’m also not going to spend much effort writing this evening as I am spent. I’m sure tomorrow will look different. We know it is supposed to be 15 degrees cooler and we can’t wait to see the Gugenheim museum!

My one topic for tonight are Camino Angels. These are the people and experiences that seem to be heavenly sent while you are walking. We experienced several of them today:

The sweet lady that was selling skewers of fresh fruit outside of her home in the middle of a tough hill.

The house that left a sign for the passing pilgrims that it was okay to use their water.

The vending machine at the top of a hill that was full of very cold drinks.

Bonnie navigating us down a series of stairs in Bilbao, that I don’t think even the locals knew about, so that we could get to our room without any extra steps. 54,000 was enough!Read more