Llanes

Columbres - Llanes 23.5 K (total 200 K)
I planned to go only 9 km to stop at the hostel in Pendueles that had a communal meal, but I got there by 11:30, and the town didn't look that interesting, and I couldn't find the hostel, so I kept walking. I encountered a couple of people from Quebec, and a French guy, so got to speak French. The walk was great and my energy was good. It started raining at about noon, got heavier, and then raining off and on. At the end I was on a path paralleling the sea, with a German guy. The path seemed to go on and on forever. We could see the city but didn't seem to be getting closer. It really started to come down as we entered the city, and it was almost 4 o'clock. I was going to go to the hostel but it was raining so hard, and as I got into the city I saw an English-speaking guy coming out of a hotel. I asked him how much the rooms were and he said $40, which sounded pretty good, so I got a room of my own. I was ready for a good night's sleep. I walked around a little, did a little computer work. Good long walk today, intermittent shoulder pain but nothing bothersome. My legs and feet were tired at the end of the day.
Overall the hostels have been really good. They are definitely what make the trip affordable, and for the most part enjoyable. Along the hundreds of miles of all of the Caminos, every 5 to 10 miles there is a pilgrim hostel. They generally cost $10-$20 a night. My route was along the coast, and passing through many tourist towns. Can you imagine getting a bed for $10 a night in Kennebunkport? It's really a pretty amazing system. On the other hand, the accommodations are fairly bare bones. The hostels don't open until three, and sometimes there is a line around the building and people are turned away. I've only had to wait in line once, and have always gotten a room. They are able to fit lots of people into a small space with the use of bunkbeds; I was even in one hostel where the beds went up three levels. Luckily I've only been on the top bunk once. Of course that was a bunkbed that did not have a ladder but rather a bar about 6 inches from the bottom bunk and then another one 6 inches below the top. To get into bed, I used a technique consisting of an initial lurch and then a hoist, twist, and thud onto the bed. Very reminiscent of Simone Biles mounting the uneven parallel bars. All of the hostels have a place to shower, a place to wash out your clothes, and lines to hang the clothes on. Most of them have some sort of outdoor space to hang out in, and some have basic kitchen facilities. They are certainly a good place to meet other pilgrims, and there are some that make a special effort to create community among the pilgrims, such as Guemes. There they have a communal dinner and a talk about the Camino, and we did some singing.. It was really a special place. You have to be out of the hostel by 8 (sometimes as late as 9).Read more