Totorika

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