Pobeña-Castro Urdiales

I set out this morning with Oliver and Stefan, two Germans. The majority of the walk was alongside the coast which was beautiful. We arrived after only about 3 and a half hours to Castro Urdiales, an old fishing village. I guess it is more of a town than a village and is quite pretty. I planned to continue on with them about 7 more miles to the next albergue but we met up with two French Canadians who had reports that the next albergue is very bad (dirty?). So, I left my stuff at the albergue here and will have a nice day here in the town. It is the last day of the town festival so maybe there will be some activity connected with that. Or, I can sit by any number of the cafes along the water and hang around. Tomorrow will be a longer walk. Today it is pretty hot (in the 80s) but not as humid as at home and there is still an occaisional breeze which is quite nice. I will walk a few more days and Thurday I plan to go and visit my friends in Valladolid for a few days. It should be a nice break. I will try to post some pictures then.

Sunday: "Lezama to Pobeña"

Well, I decided to cheat yesterday. I did not sleep at ALL the night before due to the fear of bed bugs. In the middle of the night, I had decided I would go to Bilbao, check into a full on hotel, find a laundromat and wash all my clothes, backpack, etc. to try to get rid of the bugs but...I had a change of plan. I took an 8 a.m. train the few kilometers into Bilbao with Irene, Giuseppe, and Renato (another Italian). We got to Bilbao, had breakfast, walked around the old, historic area and along the river to the Guggenheim museum. Bilbao is the biggest city in the Basque country and it is quite industrial. When they opened the Frank Gehry designed, Guggenheim museum, it really helped Bilbao turn itself around. It has become a tourist destination and it is quite a nice city. From the museum, I called my friend, Nigel, (from last year´s walk). I took the metro out to the village/suburb where he lives with his wife, Teri, and youngest daughter (teenager). He met me at the station and we went to the house where I took a shower (it was hot out)and then went for a walk around the village. The village was having a festival and we saw the bacalao (salted cod fish) cooking contest. Then we had lunch at the house. It was quite a nice break. The original plan was that Nigel would drive me to Portaluguete (on the outskirts of Bilbao) and I would walk about 15 km. to Pobeña. But, it was hot, and getting late, so he just drove me to Pobeña. I made him drop me off down the block before I went to the albergue. I felt so guilty about not having walked that day that I told the girl working there. She didn´t care. When the others arrived and I confessed that I had not walked, they confessed that after the museum, they took the metro and walked just about 2 miles. So, I felt better. I also felt better that there were spare beds so I didn´t take the place of a walker. One reason to skip these 20 or so miles around Bilbao is that it is very industrial with lots of highways, petrochemical plants, etc. When I arrived in Pobeña I went down and had a walk along the beach and then met a few new people (since we skipped a few days, we met others that we had not seen before). There were also some people who were just starting out from bilbao. We did see the blind people that we had last seen on day one. One of them was in teh bunk next to me. He snored very loudly and very long last night. I was exhausted from having had no sleep the night before so I was still able to sleep but his snoring was all anyone was talking about this morning.

Good Day Bad Dog: Gernika to Lezama

I milled around Gernika the previous afternoon and the few old buildings that remain are quite lovely. There is quite a bit of historic interest. The albergue seemed to be fine. The following morning I set out and as everyday, the walk started with a big walk uphill. As I came down I passed a really pretty house and out ran a dog and bit me right in my big, fat calf. (And no, Dad, I didn´t antagozine the dog.) I was pretty terrified and went running the rest of the way down the hill. A few minutes later, Jan, the man from Belgium arrived and after I had washed it, I put on some iodine. It barely scratched the skin. The pharmacist told me to go to the doctor but it was a Saturday afternoon and no place was open. I continued walking and went through a really pretty little town and then arrived in Lezama. It was the first day that was hot and there were a few stretches without shade. When I arrived in Lezama, I circled the alleged albergue twice because it didn´t appear to be an albergue..the reason being that there was a bride in the doorway and lots of wedding guests milling about. I finally found out that yes, it was the albergue but didn´t open until later. Evidently the upstairs of the brand new building is used for functions. I went to the bar with Roberto and Idioa (basque name) and ended up having a great time wth them. They bought me a pretty tasty lunch. At 3, we were able to check into the albergue being run my Deitmar, German citizen. He alerted us that there were reports of bedbugs at the albergue where we had stayed the night before. Later that night I found some bumps. I haven´t had any more so I hope that if it was, bed begs, that I didn´t transport any with me. Lezama wasn´t much of a town --apart from a church and a handful of houses, it is a modern suburb/housing development of sorts. For dinner, a bunch of us went to the same place where we had lunch. I ate with the French couple, Irene (from Belgium) and a few others. Although my dog bite now appears to be two scratches with a 4 inch circular bruise around it, it does not hurt. I´m not too worried what with having had the rabies shots and tetanus shot a couple of years ago with the bat scare. People walking behind me later reported that when they walked by the dog was tied up.

Amazing Day 5: Markina to Guernika

Yet another beautiful, sunny day with blue skies and amazing views. Like yesterday, today´s walk was through many forests so shade was generally overhead. This route, so far, is incredibly beautiful with no unpleasant or industrial areas (inevitably this will change on either side of Bilbao). I love chatting with the locals but I haven´t had many opportunities thus far. Today, however, I did have a few pleasant encounters. The best was when the camino cut right through this old man´s property alongside his house, in his yard/cowpen. I asked him if he minded that so many people walked through his yard. In true old man Spanish fashion, he replied that he didn´t mind and he minded even less when they were women. He asked where I was from and I told him and then this old, rural, Basque farmer, with a wheelbarrow in front of him and a pitchfork in hand, informed me that my countryman, Michael Jackson, had died. I was delighted to have a news source in the middle of a cow yard. And yes, Mom, fear not, I did ask him about his cows. He didn´t tell me the breed but informed me that they were not milk cows but meat cows.
I have just started exploring Gernika and the map provided by the tourist office differentiates the pre 1937 bombing buildings from the new buildings. There really are only a handful of original buildings. They have rebuilt some of the city in a nice style but generally it really just isn´t as charming as most Spanish villages. I was headed to the small area where the original old buildings stand and came across this library so I stopped in.
Last night, in Markina, was my first big social outing-group dinner of the trip. A bunch of us went to the alleged bad restaurant for dinner. It was the French couple, Giuseppe, Kepa, me and a few others: Juan Carlos ( lives in Hendaye just over the border in France although he is Spanish), Irene (is from Belgium but of Italian parentage--she has walked here from somewhere in france near the swiss border), Pau (kid from Barcelona) and we also met Jan, who has walked here from his home in Antwerp, Belgium.
I have been speaking Spanish a lot more on this trip than on the previous two which is pretty fun. I rely on Juan Carlos so much to translate for the French couple that last night at the restaurant, I leaned over and said, "Tell the french people..." He alerted me that I was speaking to him in ENglish and not Spanish. I´ve asked Kepa to teach me a couple of Basque words (hello, good morning, etc) but I´ll have to write them down, I¨ll never remember. Incidentally, the restaurant was okay--actually tasty and a very low price compared to anywhere else we have been.
I´m covering less kilometers/day than on my previous two routes but the hills (which continue to be there) make it considerably more time consuming.

Fabulous Day 4: Deba to Markina

It´s another bright, sunny, clear day here in the Basque Country. It was a bit warmer today (around 75) but most of today´s walk was through the forest. I´d say the first three hours were walking straight up a mountain. It was difficult but I got an early start--around 7 a.m. so it wasn´t too warm yet. Kepa (I have learned this is the Basque translation of Pedro aka Peter) walked with me part of the day which was good as it was nice to have someone to follow to try to keep up my pace. Today is the first day that we are away from the sea but we are in a very nice old village and the walk through the mountains was lovely. The last hour was walking down a very, very steep hill of broken up rock. I am only glad that it wasn´t raining as it would have been quite dnagerous otherwise. We arrived early at around 1 p.m. and bought some groceries and had sandwiches in the park while waiting for the albergue to open. The French guy who we met who had been here the day before told us that the guy who runs the albergue would try to convince us to go to a restaurant and would show us the way. ´We don´t know if this guy has a cut in the business of the restaurant or not but sure enough within seconds of arriving he was walking us to the restaurant. We did not eat there as the French guy assured us that it wasnt´very good. It is about 6 p.m. and the rest of the crowd has trickled in. Marie and Patric arrived on their bikes and planned to stay but the aforementioned restaurant man talked them into continuing on 6 or 7 kilometeres to the next village to stay at the monestary with the monks. He said it was a very beautiful and special place and since they were on bikes it wouldn´t take them long. I am a bit envious as I had also heard that it was a nice place but it was hot and I didn´t have the energy to carry on. I will visit tomorrow but won´t get to partake of the dinner, etc. The church in this town is quite interesting as it is built around these 3 huge monoliths that take up the center of the church. There isn´t much along the lines of written explanation about it but I guess I could ask Mr. Lilloman at the albergue or maybe the librarian here at the library as she is quite helpful and friendly.
Tomorrow it is off to Guernika. You may know this village from Picasso´s painting. IT is really a sad story as Hitler wanted to test out some bombs so his good friend, Franco, the Spanish dictator, told him to go ahead and bomb the small Basque village of Guernika. Some of the old part of the town remains but much of it is new.
Nothing really funny to report on today´s adventure. We saw some beautiful horses and lots of cows, sheep, chickens, etc.
Hope all are well. Hello to Nutmeg (cat and human).

Great Day 3: Zaurutz to Deba

Today was the hilliest day yet but I hear tell that tomorrow will be worse. The views remain fabulous. I passed many vinyards, farms, rolling hills and/or mountains, and continuing beautiful views of the coastline. There are a couple of frustrations. The first is my horrible ¨guide¨book which is put out by some british organization. It is essentially some guy walking, taking notes, typing them up, photocopying them and selling them. There are no maps and the descriptions are confusing. It´s very frustrating to not know when you will find the next water supply, or food, or how many km. it is to the next village. Today I was feeling exhausted and thought I had 10 more miles but alas it was only 4. The other problem is that unlike Ina, I do not have a grandmother who has provided me with shoulder pads to place between my backpack straps and collar bones. Last year it wasn´t a problem due to the wearing of a thick, fleece jacket. Today, I remedied the problem by folding up a thick pair of socks and wedging them under the straps. I wish I had thought of this days ago before I developed the reddish purple raw patches on my skin. LIve and learn.
I encountered many goats today but none were interested in walking with me. I tried to follow up on my friend, Valerie´s, advice and photgraph one of them wearing my sunhat. They were not accomodating. A nearby mule, however was. I thought I had taken a picture but alas, it is a short movie. The hat isn´t really all the way on his head, due to the barbed wire fence that was between us. It was hard to put the hat on and take the picture.
I arrived in town and was able to snag one of only 8 beds in the albergue. The two french couples, christiane & andre (on foot), Marie and Patric (on bike) have also arrived. So has the spanish guy from bilbao. Brian, he looks a bit like the jockey/detective from the 1980s era Dick Francis dvds. Unlike the jockey though, this guy has some sort of pierced lip with a spike coming out of it. I have also met a french man who walked from Le Puy, in france, to santiago and is now walking back. He is doing this to prepare for his 4 month walk from Seattle to Monterey, Mexico. And, move over Christian, I might have a new hero. Jeanine is a 79 year old French woman who is walking from Arles, France. She fell down yesterday though so took the bus here. She is a bit beat up but perseverant. Unlike the other french people, she doesn´t seem to understand that I don´t speak french and talks to me at length. I get about 5% of what she is saying.
Okay, I must run as there was a power outage here at the internet facility and this has taken forever to write.

Wonderful Day Two: San Sebastian to Zarautz

It was another beautiful day of walking. Going up the hills is tough but the views down to the sea can´t be beat. Going down the hills is tough too--I can feel it in my knees so I try to follow the advice of physical therapist, Sang Kyoung, who told me that I took too big of a stride. So, I walk in baby steps going down hill. It is harder to keep up with the goats that way but I manage. (I do have photos of said goat--of course, you can´t tell how big he is so he just looks like a regular goat--I´ll try to post some pictures later). The walk today went down a steep hill into the village of Orio. The steep main street was lined with beautiful old houses dating from the 16th century and some from the 15th. I was pretty impressed that this little village had the wherewithall to put historic markers on the buildings (written in Basque, Spanish, and even English). It made it much more intersting to read about each of these amazing structures. The day was probably 70 again but a little less breezy and I would have preferred it cooler--especially on the two occaisions that I got lost and ended up walking an extra mile or two. I am now in yet another beautiful seaside town, Zarautz. I was here years ago where I stayed at the youth hostel where I met some young Germans (I was young too). One of them, most notably, had the middle name Adolf. I´m not making this up. Another convinced me to go to Pamplona for San Fermines (running of the bulls) where I ended up sleeping in the park. Oddly enough, I just might be staying at the same hostel although it doesn´t look familiar. These seaside resort towns are pretty spendy and even the hostels cost a lot. On the upside, it is 7:30 p.m. and I¨m the only one who has checked in to my 4 bed room so I think I might have my own room for the night which will be great.
Last year, the sage Norwegians told us that the 2nd day of the Camino is the most difficult. Last year I had no problem on the 2nd day. Today I feel completely exhausted. I had a short nap though and maybe I will catch my second wind.
After arriving I showered, washed clothes, and went and had a pretty good lunch at a restaurant. I walked along the seaside promenade and around the old historic center of this cute town. None of it looks familiar to me at all though.
Last night at the hostel in San Sebastian the two French couples invited me to share with them the dinner that they prepared. It was really nice of them and I enjoyed it. I love how even though they are in a hostel and are preparing quick and easy meals, they still have a first course, second course, cheese course and dessert. God love the French. Since it is technically, a youth hostel, I did meet some youth. A very nice girl from Slovenia was there (yes, LAM--she knows of your cousins´Falcon Crestesque wine empire)for a week as she is taking an entrance exam/audition for a music school. She plays the guitar. There was also a Scottish girl who was adorable and had a wonderfully sweet and, suprisingly comprehendable, Scottish accent. She could go to the U.S. and be a t.v. star. She is traveling around spain until the money runs out. She hadn´t traveled to the U.S. but back before she was born, her father visited often due to his career as a body builder. She hopes that he and her mom will join her in Bilbao to go the Guggenheim museum as he is now an artist. The other walkers are still all French and Spanish people with the exception of Giuseppe who is, shockingly, Italian. He looks to be well into his 60s and is very friendly. He will remember my name, he says, because both his mother and daughter are named Laura. I have not encountered any of the crowd at the albergue yet today--it could be that they are all scattered in other rooms. It could also be that it is expensive enough to warrant people traveling together to opt for a pension and have their own room. Who knows?
Today´s fashion report: In addition to the giant hat, I wore shorts for the first time (knee length--not the first time in my life but the first time on one of these spain walks)and for the first 5 hours of the day as I looked at my shadow with my shorts and my giant hat, I thought that I looked like an Australian boyscout.
Tomorrow I walk to the town of Deba--it might be quite small so not sure of the internet access.

Glorious Day 1--Irun to San Sebastian

Well, any apprehension or doubts I had about this trip have since dissipated --Today´s walk was amazing. There were many high hills (or maybe mountains--I don´t know but maybe Hugh Grant could come and measure them) but worth the climb as the views are extraordinary. Beautiful green hills dotted with charming little Basque style houses, sheep, cows and goats. The sea is gorgeous--from up high there is a great view of the beaches, fishing villages, and lots of little boats. The weather was stunning (about 70 and very clear, not humid, plus a nice breeze). After the first big hill I descended into a beautiful old village. The tourist office was housed in the former residence of Victor Hugo when he was writing there. They had converted it into a Victor Hugo musuem and had a nice slide show/presentation (in Enlgish even) where they read from his journals describing the area and then showed photos of the very places he was describing. I got some lunch fixings and ate in the central plaza and then took the 1 minute boat ride to the opposite side of the inlet to another cute village and continued onward. The last hour walking into San Sebastian was all up in the hills along the coast wtih smashing views of the blue water and rocky shore below. It was spectacular. I did get a little warm towards the end but much of the trail today was through forested areas so there was a lot of shade.
I donned for the first time my brand new and ridiculously large sunhat. When wearing it, I look like and elderly Korean woman exercising, or an elderly British woman gardening. I suspect to others I look like exactly what I am--an old American woman walking--with a giant wide brimmed hat. It helped a lot with the sun though.
Last night at the albergue in Irun I met a few others. I think everyone is French or Spanish. Most notably I have met Victor and his brother, Armando. They are Spanish retired men in their 60s and have walked several of these routes in Spain and are quite enthusiastic about it. Incredibly enough, with one or two exceptions, I seem to be the youngest one at the albergue. I talked with a French couple this morning and what with my complete mastery of French, I was able to ascertain that they are from a town very near the village of my friend, Isabelle, who I visited there years ago. They knew of her family due to Isabelle´s parents furniture business. (LAM--I did not tell them of our close connection to the mayor or our attendance at the antique car rally).
I walked mainly on my own today which was great--I did have a companion for awhile in the form of a very large, black goat. He was standing in the trail and at first I was bit startled as he was huge (I thought it was a pony at first)and had big horns and what initially I thought was a menacing look. But alas, he seemed friendly and walked just ahead of me on the trail for a few minutes. I thought when I got to the main road he would stay put but no, he continued with me for a bit right down the center of the road.
I am now in San Sebastian which, if you have not been here, is a really lovely city with a great beach. There is no pilgrim´s albergue here but the youth hostel reserves some beds for pilgrims. I have had a really great shower, washed clothes and am now using the free computer. I feel very clean and content. The hostel is a bit out from the center of town and I guess in a bit I will have to walk back down into town for dinner. I don´t mind but I might mind the walk back up the hill.
(Ina--I think you would really like this route. It is beautiful. If you ever do another walk you should come here)
(Char--can´t wait to hear of your plan for my next adventure. Is it the Inca trail?)
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I sure did today.

Arrived in Irun

I had an okay flight to Madrid and raced through the airport to make my connection to San Sebastian. I arrived and walked out of the much-smaller-than-I-expected airport across the street to the bus stop. The bus driver pulled up going the other direction but told me just to get on and ride the loop. So, we drove through the beautiful seaside town of Fuenterabia/Hondarabia where all of the median strips on the road were filled with beatiful hyndrangea bushes--all colors: pink, lavander, pale blue, brilliant bright blue, fuschia and purple. The houses are mainly white with brightly painted wooden shutters, doors and window boxes full of flowers. Oh, I forgot, I was going to walk the mile over the border to France but I forgot. I have been to a bar for my first pincho (tapa)and watch the girls who worked there set up for the town festivities---seems like a festival is starting and all of the shops, restaurants, etc. are decorated. I also noted at the bar that there is an automated machine where you can make wagers on sporting events. Some 80 year old guy appeared to be placing a bet on the Tour de France.
I have sussed out the albergue where I will stay the night but it doesn´t open until 4 so I have another hour to kill.
The weather is great--it seems to be about 70 with no humidity and a nice breeze. I hope it holds.
Happy Father´s Day, Dad (and all dads, really)

Third Time's the Charm

I've decided to go back to Spain for another walk as the other two were so enjoyable. Although I vowed never to do a walk in the summer, I have my ticket and leave tomorrow. I'm not nearly as excited as the last two times and I imagine it is because I don't feel terribly well prepared and because I worry about the heat. This is the Camino del Norte, the Northern route which goes along the North coast of Spain through the Basque country, Cantabria, and Asturias. I've visited this area before and it is gorgeous: beautiful beaches, rolling green hills, and amazingly charming villages. The landscape will, undoubtedly, be magnficient. I will start in Irun (in the Basque country--just East of San Sebastian next to the French border) and will walk for three weeks. As I won't have time to make it all the way to Santiago, I figure I can walk in a pretty relaxed way. If I only feel like walking 10 miles one day, then that is what I'll do. If there are some villages that I really like and want to stay an extra day, I can do that too. I am concerned, somewhat, about the hills and, more importantly, the weather as I do not enjoy hot weather and it will be the summer in Spain. The North is generally cooler than the rest of the country and I hope that I can get most of my walking in during the morning while it is still somewhat cool. I'm heading off on my own but might meet up with Nigel (he walked a bit with us last year) and lives near Bilbao, a city that I will pass through on this walk. Sadly, for the first time, Catherine won't be on hand for this trip (unless she is concocting a madcap scheme to turn up unexpectedly). Nor will young Ina be participating. I trust I'll meet some interesting people though. I've decided that if I am not enjoying the walk, or if it is too warm, I might visit some friends for a few days and either return to the route or not. We'll see.