I´m writing from Gernika, the infamous town that Franco convinced Hitler to bomb (and decimate) and Picasso immortalized for every art history teacher to mispronounce. Here´s a quick rundown of the trip so far.
DAY 1 -- Irun to San Sebastian
Overcast, beautiful -- lots of up and down. Magnificent coastal views. Generally grey, windy weather but no rain and no mud. Two thirds of the way there we descended into the town of Pasajes San Juan and took a little ferry across the bay to link up to the trail again.
Stayed in a lovely private albergue with hikers from Germany, France and Poland. Finally, some real hiking Poles.
DAY 3 -- Zarautz to Deba
Now we are talking serious elevation change. Much harder than before, a few muddy patches and an unfortunate amount of old cobbled path that is damp and slippery. Hiking poles ( the other kind) are a God send. It is still very beautiful. The descent into the coastal village of Deba is so steep that the government has installed an elevator, much appreciated. Signage for the Camino through the town and to the albergue was non existent. When we asked for directions, the first person didn´t know and she started asking others -- pretty soon we had a group of about 6 Basques taking us across the street to find a map and offer opinions. When we finally did find it, it was hardly worth the effort: two sets of triple bunks and two doubles, 2 mountain bikes, 5 guys, one small window and about 4 square feet of unoccupied floor space. I should have taken a picture. Laurie walked into the room (2 steps) as if to consider the options... after a moment I said "uh, I think we need to talk." She backed out (no room to turn around with a pack on) and we found a lovely pension. Rediscovered the restorative powers of beer and potato chips. There was a beautiful garden in Deba and I´m sharing this picture for my friends at the dog park. (I wish I knew how to rotate it -- I´m afraid you are gloing to have to tilt you your head to the left.)
DAY 4 -- Deba to Burkina Faso
I know that Burkina Faso is in Africa and today´s walk felt about that long. Actually, the destination was a place called Merkina Xemien (I think --- Basque is really odd) but in my head the African name stuck. We knew it was going to be a hard day with lots of elevation gain (600 meters) and loss (450 meters) but figured we´d have most of it out of the way by 12 or 1 with an easy 10K into town. It was beautiful with enough overcast to keep it comfortable. Met only one person along the way. Arrived in town about 4 and met up with the Canadian we´d met earlier. A monastery about 5k out of town had been recommended for their quaint guesthouse and generous meals -- and, on the maps, it appeared to be an easy stroll, mostly flat. NOT! It was a nasty 8k slog through green meadows that were actually mud and animal shit aplenty (the kind of mud that almost pulls your boots off and makes a lewd "thswuck" sound when you yank it out with about a kilo of clay stuck to it), mud and boulders uphill, cobbles and moss downhill. And the sun came out all golden and warm and what kind of a joke is that?? By this time it was after 6:00 and I was hungry and ready to go on strike, a very practical action. Fortunately Keith from Canadia busted out a Toblerone, the best chocolate I ever tasted. We made it to the monastery by 7:00, took a shower and were instantly revived. There were 11 people in the room. There may have been snorers but I put my earplugs to work and got 10 quality hours of blissful sleep.
DAY 5 -- Somewhere in Africa to Gernika
This was an easy 17k day. Started beautiful and sunny and stayed that way with a sweet fresh breeze. Ups and downs less intense and only a few serious patches of mud. We pass through many small villages (4-6 houses) and there is a great deal of construction everywhere. The health of the Spanish economy is evident. By day 7 we will be out of this mountain range and have more undulating coastal hills which sound wonderful. Gernika has a population of about 15,000 with very little historically significant buildings. People are generally very nice but I am reminded how the Spanish don´t go around smiling --- though they do stare freely. I, on the other hand, am like a golden retriever, smiling and wagging my tail and begging people to like me. Or give me a treat, like Kali. By the time we settle in, me feet are sore and when the boots come off there are a total of five blisters. Nothing terrible but they do hurt and since Day 6 is anopther rough one, I have decided to sit it out and will take the train to Bilbao and meet upwith Laurie on Day 7. (next post I make the pictures bigger -- it takes so long for the upload and this place reeks of cigarette smoke) 
DAY 1 -- Irun to San Sebastian
Overcast, beautiful -- lots of up and down. Magnificent coastal views. Generally grey, windy weather but no rain and no mud. Two thirds of the way there we descended into the town of Pasajes San Juan and took a little ferry across the bay to link up to the trail again.
Arrived in San Sebastian about 5 o´clock and by the time we´d showered and washed up clothes at the pension (no albergue) in the old town, it had started raining. Adding that to exhaustion, decided to forego dinner in Spain´s gastronomic capital and made sandwiches in our room. (They were really good sandwiches.) Yes, there was wine too.
DAY 2 -- San Sebastian to Zarautz
This is a gorgeous town and I´d like to come back as a tourist one day. Walking along the beachfront we saw a bicycle race of at least 300 entrants zoom by. On the outskirts we found a little stand with water and cookies for pilgrims erected by a local who has walked the Camino 9 times along various routes-- and he spotted us and came out to offer lots of advice, all of which has proved very good. We continued to follow the coast without too many extreme changes in elevation and encountered our first rain and mud but nothing too bad. Views are very reminiscent of Ireland -- incredibly green. There are lots of sheep, goats, horses, donkeys and barking dogs.
This is a gorgeous town and I´d like to come back as a tourist one day. Walking along the beachfront we saw a bicycle race of at least 300 entrants zoom by. On the outskirts we found a little stand with water and cookies for pilgrims erected by a local who has walked the Camino 9 times along various routes-- and he spotted us and came out to offer lots of advice, all of which has proved very good. We continued to follow the coast without too many extreme changes in elevation and encountered our first rain and mud but nothing too bad. Views are very reminiscent of Ireland -- incredibly green. There are lots of sheep, goats, horses, donkeys and barking dogs.
Stayed in a lovely private albergue with hikers from Germany, France and Poland. Finally, some real hiking Poles.DAY 3 -- Zarautz to Deba
Now we are talking serious elevation change. Much harder than before, a few muddy patches and an unfortunate amount of old cobbled path that is damp and slippery. Hiking poles ( the other kind) are a God send. It is still very beautiful. The descent into the coastal village of Deba is so steep that the government has installed an elevator, much appreciated. Signage for the Camino through the town and to the albergue was non existent. When we asked for directions, the first person didn´t know and she started asking others -- pretty soon we had a group of about 6 Basques taking us across the street to find a map and offer opinions. When we finally did find it, it was hardly worth the effort: two sets of triple bunks and two doubles, 2 mountain bikes, 5 guys, one small window and about 4 square feet of unoccupied floor space. I should have taken a picture. Laurie walked into the room (2 steps) as if to consider the options... after a moment I said "uh, I think we need to talk." She backed out (no room to turn around with a pack on) and we found a lovely pension. Rediscovered the restorative powers of beer and potato chips. There was a beautiful garden in Deba and I´m sharing this picture for my friends at the dog park. (I wish I knew how to rotate it -- I´m afraid you are gloing to have to tilt you your head to the left.)
DAY 4 -- Deba to Burkina Faso
I know that Burkina Faso is in Africa and today´s walk felt about that long. Actually, the destination was a place called Merkina Xemien (I think --- Basque is really odd) but in my head the African name stuck. We knew it was going to be a hard day with lots of elevation gain (600 meters) and loss (450 meters) but figured we´d have most of it out of the way by 12 or 1 with an easy 10K into town. It was beautiful with enough overcast to keep it comfortable. Met only one person along the way. Arrived in town about 4 and met up with the Canadian we´d met earlier. A monastery about 5k out of town had been recommended for their quaint guesthouse and generous meals -- and, on the maps, it appeared to be an easy stroll, mostly flat. NOT! It was a nasty 8k slog through green meadows that were actually mud and animal shit aplenty (the kind of mud that almost pulls your boots off and makes a lewd "thswuck" sound when you yank it out with about a kilo of clay stuck to it), mud and boulders uphill, cobbles and moss downhill. And the sun came out all golden and warm and what kind of a joke is that?? By this time it was after 6:00 and I was hungry and ready to go on strike, a very practical action. Fortunately Keith from Canadia busted out a Toblerone, the best chocolate I ever tasted. We made it to the monastery by 7:00, took a shower and were instantly revived. There were 11 people in the room. There may have been snorers but I put my earplugs to work and got 10 quality hours of blissful sleep.
DAY 5 -- Somewhere in Africa to Gernika
This was an easy 17k day. Started beautiful and sunny and stayed that way with a sweet fresh breeze. Ups and downs less intense and only a few serious patches of mud. We pass through many small villages (4-6 houses) and there is a great deal of construction everywhere. The health of the Spanish economy is evident. By day 7 we will be out of this mountain range and have more undulating coastal hills which sound wonderful. Gernika has a population of about 15,000 with very little historically significant buildings. People are generally very nice but I am reminded how the Spanish don´t go around smiling --- though they do stare freely. I, on the other hand, am like a golden retriever, smiling and wagging my tail and begging people to like me. Or give me a treat, like Kali. By the time we settle in, me feet are sore and when the boots come off there are a total of five blisters. Nothing terrible but they do hurt and since Day 6 is anopther rough one, I have decided to sit it out and will take the train to Bilbao and meet upwith Laurie on Day 7. (next post I make the pictures bigger -- it takes so long for the upload and this place reeks of cigarette smoke)
1. along the route 2. mud 3. uphill mud
3 comments:
Hi, Sis.
This is all amazing. Good luck.
Love,
-T.
Dana, hi! I think it's time to meet Shirly McLane. Don't you think? Your spirit is marvelous. Chocolte and scenery sound good. I am not so sure about the cold, mud and blisters. Happy Mother's Day! Keep on hiking . . . . Love you! Ry
Well, I missed taking you out to brunch for mother's day this year. However, for some reason I think that you are enjoying yourself more on the coast of Spain than at a corner booth at Denny's. We completed the big Santa Ana to Culver City move and the place is finally coming together. I can't wait for you to come visit when you're back. I love you Mom!
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