“A beautiful thing is never perfect.” – Egyptian Proverb
Today’s walk was beautiful but the weather gave us a run for our money.
Walked: 25.5k (15.9 miles) mostly along the coast. This was the perfect mileage for today.
We woke up to a wonderful breakfast prepared by Raul, a real sweetheart and owner of the hostel we stayed at last night, Veijo Lucas (named after his deceased dog). There were only five of us in the hostel so he took extra good care of us.
Stephen and I (Dora is not a morning person) took off a little before 8am (another late start) and right out of the gate it was sprinkling. We crossed the street and pulled out the rain gear. We had dressed warm because the weather has definitely turned colder. We took a very peaceful walk through a lush green forest and passed a few locals on their morning walk. Hola! As we came into the clearing and rounded the corner, there they were, the Cantabrian Mountain Range. Absolutely stunning. No picture could capture their beauty. Stephen said the route over that particular section is where the Primativo is located (it juts off of the del Norte).
We continued to walk on until we found a café to take a break and then we saw Dora again. Stephen calls her Dory half of the time so I don’t feel so bad about being called Melanie anymore…which is a beautiful name by the way, it’s just not mine.
We ended up walking the remainder of the day as a tripod. It was gorgeous for a few hours. The sun came out so we changed into shorts and took off the rain gear. The trail was winding in and out of the coastline and the views were spectacular.
We walked through a really awesome mid-evil town, Comillas, and while we were window shopping on the main street we ran into one of the Americans that we had dinner with last week. This personal shall remain nameless as to not embarrass them. I don’t play the shame game but the story is a common one on the Camino so I’m going to share it. I’ve actually met at least one person every Camino with this same story.
When we had dinner last week, this person told me how competitive they are and that they wanted to do the Camino at a good pace. Awareness is the first step. Anyway, we haven’t seen this person in a week until today and I figured I would never see them again based off of their goal for finishing. Well, today they walked up to us on the street and told us that they have been in this town for three nights already and this is the first time they’ve left the bed since they arrived. Several days ago, they did 44k (27.3 miles ) on the same path that we got lost on a couple days ago. The Camino led them on a wild goose chase as well but even worse than our detour. She, the Camino is the Queen of all detours and stoppages. Instead of stopping short or slowing down, this person overdid it and had an issue with their shin/top of ankle. Instead of taking a rest day the next day, they did 20k (12.5 miles) and really messed up their leg. They seemed a little defeated and not sure when they could walk again. They were on their way to the doctor and would hopefully have a resolution soon. As they say, the Camino teaches you the lessons you need, not so much what you want. (Update, we never saw this person again but I hope they had a safe and healthy finish to Santiago.)
My first Camino, a similar thing happened with an American girl from Oregon. She told me how she was going to complete the Frances in 29 days (it takes most people 33-34 days) but I found her limping down the trail a day later. The bottom of both feet were covered in blisters. She had to go to the doctor to get them drained, bandaged and was sidelined for a few days as well. The Camino will slow you down if it wants to teach you a thing or two.
Later on the walk, we stopped at a café on the beach for a snack and some drinks and watched the waves for awhile and picked up seashells. They were itty bitty and so cute. This part of the day was absolute perfection. The wind on my face and the sound of the waves.
We had about 2.5 hours left of walking until we would reach San Vicente, the town we are staying in tonight. About three minutes into the final leg, the wind picked up and the rain came down. We had to put back on the pants and rain gear. I decided to surrender to the situation because there wasn’t much I could do about it since there were no stops in between, so why be grouchy. Attitude really is everything and the Camino always wins. You really don’t stand a chance.
Our hostel is really nice tonight. It is owned by a woman named Erica who has hiked the Camino a couple of times. She opened it last year because so many places closed because of Covid. She made it a donation only establishment and seems very dedicated to the pilgrims.
Stephen and Dora went to the grocery store tonight to pick up dinner so I could have some time to write. It’s important to surround yourself with pilgrims who are team oriented. None of us are getting through this crazy world alone.
They bought a rotisserie chicken, salad, fruit and yogurt. It was absolutely delicious. Since they did the hard labor of walking back down and up the hill to the grocery store, I did the dishes. Team effort.
….
Some old guy on a bike enthusiastically wished us a Buen Camino. He was very excited for us to be walking. I love all the support we get along the way.
Everywhere you turn the flowers are colorful and gorgeous.
The showers tonight are not my favorite. They are actually quite common on the Camino though. They are push button and you have zero control over the temperature. You constantly have to keep pushing the button every 30 seconds or it shuts off.
We walked through a eucalyptus forest and it smelled amazing!
Stretching is a must on the Camino and today we got Stephen to do it with us! He fought us tooth and nail but was surprised he could touch his toes. You never know until you try.
One of my blisters opened up and the new skin is raw. I don’t know why I continue to have issues with my feet this time. I guess that is one of my lessons. Grrrr
Highlight: walking alone most of the day. We are all together but we had some periods with long distance between us as we walked. I’m an extroverted, introvert so I need some alone time to recharge my batteries. I’m still working on the “letting go” bits of my life and wanted to process some “stuff”.
Cóbreces – San Vincent de la Barquera – 25.5km
Goodnight and much love from Spain.
