Castro-Urdiales was a surprise sleeper. Beautiful setting, interesting history, good food, nice people. As I started back on the Camino, young men were putting a boat in the water. Rather than a crew of 8, this one had 12. Must be a particular Spanish boat used in competition.
The colors and ruggedness of the beach stood out in the early morning sun. About 2 miles out of town, I looked back on the coastline. In the far distance was the mountain that framed Pobeña.
The Camino del Norte goes along a fairly flat trail on low cliffs. We shared the grounds around a monument to what or whom I don’t know with a herd of goats — all were black except for one. They were non-plussed when we came upon them. Just some humans treading into their space.
We were at the one-third mark and approaching 11:30. Conveniently, we were entering Islares where we stopped for cerveza and tapas (note: we are longer in Basque Country where the correct term for small plate items is pintxos). I shared a table with three Irishmen from Cork, Ireland. They were on their first Camino. Paul talked about doing a Camino for several years. He finally decided to stop the talk and do the walk. He invited his brother-in-law John and friend, Alan. Paul told me that he was going on Camino alone if no one came along. The Three Amigos, they said. I added plus one. They are using the same tour organizer as I am — Camino Ways.
About two hours later, we stopped for another beer. We talked about politics, growing up in Ireland, the loss of the pub culture, changes in career — the usual stuff men talk about. As we had gotten a mile down the road, Paul received a call that their taxi driver was picking them up at the bar where we had our second beer. They turned around to meet him.
Well guys, if are reading this, you missed an 800 foot climb up the mountain just minutes after you left and another 5 miles to the church in Liendo. The good news is the Camino is smooth even the unpaved sections. You will have a fun challenge ahead of you if you go back to where you turned back as tomorrow’s start point.
My destination was the Lienda church. I reached it at 4:30. I called for my taxi to take me to Escalante, town about 15 miles away. Apparently, we are walking in low season and many accommodations are not yet open. I’ll be taken back to the Lienda church tomorrow as my start point for the walk to Noja.
I was in my hotel by 6:30. I was tired and hungry. Rather than wait for a restaurant to open for dinner (9:00 PM in Escalante), I went to the local cafeteria for a hamburger, Russian salad, and a cerveza. I treated myself to a small cup of chocolate helados at a shop on the way back to the B&B. The ice cream almost as good as the Cup at home. Time for bed. The taxi is coming at 8:00. The good news is that I am staying in the same B&B tomorrow night. So, no need to re-pack my suitcase. Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the hamburger.
88 Photos 