Day 12 el Camino Primitivo

15 September 2023 Day 12 is my last day on the Norte

NOTE: follow me on the Primitivo, carried in a separate blog by clicking on the two horizontal lines in the upper right hand corner (mobile) where you’ll find a separate blog for the second half of my journey

Today the idea is to wake up finish my complementary breakfast at the hotel walk to the bus station without a bike, but with my mochila on my back buy the bus ticket to Oviedo, get on it and get to Oviedo.

There I will meet up with my friend Holger, take a quick tour of the epic Oviedo cathedral and take step number one of the new Camino. The Camino Primitivo begins at the cathedral.

Since technically, this is a continuation of a single Camino, I will stick with the day numbering system incrementally versus starting over and have a new day number one. Remember there are dozens if not, hundreds, if not, thousands of routes to Santiago based on your starting point, and I will be consistent with this philosophy. Point being this is my second Camino overall, I started near the French border and I end in Santiago.

This second chapter of my trip will be contained in a separate chapter in the directory, however.
See you on the Primitivo!

“The Road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can”
- Bilbo Baggins

Day 11 to Gihon

14 September 2023 Day 11 is my final day of cycling -a modest 46 km day with one jumbo climb

Well, it looks like a relatively easy 46 km day compared to what I’ve done for the last nine days. If you look at the big bump down the road there that is the 400 m vertical climb over a couple of short kilometers up to Alto de La Cruz. All of you electric bike riders I hope your batteries explode !

Getting up that big hump in the middle which was actually a mountain - it took me three hours to go up one side and down the other. Then into the valley afterwhich you’ll see the little hump on the elevation map that took me another 75 minutes to go up to reach the pass to begin my descent into the big city of Gihon!
Oof-dah. I rode most of it in first or second gear. I did have to push the bike a few times and I chose to get off and walk a number of other times. I was just so darn tired peddling in that first gear at 2 miles an hour it felt good to just get off and walk.

That one gear on that one sprocket that I always laughed at over the years on other peoples bikes - do you know the one the size of a dinner plate - but I do not laugh now ! I methodically clean and polish this sprocket every day after the end of my daily riding - this and its neighbor were my favorite gears over these last 10 days! (I hope my road bikes at home don’t see this post)

I am finally growing accustomed to the daily climbs

I couldn’t resist taking a snap of this little beauty at the top of the mountain, five beautiful, petals, subtle coloring, and less than a centimeter wide. My reward for summiting the mountain called el Cruz at about 2 km an hour.

Meet Jesse!

My day started out awesome having a breakfast with a friend that I met last night after I finished up dinner when he invited me to sit with him and have a glass of wine. He is walking part of a Camino alone, but has to return home for a while, but may come back to the Camino after the wedding is over. We had a chance to finish our conversations about life in general and his plans as he tries to work out what’s next in his life. His name is Jesse and he’s from the Netherlands. At 29 he’s already lived a fairly amazing work life spending some time as a tool designer for scientists at CERN! He builds tools to help fabricate tools to help make the things that go into the super hadron collider! His other incredible job was working for an elderly gentleman who is one of the godfathers of quantum computing technology, that even Google is trying to integrate in their platform. I followed along pretty well as he described that the temperatures for the computer have to be pretty close to absolute zero for the computing magic to work.

If I understand right, a fully functioning, scalable quantum computer could perform some calculations exponentially faster than any modern computer enabling it to run simulations essentially instantaneously.

Anyway, he’s trying to figure out what’s next and is hoping a Camino will help him find that new direction. I encouraged him with a simple favor a quote of mine: “ live a great story”. He clearly has a very bright future. Jesse, give me a shout out this fall or winter and let me know how you are doing and whether you returned to finish the Norte

Meet Casey! And her brand new Kona adventure bike!

The other interesting person I met was the first American I chatted with so far meet Casey from Indiana who’s working and living in Washington state currently. she is riding her Camino alone and intends to do the entire Norte by the end of the month, and squeeze in the ‘dessert’ Camino ride to Finsterre - the end of the world. I asked if she brought her own bicycle and she said yes you can ship them along as a regular piece of luggage with no additional charge although she was very worried about damage. She simply remove the wheels and the rear derailer and wrapped everything in tons of bubble wrap, and kept her total weight under 50 pounds. No damaged occurred to her beautiful all steel Kona Rove model. She is very proud of her purchase last year! I looked it over. It’s a beautiful and fairly light bike and as I looked at the drivetrain, she said “yeah I know it has no climbing gears but I keep looking for them multiple times a day” We compared notes on how to get out of town, and back on the Camino and her mapping program was going to lead her in a completely different route than I was, and off the official camino Road, but I passed no judgment. We both laughed, and agreed will probably see each other on the climb of the mountain but we both had to eventually encounter, scale, and cross.

NOTE: with all of the fuss around carbon fiber, steel bicycle frames, have gotten bad rap, but they actually have structural and ride qualities that many find far superior to aluminum or carbon. In fact, my good friend from riding the famous RAGBRAI (great bike ride across Iowa), Richard owns a couple of them that he had hand built -one of which he rode in his Ride Across America in 2022 at age 62. This by the way is a truly amazing story and I put his hyperlink here if you want to read an epic tale of determination. Site: https://sites.google.com/view/richardsride/home it’s a must read in my book! Visit his site and give him an attaboy!

After meeting Casey, I stuck my head in the meat market - clearly ham is kind of the deal in Espana- zoom in on the details of the offerings. Whatever you buy, they’ll slice it paper thin for you on the spot. Point is they are not into the thick slices (American) anywhere I’ve been or seen or eaten.

So the rock riddled gravel road I just finished came to this intersection of the paved road and a foot path going straight -no Camino markings whatsoever. So now what do? I went straight and it turned out to be the correct decision. A short cut. go figure

And 30 minutes later, I come around the corner and there it is, the ocean once again, and my final destination on the Norte -Gihon

After checking into the hotel and getting cleaned up, I quickly had to make a call back home and wish my lovely wife a big happy anniversary which we will celebrate after I return.

Today constituted the longest biking day by distance and total time in the saddle. I usually finish riding by three but today it was 4:20 p.m. At the risk of stating the obvious with the fatigue of a long and wonderful day on the bicycle, I typically work on the blog, take a siesta, figure out how to get some serious calories in the gas tank, (I’m running a calorie deficit due to a depressed appetite) and then hit the sack usually by 10 last night being an exception due to meeting my new friend Jesse from the Netherlands.

I never turned down the opportunity to meet somebody new, who is also traveling alone. I asked him to please check in with me late, fall or in the winter and let me know how he’s doing as I would like to wish him well and encourage him with whatever new direction he chooses to go in

La playa at Gihon. All of the northern Spain beaches are absolutely fabulous with great sand and good clear water

Back at the hotel it occurred to me. This is my last proximity to the ocean and even though I’m still recovering from the stomach bug some days ago, I knew I’d be disappointed if I didn’t go down to the beach and walk in the ocean one last time. It was awesome.

Highlight of the day: I have to admit it was the intensity of the effort to pull off this 50 km section most of which occurred in a beautiful pastoral setting.
Sure beats a stationary bike at home.

“If the desert is holy, it is because it is a forgotten place that allows us to remember the sacred. Perhaps that is why every pilgrimage to the desert is a pilgrimage to the self. There is no place to hide and so we are found.”

~ Terry Tempest Williams

Jesus knew all about desert places, Jesus liked desert places. We should all have a desert place to go to

Day 10 to Colunga

13 September 2023 Day 10 is another hilly but incredibly beautiful, 50 km day

Up and down up and down and all around

How do I wanna summit up - it was just plain a great second to the last day of riding - mostly in a natural setting. The road riding wasn’t too bad. I also rode over a puente Romana, which is a ancient Roman bridge at the end pulling into town!
Pretty cool.
I’ll buzz through the day in pictures and text because you to know tomorrow will be my last riding day. And to top it off La Vuelta de Espana started Ribadesella today 30 minutes after I arrived in town to watch it all unfold! How lucky was that?

When I set up my lodging, I made sure breakfast is included daily because of the calorie intake that is required every day on this ten-day effort. Since the cafés known as bars here don’t open until at least 9 AM it’s just way too late to get nutrition and calories in the tank -That late . Breakfast starts at eight today so when I got into the hotel café area I asked when it’s available and she said in Spanish there’s only one option do you want all of it? Since my stomach is very much on the mend, I said sure. You can imagine the complete shock when this all came it was included at no extra charge in my stay at the hotel - Don Paco - a converted convent from a few hundred years ago! Yes, I ate at all especially the homemade yogurt which I hope is for the good bacteria to restart my bio chemistry. Best desayuno of the Camino so far !

After ensuring my backpack was properly placed in the reception going to be picked up by Correos to be shipped to this nights lodging I went to the bike parking garage and claimed my pony and headed out took a right and rode through this beautiful paseo to get started on my day - heading west

A beautiful shaded Paseo of fig trees, with people enjoying conversation underneath them both old and young. I will say, however, they make one heck of a mess when they drop those over ripe fruit figs.

Riding out of town with a very narrow shoulder.

Yes, I rode through this town and all I thought of was what I had to do as I moved through ! …and the sign was a painful reminder of the hamburguesa from hell, some days back, that I’m mostly recovered from. Other risks and hazards: some have wondered what they are. I don’t worry about the cars going by as much as you think I should because I take all the standard bicycling precautions, most important of which is getting off the road if a semi is going to go by and secondarily to have a blinking red light on that is extremely bright if I am on a relatively busy road. The greatest hazard I face is NOT keeping a keen eye out for road hazards, such as bollards that lanes and sidewalks. My greatest risk comes from both curbs and gutters. Curbs if I’m on the sidewalk and happen to go off one into a lane traffic. Or if I’m on the edge of the road, my pedal hits the curb and throws me into a lane of traffic. Gutters are especially dangerous because they’re often full of weeds and brush that is level with the road what you don’t know is that if I have bail out in an emergency and go into it or stop and step into it with my right leg it can be anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet deep, causing a bad fall, sprain or worse -a broken some thing or another. Anyway, I am very attentive as one Hass to be nonstop when sharing the road with big metal machines. All cycling pilgrims, as well as those out on long road bike training runs use and share of the road. Oddly, I’m the only cyclist I’ve seen in Spain that wears a bright fluorescent yellow green vest. !

As stated Spain gets the award for the very best dahlias I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world

Out of water as I was in this instance late morning, no problem - almost every town or pueblo has a public fountain in the public square or next to a church plaza. If it’s not drinkable, there is usually a sign that says “No tratada or No potable”. If it doesn’t have a sign and the water is flowing fast ( like this one ) because they’re artesian springs. I drink it - I’ve never had a problem. Churches, especially trustworthy, right ? holy water !

The sign indicates there 444 km to go to get to Santiago on the Camino del Norte! Only 100 km on my bike as I switch to walking the Primitivo in a couple of days. I have ridden about the same amount so far from my starting point in Hondarribia and if you add 46 km from tomorrow’s ride and I’ll end up completing close to 500 km of the Norte after which I take a detour. I turn in my bike basically by leaving it at the hotel after tomorrow night stay. I go meet my dear friend Holger from Deutschland in Oviedo on the morning of the 15th ( after touring the spectacular and famous cathedral of Oviedo ) to start walking a different Camino - the original Camino - called the Primitivo. The distance he and I will cover walking on that one is 325 km. So what about finishing the Norte? Well, I guess everyone will just have to stay tuned and see if I get around to doing that in the future especially my Familia. Do you know that German Swede work ethic? Start something finish it ! 😎

I pulled over next to the sad looking marker -clearly been here for dozens of years -faded, tipping over, looking rather sad and neglected.

Lonely

So what do I think about all that time with 5+ hours walking or riding in the saddle?

Everyone’s answer is this a wee bit different. I for one can go for fairly long periods of time with not thinking about really anything other than just looking at the world go by. I find this restorative -kind of like defragmenting a hard drive in the old days of computers. I find this very cleansing and is the one great thing I look forward to after leaving my urban busy life behind for a month. Reflection comes and goes, sometimes deep sometimes not so deep, sometimes reminiscing, sometimes searching for memories.

Well today…. this marker certainly was an metaphor for one aspect of all of our lives. Missing signs. Signals. Markers. Lots of missed turns and too many back-tracks. Not seeing the way markers to get back on track. Crossing over to what appears to be the ‘fast track’ and knowing or not knowing it’s not the right track. Maybe this is all part of the thing called pilgrimage in life, just a thought, but I’ve got a lot of time to think today.

So  how would such a worn, faded and leaning sign post today appear to many, (especially the next generation) to be old, on its way out. Irrelevant ? Something to be discarded ignored? Passed by?

Why?

Not big enough shiny enough loud enough funny enough modern enough, techy enough, cool enough, followed enough? Liked enough?

How many signs in my life have I discounted or ignored? I see them all using one or many of my God-given 6 senses but I haven’t given them a second thought. Going too fast, no time, no margin. How many better choices could I made if I thought about such signs, heed or not heed, and for the major markers or events in one’s life how many catastrophes could be avoided if I would stop and figure out where on THE ROAD I’m is really at.

How often we don’t listen to others when they’re speaking truth or guidance, whether audibly, or by exhibiting cause and effect behavior, and thereby missing the opportunity for a better path. The ‘correct’ path.

It’s sad because often these are our elders that are the guardians of such knowledge (which is actually what wisdom is)

Couple that with our current age of (im)moral relativism - it is not going to end well.

Anyway, such thoughts are frequent, but not nonstop -some are rather simplistic and some are rather profound

Sadly, the competition in our modern technological lifestyles competes to the point of excluding the possibility of contemplation for most of us.

I refer to this as ‘the noise’ that prevents deep thought.

It makes observing signs and cues very difficult to impossible

Most fascinating is my last Camino after about 25 days my mind and soul was cleansed to a point that I was able to think with such extreme clarity and depth it surprised me like never before. I hope that happens again.

I’ll have to develop this and other contemplations I’ve had further

A beautiful descent into the hippie surfer town called Vega, taken by a (new) friend from Czech Republic named Martin who is walking the entire Norte

Nope it’s not all blacktop or crushed gravel. This uphill moment will live in my mind I hope for the rest of my life. Welcome to an epic moment on the camino del Norte.

Do you really expect me to see that marker 30 m in from the side of the road, on the edge of private property, when I’m riding by at 15 km/h? This is the restart of the official route after on the road away from the town of Las Islas. Give me a break I missed it and had to backtrack 200 m to find it.

And in not taking it, and taking the road, instead, I would’ve missed passing this pasture and break in the clouds - yet another metaphor for the cost of not being observant in life, looking for subtle ‘cues’ taking the extra step or slight detour, even if it cost a little

I also would not have crossed puente Romana or Roman Bridge still being used by pilgrims to get from point a to point B for over 1800 years

Highlight of the day: Witnessing La Vuelta de Espana Stage 17 start (log onto the official website and you can see the 3’ stage finish video for today on a mountain top in the clouds going uphill unbelievable!)

“The paradox: there can be no pilgrimage without a destination, but the destination is also not the real point of the endeavor. Not the destination, but the willingness to wander in pursuit characterizes pilgrimage. Willingness: to hear the tales along the way, to make the casual choices of travel, to acquiesce even to boredom. That’s pilgrimage — a mind full of journey.”

~ Patricia Hampl

Day 9 to Llanes

12 September 2023 Day 9 was a 50 km day

Wow! It just hit me. I only have three cycling days left in Spain. Where did the first week go? I am a bit sad that it is going so quickly but am really looking forward to walking the Primitivo with Herr Holger

Most of the descent into towns at the beginning of the Camino Norte end up going along the Playa, or the beach. Most of them are really really good beaches for relaxing, sunning, and surfing, or swimming whether small or large.

“Okay / vale” it’s simply time to pull off the side of the road and have my first café con Leche ! Well the Spanish tortilla looked fresh off the stove and delish but I just don’t have the appetite quite fully back to stuff, the carbs and protein in mid morning. My tummy is getting better at last….

Turns out I found out that I did get out of Comillas in time as the La Vuelta bike race blew through there about two hours after I left town. This also caused a delay in my backpack being shipped by Espana mail service (Correos)to my next hotel, but lo and behold it arrived reception just as I was checking in literally (5 hour delay)

Not the speeds on those bikers today I’m graphic below. Unbelievable. The tour is a month-long event with only a handful of rest days for the riders.

Leaving Unquera was brutal- uphill for a couple of kilometers and I mean straight up as in pushing the bike with me leaning in about a 15° angle to do it but as the trail leveled out on the ridge line here is what you’ll enjoy taking a rest stop at! A little shrine to St. Shimano the mountain biker (I just made that up). I gave thanks before moving on. Minor detail 30 Celsius, and no shade

I had to swerve to avoid this little creature. This little guy who reminded me of who the most meditative insect on the Camino de Santiago is.! Well of course it’s a praying mantis.👻

A biker up ahead of me and gave me motivation to keep up with him to try to beat what looks like a building storm before I got to town. It actually did not materialize but you can see how quickly the weather can come up on the Catabrian and Asturias coast, by the way, when I stopped at a gas station for a water refill …..look at what the headlines were from what happened in Santandar last night - Remember I left Santandar two days ago !!!
Aye Carumba!

As I stated, I can’t believe I was there two nights ago, leaving just in the nick of time it appears. This would’ve been an awful start to a cycling day to say the least

Wow, was today’s lodging a treat! My lodging hotel, the Don Paco was previously is 17th century convent of the order of the Augustinas Recoletas. Construction began in 1660 but due to historical events was not quite finished off in 1666 when the architect died. As can often be the sequence of events the building started out as a convent, then become a military barracks, then a college and now this hotel.

More about the Asturias Region (best kept secret in Europe? !)

Asturias is particularly famous for its beautiful landscape. With its impressive mountain ranges and over 200 stunning beaches along the 345-km long coast, the area boasts a broad entertainment offering. About a third of Asturias has the status of protected nature reserve, and UNESCO has named four specific nature reserves of particular interest. Certain unusual natural phenomena Asturias is famous for confirm the impression that the region’s offering goes beyond the ordinary.

Indeed, Asturias is one of the oldest kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula and its cities and villages are shrouded in its old, millenary traditions. Despite the growing tourist industry, the traditional rural character - or rustic if you will - is well-preserved in the Asturian architecture and way of life. It is precisely this attachment to old-day traditions that makes Asturias immensely charming and an outstanding vacation area.

Asturias offering ranges from modern cities to rather secluded areas that few tourists visit. These areas and cities offer many special sightseeing experiences you will rarely find anywhere else in Europe. By the same token, this goes to show that modern society has not claimed all European land yet. Interestingly enough, people in these remote villages, typically up in the mountains, does not consider themselves poor, but lead a self-sufficient live on small farming or family owned plots and grow much of what the eat year around including fruits and nuts (orchards)

Even if more tourists have woken up to the unique charm of these villages, they are still far from being overrun. I’ll be back, if nothing more than to hang out on some of the best beaches I’ve ever been on.

As stated from my previous Camino, Spain has the best Dahlia varieties I’ve ever seen anywhere, as well as other beautiful, flora, not seen in the United States

Beautiful Paseo to walk thru near my hotel when coming back from my every other night gelato run (pistachio, of course) or returning from the nearby beach

Great little contained and safe beach. I love swimming in the ocean. It’s a great way to cool off. I’ve done it several times already tonight was just not the night. I need to eat and get some calories in the tank and take a siesta ….probably a siesta before I go to bed.👻. I generally dont’ run around and sight see end of day due to fatigue.

Highlight of the day: Passing by seaside towns, looking at the surfers and beach bums and really not thinking about anything in particular

“And thus ever by day and night, under the sun and under the stars, climbing the dusty hills and toiling along the weary plains, journeying by land and journeying by sea, coming and going so strangely, to meet and to act and react on one another, move all we restless travelers through the pilgrimage of life.”

- Charles Dickens

Day 8 to Comillas

11 September 2023 Day 8 was a 42 km day

As can be seen from this map, the blue dot is where I spent the night at a very nice Posada overlooking a valley but to get there I had to cross a river and one would say that there’s a short hop from the yellow line to the red line. But do you see the words AUTOVIA - this is the A67 -that means it’s a freeway (interstate in the US) and it would be extremely dangerous to try to pull that off to save a handful of kilometers -two double lanes of traffic moving at high velocidad, indeed.

On a positive note, the red line is part of the official Camino and it is right outside my door confirmed by a single tile that I saw embedded in the sidewalk, showing the scallop and an arrow outside the restaurant I left. It’s an alternate route that walkers or bikers can take, and as you can see, it will lead me back to the main Camino yellow line heading west as always at Polanco.

I have been so fortunate with the weather ! In the middle of the night it did rain with thunder and lightning on and off. There is sprinkles right now, but they say it does not start until nine so I have an hour to spend thanking about today’s route in the next three days after today, which will be strenuous. I dug out my rain jacket and will have it handy as I’m sure it will sprinkle. It might rain part of the day today, but you never know. On my last Camino my rain jacket turned out to be a good luck charm that word it off llueve!

On a positive note, even though I tossed and turned all night, I do have an appetite, and I’m looking forward to a moderate quantity of calories. That will agree with me. At last!

It also gives me time for a short story about last nights dinner well, I had a low appetite. I know I had to get something in the gas tank no matter what, so I walked down to the (recommended) restaurant El Estación that was within walking distance I was able to read half of the manual. Unfortunately they did not have rice or paella which I knew would agree with me as it is gentler on the stomach and has some calories to it. I ended up ordering Camerones corn ajilo but I did not notice that it was kind of come with angulas. It came to the table and a nice bowl, boiling in butter, which my first thought told me would kill anything biological in it therefore it would be audible with a degree of safety. However, I have a faint memory of what I angulus are and they made my stomach turn a little bit and I do not eat them even though they are a big time Basque delicacy if the angulas were real versus mock, they sell for about $500 a pound. Therefore these must’ve been fake ones which are made with, a fish like pollock, and then extruded and colored to make them look like the little sea eels. Add one piece of bread and seven of the nine shrimp tails and call it a night. Unfortunately while I still am recovering, I cannot be adventurous to eat that whole dish because it would’ve been, I’m sure, very, very yummy. (some weird image of those little eels coming to life in my stomach I guess - that’s what you get from watching too much ‘Twilight Zone’ as a kid

So, What are Angulas?

Angulas are baby eels, known as elvers in English, and they're a pale, 3-inch-long, worm-shaped seafood that happens to be a big time Basque delicacy. 

Angulas are the offspring of the common Atlantic eel, which are born in the Sargasso Sea, in the part of the Atlantic Ocean that roughly corresponds with the Bermuda Triangle. 

The baby eels drift eastward on the ocean currents, winding up in the freshwater estuaries of Spain some three years later, where fishermen scoop them up.

These on my plate turned out to be mock angulas called gulas made from a fish like pollock, same as it is used in mock crab. These were the base of my shrimp dish with sautéed garlic slices all served in boiling butter. I’m sure in the whole thing would’ve been fabulous. I just couldn’t handle eels after being ill 😷 pun intended 👻 ____

Note: please forgive voice transcription errors, formatting errors, and some grammar issues. I don’t always catch them on the fly as I am updating the entire website on an iPhone. Additionally, the ability to put captions directly on the pictures is not working so I add a text box underneath to capture my thoughts, as was the case on my last Camino, I will endeavor to clean up the website this winter after a very long siesta this fall … my goal right now, is to get images in the correct order of occurrence and thoughts associated with the moment. (embellishment to occur at a later date.)

I never pass up my early morning rocket fuel (with cafe con leche)

The day started delightfully, in spite of what I would consider a late start because breakfast -was not served until nine earliest, with a recovering tummy), I had what is arguably the very best croissant I’ve ever had in Spain, bold statement, but I can back it up! It was so light, if it wasn’t for the honey glaze on top, it would’ve absolutely floated away out the window.

That along with the ubiquitous, ham and cheese offerings always present at breakfast, enabled me to make a toasted, ham and cheese sandwich on artisan grain bread -my appetite, not fully back- I limited myself to one, but I did have a second piece of that great bread with orange marmalade. Top that off with an orange juice and a café con Leche I figured I had enough gas in the tank to start riding.

The drizzle only lasted five minutes which was nice.

I still struggle with paying attention to signage during the day, especially in the morning and often take wrong turns at junctions and cross roads. There are two indicator signs in this picture below. Do you see them and remember I am often cycling at 7 to 10 km/h trying not to hit things like trail bollards or go into the gutter

Yup, go right

There are three sign indicators in this picture, and I almost blew by this turn as well. I would absolutely love to know the number of those that are able to navigate a full Camino Norte without a guidebook, GPS, or app without making a single wrong turn or getting lost- I would venture to guess that the number is 1% or less. Back in the day, I assume you would simply ask one of the locals, and they would turn in point in the direction! Gee what a concept

Santillana del Mar Collegiate Church, Santillana Del Mar, Espana

Wow, what a really cool little town that showed up out of nowhere!, (worthy of a side trip if you are in the area (yes it’s more than a little touristy, but the church was worth a stop alone) cobblestone streets, shops lining both sides, cafés, and bars you name it just beautiful. I walked my bike because cobblestones and biking don’t always agree with me.

Well, the majority of the Capellas, hermitages, and churches are closed with the exception of Sundays. This world UNESCO site was open! So I paid my 5 euro, got my sello (stamp) and went in.

I discovered that the cloisters were open for tour as well as the sanctuary, I was also able to get a stamp here to continue to document my progress on the Camino Del Norte as required daily.

Unbelievable hymnal with gorgeous musical scoring ! Clearly not off the printing press. This is a one of a kind. Such beautiful hand lettering.

The organ appears to have been commissioned and built in the 1700s which is just incredible. I could not get anyone, including the staff who was collecting for admittance to tell me when the next Bachs toccata and fugue in D minor recital will be !

The rest of the building goes back way way back, and I stated before due to its historical significance was added as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Historical: Santillana del Mar Collegiate Church has its origins in a monastery dating from 870. Tradition has it that it was home to the relics of Santa Juliana. Remember, that the Camino Primitivo began around this time

Over the course of the 11th century it was transformed into a collegiate church, although the building visible today dates from the 12th century. It has three naves, with dome, transept, three semi-circular apses and a tower. The transept and apses conserve their original barrel-vaulted ceilings. Special mention should be made of the sculptural decoration of the doorway, the capitals and the cloister. Inside you can see medieval tombs and Romanesque reliefs from the 11th and 12th centuries

Juliana of Nicomedis, wherever that is, is said to have suffered martyrdom in the year 304, and somehow her bones or remains now politely referred to as relics have showing up here. Her box is in front of the altar, I assume

Out of town, pavement gave way to gravel. Gravel gave way to gravel path single track as we call it. My mountain bike steed, a Megamo Natural model 11 speed (Deore drivetrain ) mountain bike performed well and once again, I was thankful for mountain bike tires, which are much more puncture resistant than gravel or other tires. I really don’t wanna have to replace a tire even though I carry 2 spare tubes and tools along with two different ways to inflate them, flat tires are considered routine maintenance are not included with the bike warranty for the trip. In other words, they don’t come out to replace the tire. I’ve replaced many on my own, however, and can do it in about 10 minutes.

________________________

So as I’m cruising through the Catabrian countryside, I hear behind me the harmonic resonance of sixteen carbon racing bike wheels coming up the hill behind me. Carbon wheels which can often cost $500-$1000 each make a characteristic drone when riding on pavement. I wasn’t quick enough to say the least to get out my phone and take a picture as they breeze by me -eight guys all on a identical S-Works racing bikes all in identical jerseys and being followed by a support car to keep them safe and up and running in case of breakdown. When I got checked in at my hotel, I asked the concierge. Hey what do you know about what’s going on with cycling around here ? Well, something very interesting IS going on as I speak - the 2023 La Vuelta de Espana ! is going on right now (month long event with approximately 27 racing days)

AND They will be passing through the town I am staying in tonight, but I’m not sure I’ll be here to see them whizz by tomorrow mid day unless they happen to be riding part of the Camino that I am on which is doubtful as I’m sure they have roads blocked off for these guys.

FACTOID: The theme of the 2023 Vuelta a España is climbing, (and it’s going on as I speak through northern Spain ! ) with only three truly 'flat' stages - 7, 12, 19 and the final day in Madrid, and punishing ascents such as the Col du Tourmalet in the same day as the hors categorie Col d'Aubisque, Col du Soulor and Col de Spandelles, and a short but frantic stage finishing on the brutally steep Altu de l’Angliru. In addition to the team time trial, and the flat stages. the 3153.8km route also includes two flat stages with high-altitude finales, six hilly stages, seven mountain stages and one individual time trial. They start in Barcelona and finish in Madrid.

By comparison, my stages are a max of 50 km there’s are north of 180km in a given day. I will complete 500 km in all and you can see that’s a mirror fraction of what these men and women are doing. One stage consists of over 4,000 metres of elevation gain over 135km and will not offer a single kilometre of respite. My worst stage had an awful climb of almost 400 m of which I pushed my bike up the entire hill. 😵‍💫👻💥

An American goes on to win the overall general category! Sepp Kuss has sealed his Vuelta a Espana triumph.

Kuss enjoyed the ceremonial ride into Madrid as he became the first American to win a Grand Tour since Chris Horner at the same race 10 years ago. Way to go Sepp!

How cool is that?! they’ll come flying through Comillas tomorrow sometime I wonder if I will see them anywhere along my route but like I said I doubt it I think the roads blocked off. I’ll see. Their stage 16 today was a wimpy 120 km run at average speeds of well look at the graphic tomorrow

It was along this route, where I happened upon a newfound friend in Spain as I took this picture. His name is Rogelio Gonzalez (de Arroyo). It was very enjoyable to get acquainted. I was asking him if he was walking into town, and he explain to me he walks as far as he can, but some days it’s not far because of a knee replacement and his arrhythmia. He was proud to tell me that he does own a bike and likes to ride it but not right now. His knee is recovering. He gave me a very good bite advice for biking, finishing my Camino, and life general as well. “Poco a poco” paco a paco! He’s a very happy man, and been happily married for 42 years. He and I both lamented, that people don’t seem to stay married very long anymore five or six years and they move on he said.

A little more pavement (tarmac)riding but not a problem because it’s a brand new ribbon of tarmac, and it is so beautiful to ride on. Up this hill down the other side to a beautiful little beach before my last cruise into Comillas (at last)

Some surfers out, and one lady out for a swim, but it looks like a pretty dangerous undertow situation. I pulled over at a bar for another Coke seriously over priced as of the 8 ounce bottle for $2.80. €. I chose not to eat lunch there accordingly knowing I was taken advantage of. Average price is 1 €

Just a little roadside chapel, and the offer of a sello / stamp for my pilgrim passport, so I took advantage of it, and received in return in the silence the following message “do this in remembrance of Me” . I always enjoy and look for receiving such impressions.

A walking peregrino popped in so I left giving him his private moment

I doubled back to take a picture of this fig tree, obviously very very old, supported by 11 branch supports. Prolly where the expression low lying fruit came from. Go fig-ure 👻

Leche; the udder cola! This region of Spain is famous for artisan cheese production and the lowly vaca (cow) is duly celebrated!

Since I somehow missed lunch and all of the restaurants and bars closed at five, (mistake) I went to the Supermercado and got a premade (guaranteed safe food) salad, some nuts, two carrots and then went across the street to a cheese and chocolate and meat shop and got some specialty blue cheese, which is my all-time favorite variety as many know to embellish the salad. I bought Picón Bejes-Tresviso. WOW was this good. Best cheese I’ve had in years!

Fun Queso Trivia:

Picón Bejes-Tresviso is a blue cheese from Cantabria, in the north of Spain. It has been protected under Denominación de Origen (DO) legislation since 1994, prior to which it was traditionally known as Picón de Tresviso and Queso Picón de Bejes. The designated area centers in the Liébana valley and production is restricted to municipalities.

Source of milk a mixture of sheep's, cow's and goat's milk. So this is why, after I’ve had it for two meals it’s not only way good it is in fact whey, whey, whey good

Acidity values in the fat content of the cheese have been shown to increase by a factor of twenty over the uncured curd.

The curd pieces are placed loosely in the mould, allowing sufficient air to circulate and initiate the growth of penicillium spores.  (recovering from food poisoning. This is very reassuring.  Now I don’t have to go to the farmacia.  Even at €25 a kilo my slice only cost me three bucks to add to my grocery store salad.

Regulations stipulate that final maturity be achieved by further curing in a natural limestone cave, typical of the geology of the Liébana region, for a minimum of two months. It’s going to be in the limestone, right?!

Favorite moment of the day: the whole day, it was just plain a great day of riding and watching the world go by and ending up in a fantastic town, famous for the following;

Comillas: The town of Comillas is one of the northern Spanish region of Cantabria’s most symbolic places and one of its most interesting from an architectural point of view.

It has some of the most important Art Nouveau buildings in Cantabria, which include Sobrellano Palace Chapel and the Pantheon, the Pontifical University and, of course, the brilliant El Capricho by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Unfortunately, I was just too plain tired to go into any group tours I rationalized by deciding I didn’t wanna chance being in groups catching the Covid.

______________

“I am convinced that pilgrimage is still a bona fide spirit-renewing ritual. But I also believe in pilgrimage as a powerful metaphor for any journey with the purpose of finding something that matters deeply to the traveler. With a deepening of focus, keen prepartion, attention to the path below our feet, and respect for the destination at hand, it is possible to transform, even the most ordinary journey into a sacred journey, a pligrimage.”

~ Phil Cousineau

Day 7 to Mogro

10 September 2023 Day 7 was a 42 km day

Well, today was a slow newsday primarily due to the fact that I had a Hamburguesa yesterday afternoon, that I should not have eaten, (when in doubt, absolutely throw it out, don’t do it right?) and it came back to haunt me big time that evening!

On the surface the roadside beach surf shop café looked good, but there was just something a little undercooked about that hamburger and I had a thought about it but by then I ate most of it except the bun -Yup food poisoning that evening fast forward to this morning.

I’m very thankful that it essentially has passed but my appetite for food diminished to zero along with a worry that something will not stay with me, not a good combination with high intensity biking to run a calorie deficit. I gambled I’m trying to eat something to get started this morning. I only had three glasses of orange juice and yogurt and a banana.

Today’s route was shorter for which I was very thankful all things considered. My goal was simply to get to my next lodging and take a jumbo siesta as I was extremely tired before I even started this morning.

I try not to look at weather apps, unless it appears like the potential of threatening, weather off on the horizon. It is what it is and I have a rain jacket that I can always throw one quickly and ride. It did appear to be raining toward the coast on the far end of the valley as you can see from this picture so my goal was to get some kilometers under me and be ahead of whatever the weather is moving out there I do not want to be riding on pavement in light rain, or otherwise, for obvious reasons.

Today for peregrinos and bicigrino alike it was a lot of pavement and road walking. I feel a little more sorry for them but it is part of the Camino experience. I was thankful to be able to move through it at 10 to 12 miles an hour all morning.

View from my second-floor window this morning the rain off in the distance never caught up with me. Weather forecast often involve the threat of moderate to heavy rain, but these storms often don’t materialize, but when they do, they’re intense, but usually move through rather quickly from what I’m told. This was a very very nice pension I stayed at kind of in the middle of nowhere.

My beautiful room near Mogro

View of Santandar across the bay when I got over there and disembarked I studied the map on the app for how to get to the Camino route as quick as possible. Consequently, I had no time to sightsee in this big urban sprawl. This is a bit of a recurring theme, and when I have a bicycle and the luxury of moving around quickly, the focus has primarily been to stay on the trail and get to the next destination - again, both myself and the walkers had a lot of pavement time today. I did, however stay hydrated and used electrolyte tablets in my water bottle, which I’m sure helped immensely with my recovery.

The malecon at Santander is very beautiful. Leaving such a large town as Santander is sometimes a bit of a challenge to find shortest way out and still stay on the Camino ‘trail’

Highlight of the day: getting to my next destination, finding it, and taking a long siesta

“Pilgrimages of mind or walking meditation – bringing moments of illumination in which the sense of relationship to the rest of existence suddenly stands out with startling and unexpected clarity.”

~ David Fontana

Day 6 to Güemes

9 September 2023 Day 6 was a 45 km day due to some missed turns that resulted in shorter riding, but on highways

Started pretty much as hoped a little after eight a.m. - the weather was fair, and I left Castro with a full stomach due to an epic breakfast that grew by the minute as I was eating they brought out more and more food. I ended with both a veggie and a normal Spanish tortilla And probably ate easily 1200 calories

Today was a mixture of both classical narrow trails through the countryside a fair amount of single track, some of which I had to walk the mountain bike for safety reasons and then probably about 50% on blacktop, roads and highways.

By the way, the walking pilgrims also had their share of asphalt and road walking regardless of the multiple alternate routes today included for all of us to choose from.

As you can see some challenging ups and downs, and some of the really big ups, in which either pushed my bike or was in first gear the whole way -these are not insignificant five minute climbs.

Castro Urdiales at sunrise and a beautiful departure out of town

I just love the wall murals depicting daily life of days gone by

After winding my way out of town on the streets on and off the official trail, I eventually found myself on a more representative and beautiful pastoral trail and started encountering more walkers. Traffic however, was light. I should have really slowed down to enjoy these sections more. Why do I rush?

The plot thickens the paved 6 foot wide trail abruptly ended at a gate which I opened and had to walk my bike up through this mess -arguably difficult to even walk on, but it only went on for about 300 m and opened onto a cliffside walking trail amidst green fields once again.

Some of the trail like this is rideable on a mountain bike, but definitely not on a gravel bike or road bike. when it did get too bumpy, with rocky areas I chose to simply walk the bike for a 100m or so and enjoy the scenery

This section was quite rideable for about a kilometer, and when I did come across walkers, I simply rolled off into the field around them to not affect their progress. This section did not appear to be heavily travelled.

At the end of the beautiful and very large Laredo beach, you come to the bay which you can either ride around (2 plus hours) or jump on a boat to cross over to the other side, which to me was a no-brainer for four euros.

My barco ticket

Crossing over to the other side to the small town of Santona. I had to push my bike up the narrow gangplank which was a little tricky.

On today’s stage, as is the case many times on most Camino rutas, there are alternate routes that one can take based on scenery, physical exertion, level of convenience, distance, or critical (safety) requirement in my case, such as being a bicigrino on a bike. Much of the Camino is simply not passable by a bike due to inclines, rocks, mud, turns you name it.

All in all, this was a very good day of cycling maybe the best yet from a panorama standpoint

Highlight of the day:

As the kilometers dragged by on the paved roads and highways with all the motor traffic, I often had very vivid hi-res memory images of specific times, and places on my last Camino is as if it occurred just two weeks ago! This was odd and very cool phenomenon. It is fascinating how memories can and are stored with such detail and often difficult to recall at will.

“The Christian life is a pilgrimage from earth to heaven, and our task is to take as many as possible with us as we make this journey.”

~ Warren W. Wiersbe

Day 5 to Castro Urdiales

8 September 2023 Day 5 ended up being a 40 km day (Ok, I confess, I took a couple of short cuts. On some of the original Camino route, bikes are not allowed for a good reason hence diversion to nearby roads or paved trails .

Well, as all can see from this update, I have a bit of a connection to the old Camino Wi-Fi and I’m able to do some simple cleanup on the website (grammar and spelling corrections of ‘voice transcribed’ errors, establish a simple formatting protocol and get a little bit of content uploaded before I fall behind again. It took quite a bit of time last night (this is all done on an iPhone mini - not a laptop or tablet), but here we go.

Today at first glance, it appears to be a fair amount of urban cycling until I get to Portugalete.. many ‘stage’ routes include options for traditional Camino on foot or bike, or an occasional cheat like todays’ along the river Nervion which I am electing to take today, as it will be a wee bit more level, generally following close to the river bank. It will possibly be 7 to 10 fewer kilometers today, but I feel no guilt over this! This trail / route was awesome and relatively free of biking hazards.

The route guidance suggested by my travel partner agency is usually a correct one for cycling, but not always. Therefore, I have to refer to a wonderful app called Buen Camino that has the cycling variances (shown) both those suggested (optional) and those required (due to trail conditions ) as they occur. Example; the route after my stay at the monastery yesterday (epic) would’ve had me trying the walking route, which would’ve been a disaster. I heard it was very muddy and one cyclist four days ago elected to give it a go and got stuck in ankle deep, couldn’t retreat, and had to be rescued.

Not good.

I connected with the only other cyclist yesterday morning, and she did indeed share with me a required route is on the local highway through the mountain, which was fine by me other than the fact that the, ascents and decents are numerous, which translates to epic.

It will also give me the possibility of finding a cycling or a sport shop at the next large town to get some bicycle shorts with padding. I did not bring mine as I was concerned about the extra weight- well that turned out actually to be a rather stupid idea as the rumpus among us said “why did you do that to me you cheapskate”

So I set out close to eight and I just don’t remember it being quite so dark that late in the morning two years ago when I walked,

Once again, I left my mochila at the front desk with most of my possessions, hoping that it will end up at my next lodging through the Spanish Correos service (postal) so far so good knock on wood.

I rode along the river for most of the morning and a third of the total distance, and while urban, it was really quite beautiful and relatively flat, and was in use by many commuting to work. (see picture below)

Entering the Cantabria Region ! Yay!

While Cantabria is a popular holiday destination with Spaniards, international tourism remains (thankfully) largely unaware of its outstanding qualities.

Sea, mountains, beaches, art, culture, spas, gastronomy, monuments and caves. Cantabria caters to a myriad tourist interests in a compact, easily manageable territory. The region offers all kinds of leisure activities and plenty of opportunities for relaxation, complemented by a wide range of accommodation options, both inside and outside urban areas.

Culture and nature are two of Cantabria ́s major attractions. This region, with an area of 5,300 square kilometres, hosts 37 conservation areas and a rich cultural heritage crowned by the prehistoric caves of Altamira.

Santander is the region’s beautiful and peaceful capital, surrounded by a spectacular landscape and eleven, breath-taking sandy beaches, ideally suited for sunbathing and relaxing. The heat, the sun and the generally humid climate nurture the forests and lush vegetation, earning the region its “Green Coast” denomination. Here, we will find ancient and elegant coastal towns and a landscape that becomes more and more dramatic and rugged as it progresses towards the west. Isolated coves await us along the coast and, moving further inland, the fantastic “Picos de Europa” with its snow-capped peaks and steep canyons. Cantabria’s colourful and popular traditions make it a memorable, hardly disappointing vacation destination

Gastronomy of Catabria:
Along the coast, “marmita the atún” is an absolute must. On the menu, you will also find salmon dishes, “el arroz santanderino”, which is made with rice and milk. Other appropriate local dishes are “bocartes rebozados” (anchovies), “rabas” also called “calamares” (as squid rings) and “almejas a la marinera” (mussels “marinera” style).In general, the seaside menu mostly relies on savoury integredients such as sardines [sardinas - love them] anchovies [anchoas], mussels [almejas], tuna [atún], hake [merluza], monkfish [rape] and squid [pulpo or calamares ].

Inland, in the mountains, hearty meats and strong well aged cheeses earn the region its well-deserved fame.

Typical -and rather strong- cheeses include Tresviso (a blue cheese) but milder cheeses also abound. “La quesada”, made of fresh cheese, butter and eggs, is a favourite with locals. Blue cheeses are among my favorite, and it became my go-to for the rest of my Camino (combined with Rioja and dark chocolate !

Biking past the Guggenheim Museum

Many of Spain’s major boulevards (larger cities) are very bike friendly with dedicated lanes that are heavily used. I would love to see the much higher adoption to bike commuting back home - but the ‘love affair’ with the automobile and gigantic SUVs and trucks is actually increasing. It also is commonly known that bikers get a 1.5 m right away on roads with no shoulder. And on smaller highways bikers out on road bikes for long rides typically take up half of the entire lane and cars have to wait to go around when it’s OK to pass.

The Puente de Vizcaya

Since July 13, 2006 the Puente de Vizcaya is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, the only such monument in Basque Country, and the only one in the Industrial Heritage category in all of Spain. It was the first transporter bridge in the world and has been in service since its inauguration in 1893.

This excellent feat of engineering was designed by Biscay-born architect Alberto de Palacio, a follower and collaborator of Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the famous tower in Paris. Indeed, the bridge resembles the tower quite closely; it stands at the point where the estuary of Bilbao widens to join the sea.

Popularly known as the “Puente Colgante” (hanging bridge), it is a spectacular iron structure that links the towns of Portugalete and Getxo, on either side of the estuary.

After paying the €1.5 fare two of us bikers got on and crossed with pedestrians and cars to get to the other side. The tram is hung by cables and can be seen in the lower left at street level. While a bit primitive by modern standards it was a very big deal back at its inception.

As much as I was paying attention to navigation this signage for the turn to return to the Cantabrian Sea was very difficult not only to see but to decipher. How do you decipher ambiguous? Hmmm, left or right?

What a great trail down to el mar y la playa del Plastron !

It turned out to be a beautiful paved trail for pedestrians and bikes, and was both quite steep downhill, and gentle down grade all the way to the town of La Molaka

La playa del Lastron

At the other end of the beach, I thought there was a clay pigeon shoot, because I heard booms going off on and off for a half an hour. It was was a church celebration, likely to Mary, however, there was an equal likelihood that it was the patron saint of fireworks. Loud canon like booms ! They were being launched from the tiny plaza next to the Ermitra de Nuestra Senora de Socorro y San Pantaleon de Pobena! One of them was clearly into ‘Canons’ back in the day (joke). I walked around and caught my breath before the ever mindful need to move on.

It took a while to find the Camino route out of town. I asked a food truck guy where and he pointed to the stairs behind him. I wasn’t sure once I saw them. The way to get up to the ridge trail / Camino seaside route (below) - was up a very very steep set of stairs - count them, 200+ steps, on which I had to push my 40 pound bike straight up. This was very difficult. Am I actually on the right path for a biker to do this ! ? Halfway up, no turning back. Oofdah! But I did land up on the flat of the park which ran all the way to the next town one of the most incredible views and riding thus far!

How do you spell no pain no gain?

Several stretches had guard rail missing and yes, a couple of the adjacent posts had flower bouquet memorials ! Biking in the niebla (fog) and going over the edge ? :(

Highlight of the day: I am actually the one in the picture of these epic vistas that I’ve seen online and in other travel blogs for the last year and a half! Wundershoen!

“To feel the pull, the draw, the interior attraction, and to want to follow it, even if it has no name still, that is the “pilgrim spirit” The ‘why’ only becomes clear as time passes, only long after the walking is over.”

~ Kevin A. Codd (Beyond Even the Stars: A Compostela Pilgrim in France)

Day 4 to Bilboa

7 September 2023 Day 4 was a 49km day

Today was a good day of riding. Not difficult distances but the challenging elevation changes make for very tiring days. There is a however today - toward the end. If you look at the Zamudio and that’s straight up peak, that awaited me at the end of the day straight up, and I had to push my bicycle up the hill, the majority of the way sweating with my heart pounding out of my chest I believe I took one of two routes over Mount Avril. The guidebooks do warn about this treat at the end of the day. I think it was something like 1000 feet of vertical over a couple of kilometers. Well, I am in very good shape due to all my cycling this year I had no hills to practice on at home very demanding. Now I’m worried about my calorie intake each day.

The daily elevation gains are rewarded with some nice downhill riding that I frequently just coast. (due to the simple fact, my heart is pounding out of my chest)

i’m still getting used to the countryside on the fact that I’m really doing this and it’s not a vivid dream. This is the view from across the valley from last nites monastery lodging….Just fabulous !

The first order of the day after I’ve set out, is to get to a town by eight or 830 and find a Panderia and have coffee con Leche and a chocolate Napolitano croissant

This is a very difficult routine to get used to maybe I’ll continue it at home 😎

I am convinced that there’s nothing in the world like a blue cheese. I will have to look for the triple Leche version (goat, cow, and sheep milk ) at home hopefully get lucky to see it and be able to buy it.

Breakfast is my most important calorie gathering meal of the day and I stated before the Spanish don’t start eating (cafe opening time) until at least 9, 9:30 or 10 This presents special is for calorie intake early on.

I would say half of my road riding is with good shoulders, and half looked like this ! Very tight / non existent bike ‘lane’. Naturally downhill you are running at fairly high speeds even on the turns some of which are switch back. Again it is nice to see that Spanish drivers are used to lots of bicycles on the road whether bike clubs out on long rides on their road bikes or bicycle pilgrims like me .

This is a Hermitage at the beginning of the climb of Mount Avril. II took a break here to size everything up, drink some water, which I was running rather short of.. I was hot and dripping wet with sweat at this point. I wondered who is staffed this hermitage in the centuries gone by, I was just disappointed that it was all locked up to at least get a look inside and sit and rest. Unfortunately, my experience at these points of interest have been very frustrating. They are usually all locked up whether it be a hermitage sanctuary, church or old small basilica.

Soaking wet here at this location with a long way to go uphill I set off again- Oofdah!

Decent into Bilbao, after that monstrous climb is pretty much racing downhill for long distance. Halfway down when I was trying to determine which way to go (incorrect choice being needing to ride back up the steep hill) into Bilbao I was looking at my map- splat !- a huge over ripe rotten fig dropped out of a tree right onto me go fig-ure it out, yuck

Bilbao is a huge industrial metropolitan city. I got to my hotel right next to old town and was going to walk over there for is numerous gourmet dining options but halfway over there the skies opened up and I hightailed it back to the hotel and grabbed a couple mediocre empanadas at a pastry shop for a dinner.

Highlight of the day: Gaining confidence with road riding in Spain

“Hiking – I don’t like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains – not hike! Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, “A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.””

- John Muir

Day 3 to Ziortza-Boliba

6 September 2023 Day 3 was a 49km day

Destination is the Monesterio de Zennarruza (epic !)

Pilgrim or sojourner, or simply a bike ride in northern Spain that is the question.

I will try to give my thoughts in the blog as I’ve thought about it extensively and have some definite opinions about it. This answer will most likely become visible in my rumiinations and images posted here.

Pilgrimage:

What is my most basic definition? At the risk of sounding vague and prolix I came up with the following on a training walk back home earlier this summer::

1 There are others who have done the same journey, or are taking the same journey, but not necessarily at the same time

2 There is an innate and understood need to do whatever it is that is done (expressed or otherwise)

3 It takes a relatively long time

4 It is not easy to accomplish

5 It is physically demanding, and there might have a cost tied to it

6 It is a journey loosely defined often traveling by foot, or some other means that require effort

7 It goes from point A to point B

8 There IS an implicit meaning (it is not necessarily defined or definable by the pilgrim)

9 For some a religion dictates what it is

10 But while the ‘how’ may have been replicated by others, my ‘participation’ may ‘look’ different in methodology and duration

11 There is an outcome that is intellectually physically, emotionally, and spiritually satisfying (all)

12 There are aspects or components to the journey that are not easily quantifiable or definable or explainable before during or after

In my case, I don’t participate to seek a specific reward (as some do) -but I have found and do find an incalculable ‘reward’ in the process itself.

therefore, as some already know, my last, Camino has made the top 10 list of my entire life…. but I find it impossible to sum up in a nutshell or paragraph or chapter book….what it is.

This is a common phenomenon of those that have done a Camino!

From my Guidebook Comments about the Deba area:

Embarking on the journey from Deba to Markina-Xemein unveils a stretch that is notably serene yet distinctly solitary along the Camino del Norte. With few intermediary services available, it's essential to carry water and provisions to sustain you.

This leg of the journey carries you through mountainous terrain, a landscape largely devoid of settlements. The unique combination of its topography, characterized by pronounced elevation changes, makes it one of the most revered sections of the Camino del Norte.

While challenging, this segment's beauty shines through, offering picturesque glimpses into the idyllic rural valleys of the Basque region – a canvas painted with farmhouses, woodlands, and meadows. Once you reach the Calvario hermitage, the route takes you away from the coast. For several days, you'll bid farewell to the sea's presence until you reach Portugalete and Pobeña.

The most substantial ascent of this section occurs at the Arno pass, beyond Olatz, where you'll climb 300 meters in just 3 kilometers.

Note for Cyclists (Bicigrinos): Among the segments of the Northern Route, this stretch between Deba and Markina is renowned as one of the most formidable. Cyclists who embark on this path may not complete the official route, as they must follow the road. In essence, follow the road toward Mutriku and Ondarroa. Upon reaching Ondarroa, trace the Artibai River until you reach Markina-Xemein.

As you set your feet upon this path, prepare to embrace solitude, appreciate the rugged beauty, and discover the sense of accomplishment that accompanies conquering this stretch of the Camino del Norte.

It’s the beginning of my ride and I’m trying to figure out the elevation changes and what they really mean in terms of percent grade and effort required, but ultimately found out later in the cycling stage is that huge sprocket that’s the size of a dinner plate became my best friend! And resigned to frequent cycling at speeds equal to walking!

Frequently, I am astounded at the scenery, like pictured below, that I’m actually cycling in such beautiful surroundings, in such an incredible country next to the sea

So what about Basque Country, culture, current politics, and the food? On the border with France lies the autonomous Basque region, bathed in the strong sun of Biscay Bay [Pais Vasco (in Spanish) or Euskadi (in Basque)].This exciting region has its own culture and language. Along the coast, you will find one cute seaside towns, one after another, all flanked by beautiful beaches, and beautiful walks through the green rolling countryside. The hinterland features old market towns and forested mountains with scores of ancient monasteries and castles just waiting to be explored.

The Basques are a very hospitable people, always glad to share their proud heritage with visitors. They are extremely warm, who would welcome you back time after time. The Basque cuisine is based on the rich gastronomic traditions and is generally deemed Spain’s best. This gastronomic mecca has a wide range of world-renowned Michelin restaurants although there are many other opportunities to sample its fantastic cuisine.

Each night I would go to a nearby bar ( in Spain, cafés and restaurants are called bars) and order tapas. Some mornings. I did the same as the offerings were highly varied very delicious and I am calories which I needed during the day. The exception is each morning I start with a café con leche, and a croissant.

What I enjoyed is that in most towns you can pick and choose from an endless offering of quaint tapas bars each that offer a wide variety of tapas - or “pinxchos” as tapas are called in this area. Portion size is small but that’s part of a joy as I typically ordered 2 to 4 items at each setting. They are very low cost and all hand prepared - hecho a mano!

The cuisine is traditionally based on quality products and simple cooking. It is an artisanal, culinary art, where the sea ( and pork) provides a part of the key ingredients to the exquisite cuisine. Seafood and red meat are the cornerstones. Cheese and other dairy products are also widely used in traditional Basque cuisine.

Politics? You can look it up . There is a large separatist movement within this region, often visible in signage and street graffiti like this below

The rest of the days riding was slow with a very difficult long, ascents in 1st gear and followed by fun, but not so restful decents ripping down the mountain highways at breakneck speeds. Fortunately, most of the drivers are Spanish, and give cyclists a very wide berth as they themselves go around also at high speeds.

Well, this clearly introduce risk in my program. My comfort level was such that it was OK with precautions I was taking as well as my rear, blinking, very bright, red light.

As I rode away from Bolobar plaza up the road to the monastery -here’s the turn off for the walkers -(not bikable due to incline), so I was thankful to see the cycle arrow on the sign at left. (This segment and town bears witness to significant historical events. Passing through Bolibar, the birthplace of the ancestral liberator Simón Bolívar, you'll then reach Gernika, known worldwide for the tragic events of April 1937, immortalized in Pablo Picasso's renowned masterpiece "Guernica.")

What’s wonderful about staying in a place such as a monastery or a hostel or an albergue is that you meet many people from all over Europe and around the world, have a great time, and form simple emotional social connections that will be remembered for many years to come.

Below is our (my first) communal dinner, which was very enjoyable, preceded by many with copious amounts of beer and wine. A lot of latecomers but nobody was turned away even though the rooms were essentially sold out- our hosts found a place to put everybody -some slept outside some slept on the floor in a parking garage.

Typical display of food at a tapas bar pick and choose what you will. They generally range from 2 to 4 euro.

Highlight of the day:

First communal dinner!

What surprised me most: The universal friendliness and camaraderie of all present

“The geographical pilgrimage is the symbolic acting out an inner journey. The inner journey is the interpolation of the meanings and signs of the outer pilgrimage. One can have one without the other. It is best to have both.”

~ Thomas Merton

Day 2 to Zaurautz

4 September 2023 Day 2 was a 49km day Destination: Zarautz

Zarautz is a coastal paradise nestled along the Cantabrian coastline. It has one of the most enchanting and extensive beaches spanning nearly three kilometers. It's no wonder this sandy haven has long been cherished by royalty and aristocracy, drawn to its shores to bask in the warmth of the sun. I loved it! Zarautz is also an important shipping town historically and was home to wailers and great explorers and Magellan‘s ship La Vitoria was built there. It has the regions longest beach at 2.8 km and coincidently is hugely popular in summer months its population triples. The Iglesia de Nuestra, Sonora Real, contains a tomb of ‘ the pilgrim’. The church was targeted in 1586 when said pilgrim stole a number of artifacts, however he was soon captured and subsequently drawn and quartered and put on public display on the Camino. Nothing remains today. No pun intended.

Midday -Not settled into a Camino rhythm yet

I’m trying to wrap my mind around the intensity of the hill climbs

My first Camino marker sign, not exactly visible to the average walker or biker. Getting here was a wee bit of a challenge. I started the day heading in the wrong direction and making multiple wrong turns. Frustrated, I pulled over into a cafe for a croissant and coffee ‘regroup’. I doubled back toward my starting point and asked a guy on a scooter where’s the shortest road to the ocean. He asked if I could keep up on my bike and led me to the correct road out of town. I thanked him and shortly came across my first yellow arrow. Yay, a win !

From here it was all ‘uphill’ another eye opening to the steep road grades ‘up’ (fortunately, they all resulted with downhill rewards)

Some of my early bicycle / Camino trail navigation was a real eye opener. I had little room to push my bicycle up this trail, what will unfold over the next 450 km of cycling?

Alderdi Eder Lorategiak (Basque) beach
The beach at San Sebastián is HUGE and epically beautiful. The old town area, while touristy, is very beautiful and welcoming. Unfortunately, I was driven to get some miles under my seat and I moved on fairly quickly. This would be a welcome long weekend retreat for anyone looking for an awesome norther Spain getaway.

Note instruction and sign for bikers to go left - going to the right would not be a very good idea even on a mountain bike. I met many that took the ‘doesn’t apply to me modus operandi’ but this was not my approach. I learned on and on again, that the bicycle routes are there for a very good reason as many of these trails are difficult enough on foot and simply non-navigable for cyclists.

Church in Hondarribia (note the ship) from night before

My first Zona Rural. A tough tough climb but oh, what a view. (I’m already out of water !)

Highlight of the day:

Finally, finding the start of my Camino via my first yellow arrow !

“We don't think about pilgrimage in this country. We don't think about meditation. The idea of taking a six-week walk is totally foreign to most Americans. But it's probably exactly what we need”

  -Emilio Estevez

Day 1 in Hondarribia, Espana

4 September 2023 Day 1 525 km to go, by bike!

Well, it was an interesting travel day with extremely tight connections at passport control in Amsterdam as well as waiting for my (arranged) driver (Spain) to take me to my first lodging, but it all worked out just fine and dandy !

My room is very simple with no air conditioning but the temperatures tonight are around 80 . Unfortunately, the skylight turned out to have blackout shades, which did not exactly help my waking up time this morning. 😵‍💫

I was within 10 minutes of my backpack, not being transported to my first night lodging. (I do not carry it on my bike only necessary items for cycling that day ) The man from Correos was very patient and gave me five minutes to pack it and give it to him.!

I had a small travel packet waiting for me in my room from a from an agency (Spain is More, which specializes in adventure, travel cycling, and Camino in the northern part of Spain) I chose to go with. which included my pilgrim passport onto which I got my first ‘sello’ stamp among other things.

A quick word about this agency they’ve been in business a relatively long time they did an absolutely over-the-top stellar job. They are based in Leon, but that really didn’t affect me. My bicycle was waiting for it me at my first hotel. Everything was perfect no flaws no issues no hangups they come highly recommended. They are very affordable, and they delivered over the top on the value proposition.! I will take the time to give them a five star review soon

First sello / stamp, make sure official I’ve been on my Camino!

I’m all set I walked around the area near my hotel watched a couple of celebrations in honor of somebody that I have no clue who they were

And had some tapas and tried to work out some nervous energy before I went to bed-jet lagged

Highlight of the day:

Confidence in being physically fit enough to do this

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do then by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. 
Dream. 
Discover.”  
– Mark Twain