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I am sitting in my little casita, a rural cabin in the tiny crossroad of La Franca, but I might as well be in Thailand or Singapore during a tropical downpour kicked off with lightning and thunder. I am glad I am not out hiking in the deluge, but it is a good sign. ThisContinue reading “Day 14. Changing Gears”

When Paula and I lived in Madrid we were privileged to visit the cave of Altamira near Santillana del Mar. I believe it was Kamal Osman who was able to get the tickets which even back then were very difficult to come by; today the cave is closed to the public for reasons of conservationContinue reading “Day 13. Double scallop day”

The skies and the weather forecasts were threatening rain so we geared up with our rain kit for our 10 mile hike to Santander. We started off from Guemes on country roads which led back to the coast. The skies were gray but still no rain. We walked along the cliff’s edge, stopping now andContinue reading “Day 12. Gray Day”

It was a 45 minute walk from our hotel down the streets of Laredo to catch the ferry to Santoña. All the passengers were pilgrims including a couple on bicycles. Once on the other side we found a coffee bar and had our breakfast, along with most of the pilgrims. We left Santoña passing byContinue reading “Day 11. La bruma nos consuma”

Cantabria is nestled between Euskadi, the Basque country, and Asturias on the north coast of Spain and is named after the Cantabri, a Celtic people who settled the region during the Iron Age more than 1000 years BC. They fought as mercenaries for the Carthaginians against Rome during the second Punic Wars which ended aboutContinue reading “Day 10.”

I hiked eleven miles today, a leisurely walk along the coast and then a slightly more difficult climb inland to La Posada de Fernanda in Rio Seco where I am staying tonight. The trail was well marked, though I do keep my Buen Camino app handy which includes my gps position on satellite view map.Continue reading “Day 9. A Peaceful Moment”

Peter and I worked out our plans for the next few days and celebrated with a dinner of mussel curry, ox-tail risotto and lomo Ibérico with Jack Daniel’s bbq sauce. Peter will take one of the several options for leaving Bilbao and walk to Pobeña. I decided to take the metro train to Portulagete andContinue reading “Day 8: Start of Week 2!”

I took a break from the Camino and explored Bilbao from the medieval Casco Viejo to the ultra-modern Guggenheim Museum. There were people everywhere enjoying the sights and food on a pleasant sunny day. I had my coffee at a nice place down from the Carlton hotel and then Peter and I visited the Guggenheim.Continue reading “Day 7. R and R in Bilbao”

I hope many of you had a chance to watch The Way, Emilio Estevez’ film starring his dad Martin which takes place along the Camino Francés. It was re-released Tuesday for a one day run. It gives a good feel for both the camaraderie and the inner reflection and self-discovery which can occur on theContinue reading “Day 6. Push to Bilbao”

Today’s walk brought us to Gernika, the village bombed by German and Italian warplanes during the Spanish Civil War. We crossed through Bolibar, the ancestral home of Simon Bolivar where we visited a museum commemorating the city’s history and its famous son. We hiked a solid 16 miles of good trail through hilly farming countryside.Continue reading “Day 5.”