Susan, Bob, Rick and I started straight from our hotel, Carol and Matthew started from a different point and we planned to meet up.
Oh, today was magic. I was so so happy. Walking again, a long distance, Spain, gorgeous Spain. Sounds – roosters, cows and sheep bells, people chatting, quiet walking. Lots of up and down hills, some pretty steep. Views of the bay, a few pretty towns, coastline, farms, wooded walks. I had chat and quiet time, a perfect blend.
Stone steps – amazing, the amount of work that must have gone into this part.
I love the random Santiago or Camino signs
The slugs are the most vividly colored slugs – all over the wet Basque region
This was a small Ermita de San Martin (Saint Martin chapel) that we couldn’t see into, but was in a beautiful scene. Amazing – built in the 13th century and renovated in the 15th century. This was the first sign that went into extensive notes about the architecture.
We were starting to get a bit tired and hoping to find a cafe for a snack, so kept going towards Orio. It was a pretty town, with ancient houses (of course), and I started taking photos of all the plaques on the houses. Then I realized they were telling very little to nothing about the people in the houses, instead describing the architecture. I love the buildings, but I just want to look at them and have little memory for this roof versus that or this building technique versus that. Plus the streets were small enough, I couldn’t back up enough to get photos that were at all satisfying. Here’s one street photo.
Carol and Matthew’s timing was amazing – after 10 miles, we sat down at a little cafe in Orio, a small fishing community, set down our coffee or hot chocolate and some snacks and there were Carol and Matthew!
We then walked together for the next 6 miles.
The church at Orio was interesting because unlike most churches, it was basically hidden in the small town streets, and you didn’t see it coming into town nor did you see it when you left town. Usually, the church is the focal point, seen from far away and beckoning all to join. I managed to sneak in for just a bit during a service and found something new – these communities are all about the sea. This boat is hanging in the air about halfway back. Seemed like there should be a sign, but obviously the community understood why it was there and it’s significance.
We went off the trail the MacsAdventures had set out for us and ended up climbing up and over a hill instead of going along the coast, but it was beautiful. So though it added a mile +, it ended up being wonderful with views over the bay as we went in and out of the woods.
We also ran into this Ermita, again reinforcing the connection between the churches and the water.
We finally came down into the town of Getaria. Isn’t that a pretty name? We walked into our hotel, the Hotel Itxas-Gain, and the nicest woman greeted us at the front desk. When she realized we really wanted to go for lunch – we knew it was getting late, almost 4, she jumped into action and called till she found a restaurant willing to take us and told us, “go, go quickly!” So we dropped our packs and quickly walked down the long hill, round the church, onto the harbor and then into the restaurant. We had to climb 3 flights which felt challenging at that point, 4 people in a row told us we were too late, they closed at 3:30, but then the owner found us, confirmed the ok and we had an amazing meal. Truly, this is a new experience for me to have so many gorgeous meals in Spain. I couldn’t stop eating. Finished our fish and Carol and Matthew’s who had left some bits on theirs. These are whole fish perfectly grilled and lightly flavored. And I keep forgetting to take photos. But – salad, grilled fish, incredible desserts, best yet on that front.
Then back to the hotel. The woman was so helpful, telling me about the laundromat, showing us this wonderful terrace where we could sit and watch the water and enjoy the sun. Yes, sun!
Tomorrow is a shorter day, only 12 miles with a fair amount of up and down. Happily, the whole crew is on the early out, great late lunch, chill afternoon and evening. Isn’t that nice?
Reb's Walks! 