Castro-Urdiales to Liendo (29kms) Sept 5 2010

We had an interesting experience last evening while we were eating a picnic dinner outside the 16 bed albergue in C-U. The police arrived and asked us if we paid 5E for the bed and we said yes. Then there was lot of fuss with the hospitalero, poor guy who is a volunteer and following directions from someone else. Turns out the beds are supposed to be gratis so we all got our money back and then spent the rest of the evening talking with the hospitaleros who are wonderful young men volunteering because they love to meet people from around the world. At this alberque, there were 4 tents set up at the back which were full by the time we went to bed. There was a revenue of E100 per night coming into the alberque supposedly to provide upgrades to the place:
The next morning we left early which is always good thing to do. The path led us up and away from the town and then over to the sea again. It was wonderful to have a rest break at a bench which was positioned over the cliffs. The weather has continued to be wonderful, warm and calm and so lovely with the colors of the blue green sea and the lush of the green landscape. This place we did not want to leave. Then, even though it was Sunday morning, we came across a wonderful little cafe which served delicious cafe con leche so the morning was complete. We are a little rolling family of people now and have made some good friends who we continue to pick up at the break times and evening meals.
The day was very hot and a good climb waited for us after La Magdelena. Once we started this climb, it was hard not to just breath in the goodness of the eucalyptus forest and the solitude of the steep gravel road that we travelled. We have a different pace, each of us, Kirsten races ahead up the hills like a deer, Alvina plods along slow but sure and I am somewhere in the middle. It means that we eventually spread out and are walking alone, until we need to use a whistle to signal Kirsten to stop for a rest. Sometimes we come around a corner and there she is waiting like a Danish princess for her followers to catch up. She is slower on the down parts because of her ankle and Alvina goes down hills like a mountain goat so we change places sometimes, always looking out for each other, yet with plenty of time for solitude.
The climb up from La Magdelena was glorious, fragrant and beautiful and only surpassed by the vistas that awaited us when we got to the top and began our descent. By this time it was very hot and so we took our time going down into the litle town of Liendo/Hazas. It was somewhat worrisome that the place seemed deserted when we got there, nothing of what we expected in the town square and I was alarmed at the thought of having to walk another 10kms. However, we decided to proceed and in a few kms more, we came into the next village, small but quaint where the key to the alberque was at the local bar and the alberque with only 10 beds was beautiful and empty. It was not long before the rest of our crew came along behind us and we filled up the place quickly. Some of these small places are incredible as to how they support the pilgrims. This was a new building specifically designed for the pilgrim and the cost was only E4 for each of us. We ate at the local bar and probably gave some good business to the owner that evening.
Being in the country is so preferred to the cities as it is deadly quiet and so beautiful to hear only the sounds of the animals at night and in the early morning. The roosters have quite a variety of sounds and seem to have been trained differently for their typical early morning sound.
During the day, I was thinking about how different this camino is from 2008 on the Camino Frances. I am stronger, my feet are good and I am comfortable with the way it goes each day. There is nothing to get used to as I have done it all before, so I can concentrate on what I am experienceing and feeling along the way.
The thought that I had yesterday was a feeling of complete freedom, freedom to experience the moment without worrying about the past or the future and freedom just to be still and breath in the environment and take in the wonderful sights and sounds all around me. This is new for me, as I usually don´t let myself calm down or slow down enough to be in the present, so I am cherishing the experience of this in order to make it a larger part of my life.
I also think about my cousin Neil who died in Feb. He was such a giver and a lover of travel or adventure, but not one to take the time to do this himself. When I told him I was doing this walk for him way back in December, he just said - good, do it well and enjoy it - so this is what I am doing and thinking about as I walk each day.
Maggee