Leaving the Basque Country

 Yesterday I walked to Laredo . I’m now in a new region, Cantabrica.  I took this picture as I left the last town:

This tells the distance to Santiago, about 400 miles. I was going to jump ahead by bus in order to make it by October 12. But I met some women, Cindy and Marcy from Pennsylvania, and they said it’s possible to do in the time I have. They even share their spreadsheet with me that shows their daily hikes.

So I am going to see if I can do it, too.(and yes, they are my age. Lots of us are retirees.) Yesterday I did go on some roads again, although I also went in the mountains.  30 km is about 18 miles and I did 16, I think.

Soon after I took that picture I heard someone say Hi, Liz. It was Juan, and his friend Jesus, two guys from Andalusia down on the Mediterranean. They have been so kind and fun to walk with. I don’t always understand everything they say. To me Andalusian accents sound staccato, like Italian. I met them in the first 50 miles at a supper at an albergue in the mountains, and we’ve run into each other almost every day since, but they are going faster than me.  They need to be back at work early October, so yesterday was the last I’ll see them.

Once I happened to be in a group of people going down a really steep quarry road (literally down into a mining pit that cut across a wide valley. It was Sunday and the business was closed.)  It was so steep and we were walking single file down this trail, and Juan reached out and held onto a piece of my backpack and lifted it up. It took a lot of the weight off my shoulders. I thanked him. He said yes but if you fall, I am going to have to let you go!

Yesterday I was walking with a woman from Madrid named Veronica. She was just getting started and Jesus got her to stop and readjust her pack so it would be more comfortable. We walked in a little group for 6 or 7 miles and every so often they asled, “are you ok?”  I imagined they were thinking if their mom were on a hike like this they would hope someone would look out for her.

I must get up soon and head out for my next destination, Noja. There are no big albergues, just a small one like 20 beds, which I will never reach in time. So I reserved a little hotel room. Some of the towns are surfer towns with parking areas full of vans, and surfer hostels.

I walked by some beautiful places again yesterday.  A mile or two after this place above, I passed this little house and in the yard was a miniature swimming pool. I imagine they.can float there and watch the sun set over the Cantabria n Sea.