The Longest Day...
- hollandauctions
- Oct 8, 2023
- 2 min read
When I first started researching the Camino del Norte, and I had no idea what up and down really meant, I quickly glanced through all the stages, and this was the day I circled on the agenda. This, it seemed to me, would be the day I figured out whether I was really cut out for this camino thing, or would fade like a wallflower and slink home in defeat. This was to be, by official numbers (which every peregrino. or pilgrim, quickly realizes has no correlation to reality, as almost everyday is longer than stated) the longest waking dayof the Camino, with 36 kms between Santander and Santanilla del Mar.
Grumpy Gus having his morning coffee...
Santander in the rain...
Still raining... would have liked to spend some more time here... looked like an interesting city...
The road is calling...
A bright house on an otherwise dreary day..
I pass through a cute little village, but most of the day is uninspiring...
This is about as good as it gets for the day, a far cry from some of the stunning scenery we have seen on other days...
A little inspiration, and just a little closer to the goal...
Another church along the way, only outnumbered by cows and sheep...
My first chicken video...
A pit stop for cafe con leche and a can of olives with anchovies..
My first lemon tree sighting...
Still raining ..
Feeding time!
Feeding time- part 2...
Right before passing this factory my day perked up when I stopped for a Radler, and met a fellow peregrino who was on his first day. At first I was a little unsure about "DJ David Price" from Rostov, Germany, but quickly came to appreciate his humor, positive approach to everthing, and endless supply of stories...
Pretty sure whoever lives here has walked a camino or two..
After several hours of walking with DJ David Price, we finally reached Santallina.... it was a real high to know we were able to make it this far, but my feet would pay the price in the coming days..
We arrived at the convent just past 8pm and JUST made it for dinner, as the other peregrinos were already entering the eating area when we walked in... We sat with a Frenchman and Spaniard to my right, DJ David across from me and Jean-Francois, a pilgrim from the Netherlands who I had first met at Ponzueta, to my left...
Dinner consisted of a squash soup, pulled chicken with rice and vegetables, and a little pot of creme anglaise... Photos unavailable because my phone died after such a long day!...
After dinner we did some laundry by hand, had a quick nightcap, and off to bed, sleeping by about 11pm..
Distance walked today- 36kms
TOTAL DISTANCE WALKED SO FAR-
345 KMS
Nobody else I know savours anchovies the way I do so I’m licking my lips every time you mention them.
Oh my gosh! I just read Ron's message which he must have been composing while I was working on mine.
Lawrence!!! It's scary being on the same wavelength as ... Ron!
Sorry, man. I'm hanging my head in shame ...
Grumpy Gus!?! You opened more like "Negative Ned"!
And there'll be no more "defeat" talk ... unless you've acquired a Spanish accent and meant to say "da feet"(which is quite understandable considering the agony your tender tootsies are going through). I'm totally with your sister on this: you've accomplished feats (pardon the pun) beyond wildest expectations. Consider any additional walking as icing on the cake. I mean, 36 km! What???
Yes, I can see feeling sad at losing some of your first acquaintances. What a blessing to have shared a couple of days or a couple of weeks with fellow travelers. However, I cannot lie, anybody named "DJ David" (and of course, I googled him) sounds like they'd be lots…
Well, 36 kms on a rainy, dreary day is certainly a struggle.
Ending up in a convent for dinner doesn't sound like much fun, either.
It's good you found some people to share the struggles with.
Hopefully, your feet get better so you don't get DE-FEETED ... ugh, sorry.
You're doing great, man, even if you stopped walking altogether, you've already accomplished a rare thing (feat, no... -feet!).
I'll just let myself out.
Hang in there Lawrence, even if it means stopping more often for olives and anchovies and a beer.