Today was a tough travel day! We had an aggressive schedule planned, 44.7 km, and on top of that, it rained all day. The whole day.
We rose early, as always, and left Santander while it was still dark. Since today is Sunday, we expected the streets to be deserted at 6:00 am. But no! The city was teeming with young people. Apparently, they stay out all night and only start to make their way home between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning. They weren’t too rowdy or boisterous, just enjoying each others’ company. It was very strange to see a city to hopping with activity so early on a Sunday!
Early Morning Views
We had a few minutes of “dry” walking to start the morning, then the rain set in around 6:15 am. And it didn’t stop.
Foggy Hillside
By 7:00 am, my hiking boots were completely soaked. My feet oozed water with every step. So there we were, the crazy Americans in their blue Smithsonian ponchos, slogging it out on paths along the highway. That’s pretty much the story of the entire day. Even the scenery wasn’t overly exciting. We walked through the industrial outskirts of Santander, then the industrial backwaters around Cudon and Requejada.
Views of the Ocean from Mogro Region
Path Along the Pipeline at Cudon
We also didn’t pass a single fellow pilgrim until about 9:45 am, when we met Liza, a young French woman who started the Camino in Bayonne, France. We met at the train station in Boo de Pelagos, where the Camino requires you to take a train one stop to Mogro in order to cross a river or valley. Liza was completely soaked. She took the ocean view route around Santander and camped on the beach. Then heavy rains pummeled her starting at 3:00 am. She, and all her belongings, were completely dripping wet. She didn’t have the energy to walk the additional 30 kilometers to Santillana del Mar, so she planned to stay on the train for 20 kilometers to Requejada.
Apparently, that was the way most other pilgrims dealt with the rain: they took the train, or a bus. We saw pilgrims on our train from Boo; they rode all the way from Santander, and remained on the train after we hopped off. Twenty km later, as we walked by the train station at Requejada, we saw more pilgrims hopping out. We passed another traveler whom we recognized, waiting for a bus at the bus stop. On a previous day, we crossed paths with an Italian couple who met first outside of Bilbao. They were walking towards us, saying they had gone a few towns ahead by taxi and were now enjoying the views. It was all kind of annoying…
Santillana del Mar is a picture-book beautiful town. It was teeming with tourists. It’s an obligatory stop for tour groups since it’s the home of the Altamira Caves. These are the most important prehistoric site in Spain, proof of life in this area dating to Paleolithic times. The caves weren’t considered very important back in the day, until an 8-year-old girl walking with her paleontologist father noticed the faint markings on the walls. It’s been a huge tourist destination ever since.
Collegiate Church de Santillana del Mar
Santillana Streetscape
Santillana, of course!
We’re staying at an amazingly beautiful albergue called the Albergue El Convento. It’s on the site of a former convent. The rooms are the former nuns’ quarters, each now equipped with a bunk bed. The property is stunning and has all the amenities a pilgrim may desire: washers and dryers, a large living room, dinner and breakfast available, and so many of our pilgrim friends all flocking here. Marcia, from Belgium, arrived an hour after us, as did Justine, who we met on the ferry from Laredo. People are still pouring in. While it’s tempting to consider staying here for the pilgrims’ dinner, we’re going out for dinner on the town. It’s too cute to pass up!
Just for the record, 44.7 km is really far. Our fitbits say we completed over 55,000 steps today, and covered over 25 miles. Our feet are aching (but no new blisters, at least!). We finally arrived at our destination at 3:45 pm. That's almost 10 solid hours of walking. By the time we checked into our lodging, all the restaurants in town had closed. We were hungry, tired, and soaked. Grrrhhh.
We’ve traveled 319 km so far. Santiago de Compostela is just 516.2 km away.
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