(From Edward) Today’s itinerary offered a surprising amount of variety. Upon leaving Pobleña at the crack of dawn, we braved another grueling stair climb. We were immediately rewarded with a stunning view of the ocean as the sun rose.
We passed forests, small villages, and pastures of cows. We took a terrifying shortcut that amounted to walking on the thin shoulder of a highway.
The endpoint suggested by our guidebook and app was Castro-Urdiales, a city filled with historical sights (evidence of human settlement here reaches back to 12000 BCE) and natural beauty. Once we reached downtown, we ate breakfast with fellow pilgrims from Barcelona, Croatia, and Germany and prayed at the Gothic church Santa María de la Asunción.
We decided to walk further to get a head start on tomorrow’s route of 30km. The alburgue which we had hoped to sleep was unexpectedly shut down, but we found a small cabin at a nearby campsite for only 20 euros. We are now eating sandwiches in the shadow of a green mountain as we prepare for more adventure tomorrow.
