I slept unbelievably well last night, woke up with surprising ease, and walked - at least the first 15kms - with unexpectedly high levels of energy. What more, except for a few blisters that have now developed on my left foot, today's route was physically relatively painless. I will need to deal carefully with these blisters in the next few days...
The walk began almost on the dot at 8am, when I hauled all my belongings on my back, ready for a new day of walking. My first destination was actually a deli, less than 3 blocks away. I was told that they sell delicious jamón serrano and queso manchego. In addition to the ham and cheese, I bought myself 2 - 1.5 litre bottles of water, a loaf of bread, and a couple of oranges.
Not too long into my walk I met Jesse, a girl from Germany. I walked with her for a couple of hours. This is her 2nd Camino, having previously completed the French route. About halfway through the walk I also met Markus, another German. He's a very intense fella, but friendly enough. I appreciated my conversation with him, as within a very short period of time he opened up and told me about his life. He recently got a divorce, he quit his job at Audi, is skeptical about God (ie - particularly the Roman Catholic church, where he stems from), but was very engaged with life. "I'm trying to figure it all out." Refreshing honesty!
Towards the end of the day Jesse, Markus and I met in Orio, and walked together the last 7 or so kms. Hot, sweaty, and exhausted, we stopped for a late lunch at an abandoned hermitage. Once we got going again we realized that Zarautz was virtually just around the corner from where we ate, so our last stretch was quite short.
To our disappointment, however, we found out (after trudging all the way through and to the far end of town) that the albergue was sold out for the night. So back to downtown we went, and found ourselves a private pension home.
The scenery today was not nearly as stunning as yesterday, but still, it was very beautiful. Zarautz is a resort town, where similarly to San Sebastián, Spaniards go on vacation. But Zarautz is not nearly as big as San Sebastián.
At 8pm I met Markus for dinner. Two other Germans (what's with meeting all these Germans on the Camino?) - Jacob and Arman - joined us for dinner, but I got the impression that they didn't get along with Martin very well. I wonder if there's a story behind that...
Anyways, below are a few pictures.
Less than an hour into the walk, there was a "self-service" station to get my Camino passport stamped. Jesse took the picture.
Farmland, with the Atlantic ocean in the background.
Refreshed after a late lunch, I took a picture of myself. The beach is already on the outskirts of Zarautz.
Camino, with farmlands on either side.
Markus and I, at a vineyard. Yes, we tried a few grapes .. delicious!
Oceanside in Zarautz.
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