The twelfth day of walking: to Santander

Hello, everyone.

Returning to the series about the Camino del Norte in 2018:

We got up and were given (European-style) breakfast before departing from Guemes. The coffee was hot, there were tea bags for those of us who don't start with caffeine first thing in the morning anymore, and there was bread. There was probably butter and jelly as well, but I don't remember.

Some of the paths of the Norte route go alongside steep cliffs. It's important to remember that nature doesn't come with grab rails.

This was our third ferry ride of the pilgrimage. It was a little bit longer than the other two. We passed a cruise ship in the harbor at Santander. When we got to the church there, we found the cruise ship tourists. They were crowded into long lines, gabbing away inside the church, and generally acting like they were there to see a side show act. 😞The Tabernacle was there and they all acted like they were out in the public street. The lines led to the reliquaries of San Celedonio and San Emeterio, the patron saints of the diocese.

We stayed in the albergue there. There is a washer but I don't remember a dryer. There are clotheslines outside the window of the dormitory...two stories up, reached by opening the window and reaching out to pin the clothes onto them...but hey, a bunk in a dorm beats no bed at all.  And the sleeping was fine. Pilgrims give thanks for what we receive.

The tenth day: Laredo to Noja

Hello, everyone.

Returning to the Camino series, on the tenth day we walked the length of Laredo to the beach at the very tip of the land and boarded the ferry across to Santoña.

This is the sign at the ferry landing. (Well, it's actually a section of beach and you walk across the sand, but it's the landing.)

The ride was pleasant and uneventful.

The other photo, below, is of a primrose that was growing in the sand along the way. It looks a lot like a similar primrose that grows at South Padre Island, Texas, but it may be a different species. It is still lovely!



After we arrived at Noja, we found a pension to stay at and loaded up our laundry for the walk across the small town to the laundromat. While we were there, the heavens opened and dumped down strong rain. There was also lightning and possibly even a bit of hail. All very exciting! Especially as we dashed back across town with newly dried laundry. We did duck into a bar to wait out the worst of it.