I am writing this icing my knee as I seem to be suffering from Patella Bursitis. The pharmacies in Spain will hand over strong pain killers without a prescription so that is where I will be heading first thing! Tonight I am staying in a private room as I have decided that on every 10th day I will treat myself. Tonight I had a heavenly long shower and I am sure I will be asleep by 7:30pm!
Deba – Markina (19 miles)
Many pilgrims set out in the dark but I like to start just as the sun is rising, luckily I am comfortable with walking at a fast pace so I feel no need to leave super early. Today I felt a little rough, my body is definitely feeling the past few days and I have weird aches and pains in random places! I said goodbye to my train station/hostel and followed the trail taking us away from the coast and through basque farmland, the coastal views disappeared and I mainly walked along country pathways. The accumulated climbing elevation was 1160 meters which is no easy task when walking in the rain with a path that is slippy and thick with mud along with rain induced water crossings. Everyone arriving at the hostel in Markina was a soggy and mucky mess. We celebrated our arrival with a family style dinner, it was a great way to end a taxing day while keeping our fingers crossed that our clothes would dry!
Markina to Guernika (Alto De Morga) (21.3 miles)
Todays trail started along a river, it rained again today and I am so thankful for my newly acquired rain jacket, I would be in serious trouble without it! The trail was similar to yesterday with mountainous country trails and many elevation changes along with thick slippy mud and this is where I was also thankful for my poles! Randomly I came across the cutest house with a life size Snow White along with her friendly dwarfs in a beautifully landscaped Spanish garden.. this Camino sometimes feels a little magical! I bumped into some of my Camino family in Guernika and we had a lovely three course dinner with wine which probably wasn’t the best choice as I still had to hike another 5 miles to the next town Alto De Morga as this was the only place with a bed available!
While in Guernika I learned about the devastating event that took place on April 26th 1937.
The bombing of Guernika was ordered by Hermann Göring, commander in chief of the German Luftwaffe, as a birthday gift for Hitler. The plan was for maximum civilian casualties and this was achieved by firstly dropping missiles on the town and then waiting for any living civilians to emerge from their shelters and then launching a devastating second wave by incinerating, asphyxiating and shooting them. An estimated 1,500 civilians were killed and Guernica was leveled. Pablo Picasso painted “Guernika” as an anti war symbol.
Guernika – Balboa (22.2 miles)
Today was a sad start as I said goodbye to an amazing Spanish girl, Laura. Laura had started in Bayonne and chose to run the trail! We had shared the same hostels along with many beers and stories. She was the first member of our Camino family to leave.
Today the trail went through many small towns one of which is called Larrabetzu and was one of the most outspoken villages in the Basque fight for independence. Graffiti depicts this in multiple areas and not the crappy graffiti I’m used to back home but beautiful art.
There was a steep elevation climb before a sudden vista of Balboa. It felt strange seeing a big bustling city having walked through small towns and countryside for days. Once settled into the hostel we walked around and I quickly realized Balboa has a cosmopolitan feel with beautiful restaurants and fantastic shops, the whole place is buzzing. I visited the Guggenheim museum with some other pilgrims and it is definitely a place not to be missed if you find yourself here.
