Camino del Norte Day 2: San Sebastián to Getaria

The Camino provides. It’s a well-known saying amongst pilgrims who often rely on kismet to make things happen along the way. Today the Camino del Norte did indeed provide.

Having walked around 27k from San Sebastián today I arrived in Getaria around 2:45pm. I was exhausted. Hungry and soaked in sweat. I had just enough time to shower, stretch, and run out the door to find someplace I can eat before kitchens close at 3:30pm. Yes. I said, when kitchens close. For those of you who haven’t been to Spain, it is part of their culture to open restaurants only on very limited hours. Dinner doesn’t start till 7:30pm, which as a pilgrim—who by 7:30pm expects to be in bed is a problem. Anyway, when on Camino I usually eat a large meal at the later end of their lunch hour here and I’m good with that until breakfast the next day.

Today, a spanner was thrown into my well-laid plan by Correos, the luggage transfer service I’m using, which in theory should have my bag delivered by 2:30pm. I hopped in the shower and did my stretching routine confident they would arrive in time for me to throw clean clothes on. They didn’t. They delivered at 3:30pm exactly. ARGH!!

Grumpy I walked down to the reception desk where the woman sensing my despair asked what was wrong. Well, she lept into action and started calling restaurants around town, explaining she had a hungry pilgrim who needed a meal. She found me one who agreed to keep their kitchen open for me. I arrived a few minutes before 4pm and was served with a smile and a no problem. I could have cried.

When you’re on Camino it’s the little things that make you happy. Your life is reduced to the basics. Walk, eat, sleep, repeat.

Yes, in my case, maybe not so basic. I fully acknowledge I’m writing this from my hotel rooftop with a view of the beach and a glass of rosé.

Walking the Norte: First Impressions

I went into this trip not sure what to expect. What I mean by that is that what many people think of as the Camino a Santiago is based on the French Way. The Francés is this alternate universe you basically walk into, which starts in the French border town of St. Jean Pied de Port. From there you embark on a 500 mile (800km) walk across Spain in a bubble where the entire route exists for the sole purpose of serving pilgrims. It is a moving village. Or maybe a moving circus. Perfect strangers become instant BFFs, forming what is known as Camino Families as they walk through a beautiful and history-laden, but largely empty part of Spain. To say those communities still exist solely because of the Camino is not an exaggeration.

Pilgrims: there are not that many of us.

The Camino del Norte is completely different. Here, you are walking along the Northern Coastline of Spain. Coast means beaches. Beaches bring tourists. Furthermore, the Northern Way starts in Basque Country which is the wealthiest part of Spain. And it shows. Pilgrims are mostly turned off by this Camino for two reasons: it’s hard and it’s expensive.

As such the Camino del Norte sees about ten times fewer pilgrims than the Frances. We also tend to blend in with everyone else. In places you get the sense people really couldn’t care less about you because well, most Pilgrims aren’t spending much money and we usually look a mess.

After the first day where there were an overwhelming number of day hikers, but only a few pilgrims in sight I concluded the “Camino Spirit” would be close to non-existent here. Traded away for the privileged of walking through a spectacularly beautiful part of the country.

Today, at least for a short while, I was proven wrong. An hour or so into my day after only seeing one pilgrim, it was as if the backpack/walking stick/yellow-arrow, following crew had materialized out of nowhere. It took a while before I realized most had likely stayed outside of San Sebastián to save money. Donostia, as it’s known in Basque is as far removed from the average pilgrim budget as possible.

The Pilgrim Spirit on the Camino del Norte: Diminished, but not inexistent either.

Within a short period there were enough pilgrims on the road to feel comforted, but not so many as to become a distraction. And then came the “donativos.” That I really didn’t expect. Donativos are essentially stands along the road set up by the locals offering pilgrims water, coffee, and food essentially for free. You give what you can. Usually a euro or two.

The first one came out of nowhere. A little unmanned stand decorated with Tibetan prayer flags. While there was no one tending to it, but the water was still cold and the croissants were fresh. The second, took me off guard. Its name Txoko de Peregrinos (Pilgrim’s Corner) and the building it was housed in made me think it was a business. It wasn’t. It was another donativo. Set up by a community of folks of different nationalities who call themselves the 12 tribes of Israel. Their philosophy is that religion is irrelevant. And they live offering what they have to those who come through. What they had was a delicious homemade pound cake, a hot cup of coffee and a clean bathroom. In a pilgrim’s world this is basically heaven. The Camino provides.

Today’s Stats:

Distance: 17 miles (27km)

Elevation gain: 2,064ft (629m)

Duration: 6:40hrs

Food and Accommodation:

Hotel: Itxas Gain. The hotel is cute, but nothing fancy. The standout for me here was their attentiveness after a long and tiring day.

Restaurant: Itxas Etxe. I’m not going to lie. While I’m extremely grateful that they agreed to serve me after kitchen closing hours this was one of the more mediocre and overpriced meals I had on the Camino del Norte.