Something new-but millions of years old-under the sun

22 September 

Zumaia, Basque Country

I had heard there was a coastal route from Zumaia to Deba but couldn’t find anything official. The normal way to go is via an interior route, pastoral and calming.

Since I was taking another day off to kick this cold summarily down the trail, I used the time to go exploring, looking for the rumored coastal route which wasn’t described in the trail guide. 

As I passed through the church yard, a pilgrim sitting in a shadow, smoking and, frankly, looking pretty rough, spoke to me, and when I only nodded back, he got up to walk alongside me. Trilingual (although he said his English was not good so I chose French over Spanish), he was the ultimate wanderer, starting in Paris this time, then on to Bordeaux, Biarritz, Bayonne, and now to here, sleeping on beaches along the way.  

Pablo was one of those pilgrims who sometimes appear, disappear and then occasionally reappear down the path. And if you can manage to do a good job describing him just as he is, then you have your own Canterbury Tale with no need to make up anything beyond. Reality becomes the best tale of all. 

We discovered this.

...and looking in the other direction, this (more about the Flysch later)...

...and back to the west, this.

After a nice chat, he disappeared, but I won’t be surprised if I see him again.

Walking on, I spent some time in wonder as I gazed at this hill, knowing this would be the path I would take tomorrow as I started out on the coastal route.

Zarutz to Zumaia

21 September

Making the choice to walk out of Zarutz along the water was a good one. In 2015 we had climbed up through vineyards for gorgeous bucolic scenery and long views of the ocean.

But I was glad to be nautical today. Walking along the crystal clear azure water, I watched a gymnast practice his high wire...

...and surfers preen. The day was also crystal clear and the walk to Getaria refreshing. 

Then in town, the atmosphere was festive. It was race day, and everyone was out to encourage the runners. 

I was thrilled to meet these two young men who had walked and hitchhiked from Poland! They seemed so humble as I congratulated them. But they did let me take their picture...

The walk out of Getaria and on to Zumaia was one of constant pastures and calming scenery. 

But I was ready to call it a day, get a hot shower, and enjoy Zumaia. 

Who, where, or what is Jaizkabel?

20 September 

After four days of resting, only two of which were intentional, it was the first real day of walking, and it was spectacular!

There was a choice to walk a lower easier path or to walk a higher more difficult one to Jaizkabel. In 2015 we had missed the turn to the higher one, so it was imperative to find it this time. 

At the first resting spot at Sanctuario de Guadalupe...

.,,I made three young German friends who invited me to walk with them....

Ole...

Annegret.,.

...and Simon. 

After a walk back down from the top where the views were incredible…

...we said goodbye in Pasajes...

,..where they stayed the night, hopefully, at the Albergue. There were several pilgrims waiting for it to open although there were only 14 beds.

However, I refuse to feel too guilty about booking ahead as I walk my own “Luximino.”

What else does the Little Pilgrim do when she is hanging out recovering from a bad cold?

Another great thing to do while passing the time in Northern Spain is to hang out with famous authors. Here she is with Pio Barajo of The Generation of ‘98. 

What does the Little Pilgrim do when she has a cold and can’t walk the Camino?

Stay in bed in her sweet little pensione room like she probably should?

Of course not. She leaves Irun (Spain)...

...walks to France...

...and finds a park for a déjeuner très élégant. 

À VOTRE SANTE, TOUT!

Why is the Little Pilgrim confused?

My mochila is almost ready to go...

… but these packing decisions are baffling.

West Highland Way Days 1-2, 26-27 August

As we set out on our Scottish walking adventure, the threat of rain was par for the course, so we headed out from Milngavie (pronounced like “mull guy”) quite optimistically for our 12 miles of walking to Dryman (pronounced like “drimmen”). But it was heads-down walking only since it rained the entire day. 

So the warm fire and hot Cullen Skink (a Scottish fish soup) waiting for us at the oldest pub in Scotland was a perfect end to our wet day. 

On Day 2 we tackled our first real climb of the walk, up Conic Hill. 

We descended Conic Hill coming alongside Loch Lomond through fairy forests of soft moss and ferns. 

The terrain changed many times, delighting us with more movie-perfect paths. 

We got a welcome break from our trek here by the Loch after our initiation into some of the most challenging rock-walking we had ever done. 


We were rewarded with this lovely view looking back down our first day of walking alongside the Loch. 

Beautiful and idyllic cottage in the woods where the fairies no doubt live...

...and lots of waterfalls along the way where they play.