11th June Contrasts

Boo de Pelegios to Santillana del Mar 23.1km

I am writing this sat in the El Convent alburgue in Santillana del Mar. It is according to my guide a town built on lies. Three lies in fact. It isn't sacred (santa), it isn't flat (llana) and it doesn't have any sea (mar). 

On the negative side, possibly due to a mix up with the route, today it was a pretty...wait for it...pretty grim route. So much so that I considered changing the name of the route to the Camino Dull Norte. It was long stretches through non description (and closed ) rural villages, a long stretch along a dirt road following some sort of pipeline and long, long stretches walking along the side of busy main roads. And I was not alone in my dislike for today's walk with several fellow pilgrims voicing a similar opinion during a debrief coffee. 

But on the plus side it has only been 4 hours walk to get here., with a 3 min train journey thrown in at the start of the day to avoid a 13km detour (the highlight of the day). And the town itself is gorgeous with a medieval feel to it. Cobblestone streets, narrow twisting alleyways, old churches and what appears to be lots of high end hotels. 

Even after a sudden short shower which sent the day tipper tourists scurrying for shelter, it looked beautiful. And nice to have time to stop and admire a place rather than just wandering through it.

This afternoon was a chance to rest my feet, although I think the blisters that developed on my blisters have all popped and settled down (more or less). It just that all the walking on tarmac / concrete in walking shoes rather than lovely cushioned trainers takes its toll. And unlike most albergues that I have stayed in so far, here at El Convent, pilgrims are allocated to rooms with just two beds in. Tonight my bunk mate is the first pilgrim I have met from Iran.

As part of the 25 Euro price there was a communal dinner to which I would guesstimate 50 or so of the pilgrims attended. As well as enjoying the wholesome and filling 3 course meal, these gatherings are a real opportunity for sharing travelling tales, life experiences, perspectives and insights and just the privilege of being where we are, doing what we do. 

Language barriers were negotiated through native languages, shared non mother tongues, third party interpreters and even Google Translate. A real 'Bable' of conversation filling the air and bringing a day of contrasts to a lovely end.