Etapa 6: Güemes - Santander

Morning God-lighting in the valley of Güemes.

At breakfast with all the pilgrims we sipped coffee from bowls and ate bread with jam. Don Ernesto offered an alternate route along the coastal cliffs that he said was longer but far more beautiful. Most other pilgrims opted for the shorter marked route, but we chose the cliffs. Somewhere in Galizano we took a wrong turn, as this way was not signed by the same yellow arrows as the Camino. Knowing that all roads here lead uphill, we climbed a mountain to see if we could spot the beach below. This was a smart choice, we found a path to the beach, and then back on the path up another cliff to the ridge. Wow, the view was stunning and would be like this for ten kilometers as we walked mere feet from the edge in pastures overlooking the Cantabric Sea.


We had to remove our shoes to trek across the tide.







Hours later we reached the beach in Somo, a vast sandy stretch blanketed with families. We removed our shoes and walked barefoot in the cool water. You can't imagine how good this felt after having our feet crammed in hot, stinky shoes for hours every day. When we consulted our map, three boys around 6 years old came up to offer their help. They told us the ferry to Santander was all the way at the other end of the beach, a few kilometers away. This was a very sweet exchange, but we were happy when halfway there a German woman wished us a buen camino, and told us we were actually very close to the ferry. Perfect timing, another example of the little angels that keep us on the right track every day. If not for her we would have passed it by 2 kilometers and then backtracked.


Walking barefoot across Somo.




We almost missed this directional sticker high on a lamppost.


A few minutes of rest on the ferry to Santander.

This much larger ferry, filled with travelers, carried us across the wide bay to Santander, a big city for this region and an important port. We found a nice pension, Botin, a pleasant yellow room with a gallery window overlooking the mercado, and with a shower ensuite! The problem with arriving in towns so late is that that most restaurants close their kitchens and there is nothing available to eat but bocadillos that have been sitting out all day in bars. At dinner time we decided, enough with the bocadillos, and found a busy and very cute Italian restaurant, which unfortunately served truly the worst pasta we've ever eaten. Tomorrow we would be back on the Spanish food. Again, the rain started. It has rained nearly every night, and then each morning been clear or at least dry and overcast. Good walking weather.


View of the mercado from our pension


In the cloister of the Cathedral



We passed a drizzly day off, resting and sightseeing in the bustling port town of Santander, and an odd night in the completely full albergue which was run like a jailhouse, lights out and doors locked at 10:30 for bedcheck. Sadly, we could only watch the first half of the Spain v. Russia Euro Cup match, but we could hear by the shouts and fireworks that Spain had been victorious. Later, all we could hear was the guy sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the front room, who had voluntarily banished himself due to sleep apnea, roaring like a freight train. Albergue life is a new twist, imagine a youth hostal, crammed with many bunkbeds in one room, usually a single shower and toilet, only instead of fresh faced high school grads, most are in their 40s and 50s and even some in their 70s.


The albergue where we stayed our second night in Santander.