Well how about this! I'm just about up to date! Here goes:
A good evening spent in Irun. The hospitalero was great. We had to wait until 16:00hrs to get in but once we did, it was another well set up place. Plenty of comfortable beds and good facilities. I ate well and slept reasonably. An early start (it's becoming harder to wait - so happy am I to set off in the mornings). This photo came out blurred - for once my camera didn't quite get the settings right, but I rather like the effect:
At last - easy to follow signs! You've gotta love the Spanish - no point in mucking about sticking things halfway up a lamp post. Let's get the volunteers out with the 2 inch brushes :0)
These signs are painted everywhere, making it hard to get lost (I did, but more of that later). As seems the norm here, early starts mean I get to see the morning sky:
It was simple getting out of Irun, and I got a broader view, so thought I'd make use of the panorama feature:
A little further on, and a little higher, and the light changes again (when I get back I'll edit these properly for colour. At the moment you're seeing "as is" from the camera):
So, I was on my way. A short climb onto the ridge and then into the woods. Nice. I spent virtually the entire morning walking through shady woods of sycamore and chestnut. More excellent marking in Spain:
I was absolutely storming through the morning's walk. The past couple of days of shorter distances, coupled with the good rest, meant that after more than three weeks of walking all the fitness was there to enjoy. I hadn't planned to do anything mad, but I guess it's a bit like the addiction to jogging that can occur - all those endorphins. Maybe not, either way, I arrived in Pasaia Donibane in three hours. 18km in three hours! I loved every moment of it. This turned out to be a really pretty town, so I descended the stairs taking photos all the way. I wandered through the steets happily snapping away:
And here we go... I got lost! Well, let me put it another way: I was so enjoying being able to just walk about enjoying the scenery and not having to keep peering under hedges or up lamp posts, that it never occurred to me to read the guidebook that was in my pocket. Oh no. If I had, it would have told me that just as I passed the church there, I needed to ignore the few remaining yellow arrows, and instead wait at the quayside for the "navette" which would take me across the harbour and back onto the camino on the other side.
As it was I had noticed the sudden dearth of signs. But then there has always been some sort of logic to these things, and the occasion seemed no different. There was only one way to be walking, so I carried on, heading towards the head of the port, not at concerned at this stage. I passed this very large stack and found myself wondering about climbing all those ladders. You wouldn't catch me up there - I'm really no good on ladders and near the edges of things (unless, it would appear, they are mountains):
Here's what happened next: I pretty soon realised that I'd missed something. But once again this feeling kicked in that hey, I knew where I was headed. It was 6km away, how hard could it be to walk to San Sebastien? No point in panicking, I would soon rediscover the opposite side of the harbour, and I could take the camino from there.
Well, I wandered and wandered, over bridges, along walkways, beside the traffic. I asked locals. Nobody knew the camino itself but they all felt they knew where it should be. I was directed here and there.
After about an hour I started getting a bit fed up. The paths were very nice - all laid out and well kept urban walkways. People out on bicycles, people walking dogs. All very nice. And I knew where the coast was, so felt I'd soon bump into the path again.
About thirty minutes later, after following my nose, I noticed these rather grand buildings but hadn't really twigged:
A little while later, as the streets got wider and more shops began to appear, I asked a gentleman where I was. "Avenue de something-or-other" came the reply. "No, which town are we in?" (at risk of looking a bit daft) "San Sebastien" he replied. Blimey! How about that?
It was 12:30. I'd covered over 24km in five hours and was still ready for more. I went down to the beachfront and took a few photos, including the town hall:
And another panorama for good measure:
I found an information centre and a map. I asked about hostels. Apparently the one for pilgrims is closed in out of season. So - don't anybody go getting all holy after August! There was a youth hostel a little way out of town, so certainly no more hotels. I wandered off, first doing a little bit of sightseeing in the 'old town'. Of course they have a cathedral. But this one is late 19th century neo-gothic. What an ungainly, complicated mess this seemed to me, for all its apparent grandeur:
Enough of the sightseeing already. Off to find a bed. I wandered along the beachfront, passing the grandly named "Palacio de Miramar" which in English would simply be "Seaview". Still, an attractive enough building.
So, one final photo from me and, can you believe it I'm up to date! Thanks to the Youth Hostel I checked into, with free wifi. About time somebody did! Anyway folks, that's about your lot for now. Tomorrow's another day. I'm off to have a shower and later, dinner in the subsidised restaurant :0)
A good evening spent in Irun. The hospitalero was great. We had to wait until 16:00hrs to get in but once we did, it was another well set up place. Plenty of comfortable beds and good facilities. I ate well and slept reasonably. An early start (it's becoming harder to wait - so happy am I to set off in the mornings). This photo came out blurred - for once my camera didn't quite get the settings right, but I rather like the effect:
At last - easy to follow signs! You've gotta love the Spanish - no point in mucking about sticking things halfway up a lamp post. Let's get the volunteers out with the 2 inch brushes :0)
These signs are painted everywhere, making it hard to get lost (I did, but more of that later). As seems the norm here, early starts mean I get to see the morning sky:
It was simple getting out of Irun, and I got a broader view, so thought I'd make use of the panorama feature:
A little further on, and a little higher, and the light changes again (when I get back I'll edit these properly for colour. At the moment you're seeing "as is" from the camera):
So, I was on my way. A short climb onto the ridge and then into the woods. Nice. I spent virtually the entire morning walking through shady woods of sycamore and chestnut. More excellent marking in Spain:
I was absolutely storming through the morning's walk. The past couple of days of shorter distances, coupled with the good rest, meant that after more than three weeks of walking all the fitness was there to enjoy. I hadn't planned to do anything mad, but I guess it's a bit like the addiction to jogging that can occur - all those endorphins. Maybe not, either way, I arrived in Pasaia Donibane in three hours. 18km in three hours! I loved every moment of it. This turned out to be a really pretty town, so I descended the stairs taking photos all the way. I wandered through the steets happily snapping away:
And here we go... I got lost! Well, let me put it another way: I was so enjoying being able to just walk about enjoying the scenery and not having to keep peering under hedges or up lamp posts, that it never occurred to me to read the guidebook that was in my pocket. Oh no. If I had, it would have told me that just as I passed the church there, I needed to ignore the few remaining yellow arrows, and instead wait at the quayside for the "navette" which would take me across the harbour and back onto the camino on the other side.
As it was I had noticed the sudden dearth of signs. But then there has always been some sort of logic to these things, and the occasion seemed no different. There was only one way to be walking, so I carried on, heading towards the head of the port, not at concerned at this stage. I passed this very large stack and found myself wondering about climbing all those ladders. You wouldn't catch me up there - I'm really no good on ladders and near the edges of things (unless, it would appear, they are mountains):
Here's what happened next: I pretty soon realised that I'd missed something. But once again this feeling kicked in that hey, I knew where I was headed. It was 6km away, how hard could it be to walk to San Sebastien? No point in panicking, I would soon rediscover the opposite side of the harbour, and I could take the camino from there.
Well, I wandered and wandered, over bridges, along walkways, beside the traffic. I asked locals. Nobody knew the camino itself but they all felt they knew where it should be. I was directed here and there.
After about an hour I started getting a bit fed up. The paths were very nice - all laid out and well kept urban walkways. People out on bicycles, people walking dogs. All very nice. And I knew where the coast was, so felt I'd soon bump into the path again.
About thirty minutes later, after following my nose, I noticed these rather grand buildings but hadn't really twigged:
A little while later, as the streets got wider and more shops began to appear, I asked a gentleman where I was. "Avenue de something-or-other" came the reply. "No, which town are we in?" (at risk of looking a bit daft) "San Sebastien" he replied. Blimey! How about that?
It was 12:30. I'd covered over 24km in five hours and was still ready for more. I went down to the beachfront and took a few photos, including the town hall:
And another panorama for good measure:
I found an information centre and a map. I asked about hostels. Apparently the one for pilgrims is closed in out of season. So - don't anybody go getting all holy after August! There was a youth hostel a little way out of town, so certainly no more hotels. I wandered off, first doing a little bit of sightseeing in the 'old town'. Of course they have a cathedral. But this one is late 19th century neo-gothic. What an ungainly, complicated mess this seemed to me, for all its apparent grandeur:
Enough of the sightseeing already. Off to find a bed. I wandered along the beachfront, passing the grandly named "Palacio de Miramar" which in English would simply be "Seaview". Still, an attractive enough building.
That's me up to date too:-)
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