Day 5, Bilbao
“I feel completely alone, but not at all lonely, - Rachel Friedman
I woke up in Gernika learning a good lesson. Don’t wash everything at once, always keep a dry option. My clothes are mostly dry, socks on the other hand were still pretty damp. I used the hair dryer for a bit (feeling bad about the early hours and the paper thin walls). I had to set off for Bilbao in damp clothes, not a great feeling.
I was slow packing up, but it was good to have taken everything out of my pack. I found my battery pack! I knew it had to be in there somewhere.
Staying in an alburgue there is a natural rhythm and you just go with it. This morning in the hotel room I was slow and feeling all my aches even more so, but I think it’s because I wasn’t surrounded by other pilgrims pushing me through the morning.
It turns out my damp clothes were no big deal, it POURED all morning, we had to trudge through thick mud and streams. It was quite a morning. At one point I met up with Elizabeth and Ross (mother and son) from Toronto. They asked where I was planning to stop for the day. I said Bilbao, they were impressed by my ambition.
Wait. What?
Isn’t that where everyone is headed? Like 19k, right? Oh no, I got that messed up, 19 miles. There were still four small towns along the way, but beds will be filling fast they warned me. The problem with my switch from the Frances route to the Norte route is that I have done no research for this and I’ve just been taking each day as it comes. In most ways I love that. However, I’m learning there are points along the way where some planning could be a good thing. The route from Gernika to Bilbao was long and difficult with very few beds in between.
When I got to Lezama (the place most were staying) I was feeling pretty good. I had a really big lunch that was amazing. David (American who lives in Japan) was at the Taberna too and told me I should put my backpack in the line at the alburgue. I said I was thinking about it but not sure I’d stay. A few minutes later Elizabeth and Ross came in. David just shook his head at me, you’ve probably lost your chance for a bed. Oh well, now I was committed.
After lunch I went outside to wring out my socks and put some fresh damp socks on. While I was doing that Sara and Rebecca (Wales) showed up and they were walking on to Bilbao as well.
It was a long day, we arrived in Bilbao around 7:30. The last hills of the day are always the hardest and the descent into town is always the steepest of the day. I was so thankful to have them with me to keep my mind off of the pain and keep things cheerful.
As we walked I mentioned that I was thinking of staying an extra night in Bilbao. They were encouraging which was nice. It’s a hard decision to make because even though I’ve just met all of these people, I’ve grown attached to my Camino buddies. The extra day most likely puts me off sync, so I’ll be walking with a different group after that. However, Bilbao is a beautiful city with lots to see. It seems a shame to rush by without taking it in. I have the luxury of time, so I’ll stay.
So it’s most likely goodbye to my amigos, Sylvia, Ana…, (Netherlands), Caroline (Berlin), David (US/Japan), los tres Amigos (Spain), Bernard (Jersey/UK), Claude (Spain), John (Spain), Danny (Brighton), Elizabeth and Ross (Toronto), the Greek ladies, the Hungarian group, the Spanish couple, the French quartet, the couple from New York and the couple from Florida (somehow I never got their names). And of course Sara and Rebecca (Wales) who I met the first night in San Sebastián. It’s weird to think I didn’t know of any them 6 days ago and yet it’s hard to think I may not see them again.