As we chatted with so many pilgrims today while walking 20 kilometers and climbing over 500 meters (1600 feet), I’m amazed at how my legs are starting to feel. I don’t want to jinx it but I may be getting stronger.
The climbs, the mud, the rocks, the ascents, and the descents were all treacherous today. The climbs were steep and the mud was deep. Brian’s feet were covered in mud and tennis shoes lost their cute factor today.
These two, desperately needed, rest days came just in time. Brian needs a haircut, our clothes need a washing machine, we both need massages, and our legs need a break from the climbs!
We arrived in Bilbao today, a bustling city with a ton of character. I’m glad we have two days to explore because we need to go at a very slow pace. We didn’t see much today as we didn’t even wander beyond our hotel for dinner.
As luck would have it outside of our hotel there was this sign and we knew we had to eat dinner there. Last year on our Camino Frances, our pilgrim friend Sean raved about these “Kevin Bacon” burgers that we had to try. So our “pilgrim family” joined Sean (and his amazing dad, David) for a Kevin Bacon.
Seriously, it’s the best burger! If you ever find yourself at a Goiko burger joint, stop in! We need a Goiko in the United States! They even have outstanding mojitos and gluten free buns. The only thing missing tonight was our pilgrim family.
I hope another pilgrim family develops but for now we all have different end stops. We’ve enjoyed the company of ladies from Germany, two different couples from the United Kingdom, a couple from the Netherlands, and so many more but their adventure is ending now or they are pressing on because their journey ends in a few days.
Whether our relationships are long or short, we have enjoyed everyone we’ve met so far! I can’t believe we’ve only been walking for 5 days. Today a lovely conversation with a Statistics Professor from Germany got me through a big climb; it even made me feel like my legs are getting stronger.
As my English friend said today, “this is not a holiday, it’s an adventure!” What an adventure it’s been so far! I can’t imagine what will happen over the next 30 days of walking until we arrive in Santiago. Yes – we still have 30 more walking days!!
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