Friday, Sept 30. San Sebastián to Zarautz. 20km but up and down. About 9 hours. This was so welcomed after two days of rain.
Leaving San Sebastián in the morning was a joy. The walk along the promenade at Playa de La Concha ranks as one of the top promenade walks. Golden sand, wide promenade, strong waves with just the right amount of wind blowing at you. Interesting cloud formations on an overcast day, with some sunlight breathing through.
We lapsed into enjoying the walk along the promenade that we didn’t spot the turn off (not the usual Yellow Arrow painted on posts, walls or floors). We walked about a half km on and came to San Sebastian’s singing blow holes. There’s about 6 holes in the promenade floor and when the waves and winds come with the right force, it’s forced through these blow holes as vapor and sound. I took a video but it’s too large to upload here.
One final picture of the awesome clouds and ocean views on this overcast day.
One final farewell from San Sebastián as we left the promenade was this awesome ceramic mural covering this pedestrian tunnel.
As expected, the exit out required trekking uphill. Once we got out of the city limits, we were into the countryside. Fresh farm smells, meadows and generally, lack of any traffic noise. Open skies.
Pilar came up upon us, as we walk slowly and leisurely. She’s a Chilean, who has worked and lived in many countries, such as New Zealand, Australia, Spain etc. She shared that this was the first day of her first Camino! She was walking because of a number of life events, and thus, she had left her job, family and friends to just reflect and ponder on life’s next directions. We wish her well.
Taking extended time for a Camino walk can be very therapeutic and self-healing at many levels. It may seem daunting but one can decide on the route, duration and budget. Dis-connecting from the world once a while helps re-calibrate one’s inner gyroscope. Perhaps it’s a local trip somewhere simple that will also do the trick!
After making it through the countryside, we were headed down when we came across Naomi, who had set up a large tent with some refreshments. We view this as an opportunity to meet people especially those who are being hospitable to pilgrims. She’s very committed to Yeshua (Christ).
The goodwill from Naomi was probably to prepare us for a downhill stretch of about 1.5 km of large irregular boulders and stones. It was laid out like an old road but due to wear and tear, it takes more effort to navigate certain stretches without twisting one’s ankle!
Finally, we came unto this view of Zarautz. A great layout with plenty of beachfront. The golf course was the icing on the cake!
We stayed at Pension Txiki Polit, in the midst of a square. Plenty of eating options, bearing in mind that generally kitchens open at 8pm. Before then, it’s basically tapas/pincos.
We selected a less busy restaurant where most of the patrons were essentially socializing over beer and wine. There were several large screens but majority were following the soccer match. We were the only ones eating dinner! An early night like most.
Journey Within 