Elizetxe (Errigoti; Spain) | My First Blisters - Day 91

Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh is on his 2nd Camino. Lap carries Eeyore by wrapping the chest strap of his pack under Eeyore's front legs. It looks like Eeyore is taking Lap on his back for the Camino. Everyone brings something that could have been left at home on the Camino.

It is lovely waking up this morning. I slept great! We all decided to go to bed at the same time and start our day at 6 am. This was the first night where it got cold enough to close the windows. As we wake, I check my feet. The descent was hard and hot the last few days, and I have a blister on the end of my little toe on my left foot. So, I check in with everyone. How are your feet? Most everyone has at least one blister. Others like Lisbon, Tamina, and myself also have heat rash on our ankles. I also have a mild rash on my ass. I tried to find a combination of shorts and boxers this summer to avoid this problem on the Camino. There's only one thing left to try today before I leave. Comando (i.e., shorts only)! And wear shorter socks!

Stage 4 is Ziortza-Bolibar to Errigoti. Borja informed me yesterday that the hostel in Garnika-Lumo at the end of the stage is closed. This difficult stage covers another 24 km (15 mi) with many steep climbs and descents. The max elevation is around 350 m (1,150 ft) which I climbed twice today. The first time is early in the day. The second time is on the way to Errigoti, off the Camino and where the hostel is located.

I leave the Hostel Usandi with Céline. Kirsten, Ivo, and Lap are traveling together. Lisbon has severe blisters and isn't ready to go yet at 7 am. She tells everyone to move on. Tamina and Helena also wave the group on as they fold their wet laundry this morning. The sunrise as I climb up to the monastery, where several Pilgrims stayed last night, is fantastic!

Céline and I decided it would be good to walk together rather than continue to leapfrog each other. This allows me to work on my French, as that is all we speak. Céline understands English, but I try not to use it as a crutch. She is patient with me and gives me time to think of words on my own, which I appreciate. The monastery is quiet this morning, and many Pilgrims have already left. Céline tells me that the monks here brew their own beer too.

The first steep descent after the monastery is along a multi-tiered staircase. This helps and keeps my little toe from rubbing in the front of my boot. Most of the time, I don't feel my little toe, and when I do, I wiggle my toes in my shoes to make room for it. 

As we reach our first little town, I tell Céline today will be "une hachoir pour les fesses" [a butt grinder]. She asks me to explain, and I tell her it's an American expression for a difficult day. She laughs. The first town we arrive at is Munitibar, a bedroom community. There are only houses here, no grocery stores, and no restaurants. I got word from a few Pilgrims that there are no provisions on the Camino today. Accordingly, I still have enough provisions from Deba to get me through the day.

This is the third time I have passed a similar sign in Munitibar. I'm not sure what it means. I wonder if it is related to the Basque people somehow.

As I leave Munitibar, I notice the beautiful flowers contrasting against the white house.

As I near the bottom of the descent from Munitibar, this curious building stops me. It is an old forge from 1799. It also included several water mills to power the billows that keep the fire hot. It now sits abandoned. I wonder about the stories it has to share.

As I leave the last little town before Garnika, this beautiful magenta bush draws my attention as I look back at the village I just passed down below.

Around 130 pm, I arrive in Garnika-Lumo with Céline. We decide to stop in this square and take off our boots. Now that I am several days into the Camino, I've found it is essential to air out my feet when I stop. The descent into Garnika-Lumo was brutal again. The downhills into towns these first few days are challenging. When I take off my socks, I notice I now have another blister on the tip of my second toe on the left foot. I never get blisters; however, I think my boots are just a tad small for these very steep descents. 

Since the Pilgrim hostel is closed, Céline and I try to call ahead to several Albergues on the Camino. I make several calls and none of the Albergues answer. I suspect this means they have no vacancy. Why answer the phone if you have no rooms? I open my Booking.com app and notice that all the nearby Albergues are sold out. While I am doing this, Céline is on the phone also. "J'ai avons une auberge. C'est 45 euro. [I have an Albergue. It is 45 euros." she says. Great! The Albergue is 0.5 mi (0.8 km) north of the Camino trail but is 3 km (1.8 mi) short of the Pozueta Albergue, which is sold out. This is good. We can keep going and have a place for tonight.

Before leaving town, I stop at a produce store to buy bananas, tangerines, and carrots. They carry well and are full of good vitamins that I am not getting from peanuts and corn nuts. I love corn, nuts, and peanuts on the trail. The Spanish versions are even better. I found peanuts with honey and salt that are amazing, and the corn nuts have a light smoky flavor that corn nuts in the United States do not have. When I sweat a lot due to physical activity, I crave salt. These snacks are high in calories and loaded with carbohydrates, and have a fair bit of salt. They are also easy to eat and allow me to fuel up quickly without leaving me feeling bloated. 

Finally, around 5 pm, we arrive at the Albergue Elizexe [Eliz - ey - ché]. I thank Céline for the conversation today. I note that this is the first day, I have been able to think in French without translating in my head. It has been over 35 years since that happened and it feels great!

Although it has a modest exterior, the interior is lovely. This appears to be an old home that has been converted into an Albergue. The lady asks if I want breakfast in the morning. I don't hesitate at the chance to eat breakfast before I go in the morning.

After I get settled and cleaned up. I take my laptop outside and work on my post. This is the 3rd day of hot weather. It is also the third time I arrived at an Albergue after 4 pm. The last few days have been long. They are complicated by the fact that Albergues are hard to come by. There were > 120 beds available today after Gernika-Lumo, not counting the Albergue we found, and everything was sold out. I have not seen nearly that many Peregrinos on the trail, but they must be here.

I pause and think through my approach. So far, I have not made reservations till the day of. I prefer to keep my options open as I never know how the day will go. However, as in Markina, I had to walk extra miles (kilometers). It feels strange to call them "extra" miles, as they all need to be walked. 

Nevertheless, they are extra because I had to progress further than planned. I remember Mark telling me in Bordeaux that if I could break away from the "Camino schedule" and stay in towns that others pass by, it would be easier to find Albergues. Accordingly, I only have one more long day before I arrive in Bilbao, after which I know many Pilgrims go home. So, I decide to stick with my schedule and book as the day evolves.

It feels good to be in a quiet Albergue and, more importantly, to give my two blisters a rest. Neither has popped yet, so if I can be mindful and avoid irritating them, I think they can turn into calluses. Which will help me down the road. These first few days have been challenging and lengthy. However, my two blisters are minor, and going with the short socks and Comando has solved my heat rash problems. I have been humbled by my fellow Peregrinos daily as I learn about their struggles.

I am looking forward to getting to Bilbao tomorrow and returning to the coast a day early. These past two days and the extra miles I have covered have enabled me to combine the last two stages into a 24 km (15 mi) stage. I look forward to moving into the next phase of the Camino, but first, I have another "hachoir pour les fesses" ahead of me.