Noja (Spain) | New Friends - Day 95

This morning the clouds are thick, and I can see rain in the distance. Nevertheless, the lights from the little village of Oriñón look lovely this morning.

Day 10 takes me from Oriñón to Noja. Another day that is predominately pavement. Today's stage is 28 km (17.3 mi). I can avoid the first big climb by following N-634, which keeps me close to the coast.

I wake at 6 am, eat the last of my food, and am out the door before 7 am. It is humid today, and the first 1.6 km (1 mi) to return to the Camino is all uphill. So, I climb up the road and walk with the traffic this morning. After walking about 0.8 km (0.5 mi), I notice the traffic is quite heavy this morning. Then I realize I'm on the Interstate. Oh shit, I don't think I am supposed to walk here. So, I climb over the barrier and continue walking toward the next exit, which will reconnect me with N-634.

As I approach the off-ramp, with only a few hundred meters to go, I can see two Policia in bright yellow vests waiting for me. I start shaking my head. Hola! Hablas Inglés? I ask. "Si," the young officer responds. I explain where I came from this morning and that I got confused. He tells me that I can't walk on this route. I point to the exit where N-634 passes and let him know I plan to go there. He confirms my decision, shakes my hand, and says, "Buen Camino." That was close. I could have ended up in the cuffs and been on my way to the police station in Laredo. I laugh. It would have saved me some walking.

Around 830 am, I finally reach Liendo, Spain, and the sun is finally rising. My heel is sensitive this morning, but I am managing with my trekking poles. Nothing is open in Liendo, so I keep on walking.

As I leave Liendo, I open my phone and begin learning the words the "Les Chevaliers de la Table Round [knights of the round table]." And I start signing. I can hear my Grandpa, mom, and Aunts singing along. As I read the verses, I recall the conversations in the car when I was a young boy, where my Grandpa would ask his daughters which verse came next. So I start to learn the song one verse at a time. Before arriving on the Camino, I thought it would be great to sing some of these songs as I walked, but I forgot to look up the tunes. Accordingly, when I start singing, I am overwhelmed with a beautiful sensation and cry as I sing the miles away. The Camino is an impressive experience.

I pass this sign shortly after leaving Liendo. This is typical of what I see this morning: lots of pavement, the occasional car, and solitude, which I enjoy immensely.

At 915 am, I catch my first glimpse of Loredo. The town is large, so I know I'll be able to restock before moving on and begin the gradual descent into the city.

At the far end of the beach is a ferry boat that will take me to Santoña.

As I arrive, a little fruit and vegetable store is at the end of the street. I make a B-line for it and buy a couple mandarin oranges, an apple, and two carrots. I start eating the carrots right away. Not as good as others I have had, but it still fills the gap. 

Before heading out of town, I must stop at the grocery store and ATM. I find myself a table and chairs and sit. I pull out my laptop. I know I need to transfer some funds to my Charles Schwab account, but I need to check the balance before doing so. My CS account reimburses me for all ATM fees. So it was a no-brainer to open this free checking account before my travels.

A few minutes later, a waitress arrives. Oops. I just realized I need to order something to sit a bit longer. So, I order a hot chocolate. The ATM is adjacent to me, so I walk to the bank and withdraw some euros when I am done. Then I head to the supermarket to reload the snacks in my pack.

Finally, I am back on the Camino, feeling refreshed and full, despite my sore heel. The long boardwalk along the beach is lovely this morning. Unfortunately, it takes a long time to walk to the end of the beach this morning, where the ferry awaits.

I have only seen one other Peregrino this morning, and he arrives on the beach shortly after I do. Gunnar is from Sweden. We take the ferry to Santoña together and begin marching to Noja. Our final destination. Gunnar is a general practitioner doctor who recently quit his job. He finds work stressful and believes it is best to live simply. This is 2nd Camino. On the Camino Frances in 2018, he met another gentleman, and walked together for 25 days. They are now great friends and travel annually to walk in different countries.

When we reach Playa Barria, Gunnar and I split up. He wants to find a supermarket, and I want to walk on the beach, then the coast on my way to Noja. "The hostel is located here," he says and shows me on his phone. We wish each other Buen Camino and look forward to seeing each other later at the Albergue. I take my pack off when I reach the beach and stop to enjoy the view.

After walking along the beach, the alternate trail begins to climb. This alternate path will take me over the point and descend back to the beach on the other side, near Noja. The Albergue is 4 km (2.5 mi) down the beach.

The view from the top is fantastic. I pause and look back towards Playa Barria.

The view is even better on the other side, Playa de Trengardin. Noja is located at the end of the beach.

I arrive at the Albergue around 3 pm. I find Gunnar and Enrique, an older Spaniard from Madrid, in my room. After getting settled, I look around the Albergue. Bernard and Maé are here. So is Céline. And several German folks arrive late.

Gunnar and I head to the local pub for a tapas (similar to Pinxot), but since we are no longer in the Basque country, they call them Tapas here. Gunnar asks for the salt. "You can never have too much salt when you are walking," he says, covering his potato tortilla tapas with salt. I agree. I also crave salt when I sweat and drink a lot of water. However, I think you can have too much salt. So, I add a little to my Tapas. Unfortunately, the place quickly closes down after we order. It is almost 5 pm.

Finally, at 830 pm, 8 of us head back to the pub. Enrique (Spain), Michael (Germany), Gunnar (Sweden), Bernard, Maé, and Céline (France). We have a great time. We each order a plate and then pass the plates around family style. We eat fried potatoes, anchovies and peppers, croquetas, tuna salad, scallops, and other dishes. The food is excellent! Micheal, from Berlin, is 30 years old. He does the group a favor by taking each of the last odd remnants from each dish. We have a great time sharing stories and learning about each other before returning to the Albergue and calling it a night.