San Vicente de la Barquera | A Gaudi House - Day 100

One last look at the beach at Cóbreces this morning before I head out of town. I love how the rays of sunshine are piercing through the clouds in the distance.

Day 15 takes me from Cóbreces to San Vincente de la Barquera. The stage is approximately 22 km (13.6 mi) with gently rolling hills and a maximum elevation of 100 m (330 ft), which I climb several times.

This morning marks the 100th day since I left Colorado. When I first started, I thought 100 days was a long time. Yet, here I am, crossing this milestone already. I reflect on places I've visited. The beautiful things I've seen, and the fantastic people I've experienced along the way.

We use WhatsApp to stay in touch on the Camino. It functions like texting, but we don't have to worry about international codes. It is a free way to text, talk, or call across countries.

Lap, Ivo, Cami, and I decided to stop in Comillas this morning to visit El Capricho de Gaudi. It is a beautiful, eccentric house located in Comillas. The house was built in 1883 by Antoni Gaudi for a wealthy aristocrat in Comillas. It is one of the only houses he built outside of the Catalonia Region (i.e., Northeast Region) in Spain. Last night, we bought tickets to the iconic house, now a museum. Our scheduled time is 1030 am, and it is 10 km away. I left the hostel ahead of the others around 8 am. 

I enjoy the peaceful overcast morning walk in solitude. When I reach La Iglesia, Spain, I glance at my phone. I realize I am on schedule to arrive around 1030.

The town of La Iglesia is quiet this morning when I pass through.  

I arrive at a little cafe near El Capricho de Gaudi and find Lap and Ivo already sitting there. They beat feet on the pavement and bypassed the Camino to compensate for their late start. Cami arrives a bit later, carrying her new walking stick. She is pretty proud of the stick she found at the Albergue. It is precisely what she was looking for on Day 1. "There was a bucket with forgotten or abandoned sticks, and this one was calling to me," she says when she arrives. 

I find it interesting that it isn't only people that travel along the Camino. Objects also travel along the Camino. Sometimes objects stay in places for days or weeks before continuing their journey. When another Peregrino finds utility in the object it resumes it journey. For example, the stick that Cami found obviously still wanted to go to Santiago, and now it has a new owner to travel with.

We walk up to the house and are immediately in awe. The vibrant colors and architecture are stunning, unlike anything else I've seen in Spain. The flat light in the photo dulls the vibrant colors I see.

The house has a beautiful iconic red and green tower. The photos in the link are stunning and much better than I could capture this morning.

The tower is tiled with green and sunflower tiles and is quite stunning, although way over the top at the same time. The beautiful house draws its inspiration from nature.

After visiting El Capricho de Gaudi, I stop at the grocery store to reload on snacks before continuing the journey. Comillas also has a beautiful beach.

When I reach Playa de Gerra, I decide it is time for a break. I shed my rucksack, take off my boots and socks, and enjoy the fresh air. I use this time to refuel by ingesting various snacks. A couple from the Netherlands soon join me. Joseph and his wife, also shed their packs. A few minutes later, I agree to watch their packs while they soak their feet. They sit upwind of me, and when the wind picks up, I notice that I'm now covered in sand. Every time they move, the sand blows on me. Finally, I  decide to move on. I wish the couple Buen Camino! Then grab my pack and walk barefoot down the beach.

When I arrive in San Vincente, I am the last of my group to arrive. Ivo and Lap have been here sitting in the sun for over an hour, waiting for the Albergue to open at 3 pm. Céline and Cami have been here for around 30 minutes. I feel refreshed from the day of solitude and arrive about 10 minutes to 3 pm.

After check-in, I head down to the supermercado to buy shower gel. I left mine in the shower at the Albergue in Cóbreces. It was nearly empty, so I don't mind buying a new bottle. 

Around 730 pm, we all head down into San Vincente to celebrate my 100th day. The Albergue is at the top of a large hill. To head down to the restaurants we have to navigate a series of steep streets and staircases. This gets us back down to sea level, where the restaurants are. We settle on a place for dinner, share a bottle of wine, great food, and excellent conversation.

On the way back, fireworks light up the night sky. You guys are the best! You ordered fireworks too! We all laugh as we make our way back to the Albergue before it closes. I'm really grateful to be surrounded by great friends this evening.

The little church near the Albergue looks peaceful and lovely in the evening light.