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| The Santander Cathedral is lovely in the morning light as I leave the Albergue. |
Day 13 takes me from Santander to Santillana del Mar. The 36.5 km (23 mi) is the longest stage to date. Several climbs take me to 120 m (400 ft) in elevation. The entire path is on pavement, except 1 km (0.7 mi), which is by train.
My day begins at 7 am, as I head out searching for a mailbox. I promised Wes, my long-time friend in Colorado, I would send him a postcard during my travels. So, I am finally delivering on my promise before heading out of Santander. Today will be a long day, but I am ready for the challenge.
This morning, Céline and I head out of town together. It's good to have company on long days. As I pass Santa Cruz de Bezana, the sun is just starting to rise. I pause and reflect on all the incredible sunrises I've seen over the last several days. It is why I always look behind me in the mornings. Today, I am looking forward and love how the sun reflects against the buildings. Everything is pink in front of me.
It is cool this morning, and the kilometers come easy. The Spanish neighborhoods remind me of small cities in the United States. After a couple hours, we pass an unusual couple sitting on a park bench. The young European girl has African braids, and the old man appears to be in his 60s. I wave and wish them a Buen Camino!
A little while later, I tell Céline I need to break. We've covered nearly 12 km (7.5 mi) already, I'm hungry, and my feet could use a break. So when the Camino presents us with our own bench, I tell Céline, this is where we stop. Even though it is overcast and cool, I take my boots and socks off. I find it extremely important to let my feet cool down when I stop.
I'm gobbling handfuls of corn nuts when the unusual couple arrives and stops. The old man asks how long we've been walking and where we started. "We started in Santander," says Céline. "Us too. This is our first full day on the Camino. We met while sitting on the plane together yesterday," says the old man. I'm Martin. This is Céline. "I'm Paul," says the old man from Denmark. "Cami, like Camino, with no "no"," says the young Belgium girl. "I have all these apps and don't know how to use them. How can you tell where we are?" she says.
After several minutes, we wish them well, and they part while we finish our short rest. I am always intrigued when I see Peregrinos walking together. They do so for various reasons. Sometimes, it is because they have the same pace or destination. During other times it is due to good conversations. Serendipity always seems to play a part.
Shortly after resuming the walk, we encounter Paul and Cami at the top of the hill. They look confused. We invite them to join us this morning to help them get their bearings. The four of us walk together like we have been on the Camino for weeks. Sometimes the four of us walk side-by-side. Other times, we break into pairs. We switch it up frequently throughout the morning.
When we reach Boo de Piélagos, Céline advises that we need to take the train for 1 km (0.8 mi) to avoid walking along the railroad tracks on the bridge. "The book says it is not safe to walk," she says. So we head to the train stop in Boo. Shortly after, Gordon (United States), Roger (Wales), and a handful of Peregrinos join us. 
The train arrives around 11 am, and we board. In the back of the car is Isabelle. I make my way toward her. I am excited to see her. She thought she would never see us again because she was taking the train this morning and skipping the "boring parts of the Camino." As I near, she holds her hand up to stop me. "Bed bugs. The girl next to me had bed bugs at the Albergue last night where you stayed. And they were big, so they've been there a long time," she says. I wish her well and tell her I will pass the word.
When we step off the train, not a single person saw or felt any bed bugs. Therefore, we decide that the girl may have brought them from another Albergue. No one saw a trace last night. We resume walking after a short break at a cafe. The path fades in and out of sight of the coast today.
Paul is retired and starting the Camino, where he left off in May when he got an infection in his foot. "Céline is quite wonderful," he says. Yes, I am blessed to be sharing the road with her. We have great conversations. "I follow people too much and need to be more assertive. It is my challenge for the Camino," he says.
Cami, on the other hand, is vibrant and fearless. "I have been thinking about the Camino for a while and decided now was the time. So here I am," she says. Cami lives near Brussels. She is here on her own. I can tell she will be OK. She just needs a little confidence to pair with her bold ambitions.
This is a long first day for you both. A 37 km (23 mi) is not easy on day 1. "My feet are telling me they need to be out of my boots," says Cami. So at the next stop, she pulls out her Teva sandals and ties her boots to her backpack. Cami, Paul, and Celine stop for a quick break.
The day seems to go on forever today, and the sun is not helping. I notice I have a rash on my right hip that is developing. I find it odd that I can go almost two weeks with the same backpack and not have an issue, but suddenly, a new problem arises. I think this is the challenge of the Camino, finding ways to overcome these new challenges. Every day is different. I may have had a great day yesterday, but today is a new day. I am not immune to new problems. In Viveda, we pass by this beautiful old church.
Shortly after taking the photo above, I notice the group is stopped. Céline is reaching up into a tree. When I arrive, she hands me a small fruit from the tree. Paul and Cami are already enjoying the fresh figs. "You can eat the skin or only the inside," says Céline. I bite into the fig and enjoy the sweet cool flesh. I find I like the tart skin and eat the whole fig. A while later, Paul stops again and hands everyone another. I tell everyone, this is the Fruit of the Camino. The Camino always provides.
The last 8 km (5 mi) are a hot burn. It is already late in the afternoon, around 3 pm. The sun at its highest point now. My calves feel like they have taken all the sun they can tolerate today. Despite the sun lotion I put on them earlier in the day, I can feel I have a sunburn. I think we have another 2 hours or so to go. I try not to let it grind on me. However, I am cooked, and my body is tired. As the day wears on, I frequently need to stop to adjust my first couple of ribs on my left side. This seems to happen more often when I am tired, like today.
We finally arrive in Santillana del Mar. It is now sometime after 5 pm. I love this town. However, the cobblestone streets are the last thing I want to walk on. My feet are sore and tired from the long day of walking. The town has a beautiful medieval feel and is quite picturesque.
When I finally arrive at the Albergue, I find several Peregrinos who left after me. They are all freshly showered and look like they hardly walked today. After conversing with several of them, I learn that most took the train today, cutting out 17 km (11 mi). I remind myself everyone walks their own Camino. I am struggling tonight to connect with other Peregrinos that took the train. Their energy level is higher, and it feels like they are on vacation while I am completely spent! They had such an easy day.
After dinner, Gordon asks, "Have you made any reservations in Comillas?" No, I prefer not to make reservations. "Completely booked," he says. Shortly after, a small group of Peregrinos assembles and begins to worry about where to stay tomorrow night.
I pull Céline aside and pass on the information. What do you want to do? We have two options. We stop short or continue to the next town. The next town would require another 34 km (22 mi) day? "Let's see how we feel in the morning," she says. This is why I enjoy Céline's company, she thinks like I do. I let it all go and stop thinking about what to do for tomorrow. The walk today, with breaks, took me 10 hours today. I am tired and need some rest. By the time I shower and eat, it's already 930 pm. I opt to skip writing the blog tonight.
I got swept up in the Peregrino wave once before. I escaped it before arriving in Bilbao. That wave of Peregrinos was also locked into making daily reservations. It made it difficult to find places to stay. I remember Mark, in Bordeaux, telling me, "stay in places away from the main stops." My solution for that first wave was to walk further and change the towns where I stayed. Avoiding the common stops on the apps. Maybe it's time to fall back and let this wave pass me? I'll see how I feel in the morning.
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