Day Two …….
We woke up on day two questioning all our life choices. Mostly the one where we thought walking across Spain for weeks was a brilliant idea. But being stubborn, and possibly slightly delusional, we decided to take it one step at a time—literally—and keep going. We did agree, however, to scale back our distance a bit. We thought we’d give our bodies a chance to recover and maybe our minds too …… if I’m being totally honest.
We left San Sebastián, (apparently home to a couple of the world’s most famous beaches, not that we had time to cop a squat and bask in the sun) and picked up the Camino trail again at the edge of town. And how do you think we were greeted? With a lovely little 900-meter ascent. Half of it was stairs. Because walking uphill isn’t painful enough …… let’s throw in a StairMaster challenge.
But the reward? Our accommodation perched on high with sweeping views of the Cantabrian Sea. We decided it was worth every cursed step.
Here’s the thing about this route: it’s one of the most challenging because every charming town is at sea level. So every day begins with a climb and ends with a descent. It’s the Camino version of “what goes down must come up.” Ugh.
My knees, loyal companions in dysfunction for nearly a decade, don’t mind the uphills too much, but the downhills? Pure torture. Meanwhile, Poo (my travel buddy and fellow sufferer) is the opposite. His knees are fine, but the descents make his hips scream. We’re like a walking anatomy lesson on aging.
We limped into our guesthouse, took showers, and opened a much-deserved bottle of wine. Spirits lifted, pain dulled.
It felt like a better day.
Xoxo, Katy
