Santander y el Camino de Santiago!

Here I am in Santander, Cantabria, day seven of the Camino del Norte! I must say: much more difficult than I had anticipated. No training, no problem.. Not true. We walked 4 days, almost dying on the 4th, arrived in Marquina, decided to bus to Bilbao (terrible blisters for Sydney, too much weight in bag and huge painful bumps on collarbones from bag pulling for me), recover two days, and start again a little farther along, in Laredo, Cantabria. Much better. So we've been walking 3 days so far since Bilbao. We went to the Guggenheim in Bilbao: amazing. So strange. I continue to love the País Vasco and want to come back here at some point. The countryside we've hiked is absolutely amazing. It's so beautiful and so much like home! Green, mountains, hills, forests, clouds, rain! Several days were along the coast, with incredible views and beautiful beaches. Some of the path is asphalt, along the road, some is through forest, some is through mud, or fields, or along the beach. Sometimes the yellow arrows marking the path are nonexistent at a crossroads, or ambiguous, and it's frustrating. Some is hella difficult: I'd be pissed to climb it in a normal hike without 20 pounds on my back. Yes, I also did buy poles, and a new bag in Bilbao. A pretty penny, but my collarbones no longer hurt! We're just taking it as it goes, but taking it slow. I've met some incredibly interesting people so far: a crazy Austrian who has already walked 3000 kilometers, an Italian guy walking from Rome with no money, a Canadian girl even less prepared than we are.. Hay de todo. But everyone is so nice. And it is so incredibly beautiful, everything.