We woke up this morning feeling well rested after our evening with Fermin, but we knew there was a pretty significant mountain in our walk today, so we stopped for some breakfast at a nearby cafe. With full bellies and a cafe con leche for Ruth, we started out.
The first portion of the walk went very smoothly...a few kilometers after we started, we reached a town called Legazpi where we had a quick bathroom break and a little rest. From there, we navigated a few streets and then found ourselves on more of a park path...this path led us through two super tiny villages and ultimately to a well where we could break and refill our water. Up a small hill from the well, we reached a beautiful reservoir where there were incredible mountain views from the bridge that led us over the water (see photo posted earlier "lovely little view of our mountain").
Immediately after the bridge, we started the ascent, which wound us along a rocky path, through the forest, past a few cottages/barns, out above the trees, along more significantly rocky paths, and finally, finally to the top of the mountain. This climb was incredibly steep and long (5 km took us a bit longer than 2 hours of actual walking), but we took some rests and photo breaks in addition to all the climbing. Not having had to do any uphill work the day before, I think perhaps we didn't know quite what to expect from this challenging day. Fortunately, our directions were very clear, and once we reached the mountaintop, everything else was downhill.
The descent, though a welcome relief from all the previous uphill, was also very steep and a bit treacherous in some areas that were completely rock covered. We were particularly glad to avoid rain today, as the rocks would have been almost unmanageable if they were slippery. After making our way some distance down the mountain, we finally reached the tiny village of Arantzazu (for a total distance of 20 km today). By tiny village, I mean there was one restaurant and bar, the Sanctuary of Arantzazu (which is an incredible basilica), and the hotel where we stayed (it's connected to the basilica). Because the basilica is perched on the side of the mountain, it was a little unclear if there was anything else further along the road, but regardless, it was definitely a small place.
Upon checking into the hotel, we followed what we expect to be a daily routine of arriving, washing clothes, showering, and finding food. At Arantzazu, this all went according to plan with the exception of finding food. It seems we had missed the lengthy Spanish lunch period but were too early for the late evening Spanish dinnertime, so we were told at the bar and hotel cafeteria that it was a "bad hour" for food. Instead, we checked out the basilica, got our pilgrimage credential stamped, and decided to at least have a soda while we waited for dinnertime. Luckily, the lady at the hotel cafeteria felt some sympathy for us and whipped up a couple of pinchos to go with our diet cokes and ice cream....definitely the most nutritious of snacks :). A couple of hours later we had a really delicious, and complete, dinner, including salad, entree (duck for Greg and calamari for Ruth), dessert, and wine. Finally full, we settled in for a good night's sleep.
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