Prison or Cerveza?
Hiking Day 11 Liendo to Santana-Noja
Miles today 10.3
Total miles 148.5
Ascent 664’
Descent 732’
We sleep in a bit and have a later than normal breakfast. Our miles are relatively few today and we depart under sunny, gorgeous skies and warm weather. Yesterday was the warmest day yet this trip and warmer than any day on our 2019 Frances Camino. We expect more of the same today. We quickly leave town and begin to climb on rocky paths, dirt trails, and some remote gravel roads…a wonderful break from the long miles of pavement yesterday. Much better on the body! The coast is quickly upon us and the scenery is some of the best of the trip so far.
The town of Liendo
Today is Easter and we see no other pilgrims all day but we see several families out for hikes.
We are on a leisurely pace today as it is a low mileage day. Our only coffee stop is before the 4 mile mark and we see a few Easter celebrants headed to mass….after they have coffee first. Drinking (alcohol especially) is a big deal in this country and it is never too early to start. Patrons are enjoying beer and especially wine as soon as the cafes open in the morning.
As we descend into the town of Laredo, we walk along a two-mile Long Beach on the adjacent paved promenade. The beach is huge, stretching for a couple of hundred yards from shore until the water is reached. Some serious tidal changes!
At the end of the beach on a large spit of sand, a smallish boat pulls onto the sand, drops a gangplank and Scot and I and 50 others climb on board for a 10 minute ferry ride across the channel to Santana. For 2 Euros each it saves us about 5 miles of walking. A great bargain.
Once off the ferry we decide to stop for a sack lunch in a park area near the water. I opt to sit in the shade on a bench and Scot sits in the sun on a unique concrete lounge chair. Shortly after I sit down I am joined by an elderly couple….well perhaps my age. The wife greets me with a grunt. Shortly she turns on her cell phone and begins playing some Spanish songs. As the minutes pass, she slowly but deliberately increases the volume until it is very annoying. I consider turning my phone on and playing Jimmy Buffet, then it occurs to me what she is attempting to do. I am on “their” bench and she wants me to leave. So I acquiesce, pack up the remainder of my lunch, and move toward where Scot is sitting. I am no more than off the bench when they both stand up and move to the end of the bench where I had been sitting. She turns off her music with a smile on her face and the world is again in peace and harmony. Lesson learned for me!
We move on towards Playa de Berria, the local beach and where our hotel for the night is located. On the way we pass a ancient looking stone wall that is at least 15’ high and that goes on for hundreds of yards. We see a sign that says Penal de El Dueso which we translate into some type of prison. The compound is huge but completely enclosed. We think it must be an old historic site. Eventually there is a small break in the solid wall with a lower wall with bars above. Scot climbs up the lower wall, holding onto the bars for a better view. He encourages me to join him which I do. The view is of a series of razor-wire fences and in the far distance a magnificent old and very large stone building. Unsure that it is really historical with all the razor-wire, we hop back down after a brief look. We are no more on the ground when we see two uniformed guards approaching from the opposite side of the road. Choosing a soon to be had beer (cerveza) over a stay in prison, we briskly head off as the guards decide we are just crazy foreign pilgrims.
We have walked as slowly as we can today but we cannot find more than 10 or so miles to hike, so we check in to our motel around 2 pm. The motel is right on the beach and our room looks out on the ocean. I am trying to teach Scot, an experienced vino tinto drinker, the joys of beer drinking. He is proving to be a fast learner as Scot, Pete, and I enjoy a couple of rounds of a local double hops variety. Now we wait until the dinner begins at 8:30 pm.
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