The Shining
Hiking Day 13. Galizano to Santander
Miles 7.0
Total miles 173.0
Ascent 292’
Descent 326’
Last evening while at dinner, Pete commented that it seemed like he and Andrew and Scot and I were the only occupants of our 30 room hotel. It dawned on all of us that likely he was correct. When we checked in we were informed that 9 am was the one and only time choice for breakfast and that we were the only ones scheduled for breakfast. Somewhat odd….
We returned from dinner to a darkened and locked hotel with no staff on duty. Our room keys gave us access into the empty hotel. I awoke at 5:30 am to the sound of falling rain. The hotel was eerily quiet. It seemed like the Overlook Hotel in the movie the “The Shining “.
At 8:40 and desperately in need of a cup of coffee, Scot and I ventured downstairs. The small reception area was dark and deserted, the breakfast room locked. With no chairs to sit and wait for the 9 am breakfast time. Scot ventured back to our room on the second floor and I found an out of place modern chair at the top of the stairs to wait in. Shortly, the timer lights went off on the entire floor and I sat in the dark reading a kindle book on my cell. At 5 minutes before 9 I heard a loud toilet flushing in a nearby room…which of course we all assumed was unoccupied. Seconds after the flush the door to that room bursts open and out rushes a young bearded guy in shorts and a surfer t-shirt. Startled to see me sitting in the darkness, he says nothing and runs downstairs. Could he have been Jack Torrance?
Turns out it was not Jack from the Shining but the very guy who was to “prepare” our breakfasts, unwashed toilet hands and all. The breakfast was not worth the long wait. A pre-packaged overly sweet pastry, small bottle of cheap OJ, a tiny pre-bruised apple, and a slice of barely toasted toast, already cold. The only redeeming thing is that I was able to snag 2 cups of coffee. We ate for maybe 10 minutes and were on the trail by 9:35.
The hotel stay was still very weird and how can a hotel possibly stay in business with 2 rooms booked and a bar/cafe that closed at 5 pm?
The earlier rain has eased off but we still start in rain jacket, rain pants, and gaiters. A quick pace along some tarmac (asphalt) roads takes up out of the small town and then onto dirt paths. We climb the wet trail up and onto a cliff overlooking the surf far below.
This proves to be the day with the most unpaved paths of any so far on this Camino, a very welcome break after the long sections of pavement. Eventually the walk descends onto the beach where we slog thru soft sand and then cruise next to the ocean on the packed sand.
We reach a stop for a ferry that we hope will shuttle us across the sound to the city of Santander. Without the ferry ride, the walk is at least 6 miles longer. We have read that sometimes the ferry doers not run due the high waves and wind. Today looks good we think. At the dock we find a tiny office with of course no one inside, but is sporting a small ominous looking sign, highlighted in yellow. It first says no ferry shuttle today due to lack of draft….all in Spanish of course. Had they run out of beer? We soon realize they are saying that the water is too shallow, but below it lists 3 possible ferry runs later today, the next one being in an hour. And it is beginning to rain again. I approach a nearby young and attractive gal and inquire if she speaks English. She does and I ask about the ferry and she says Juan says a ferry will arrive in 30 minutes. Unsure who Juan is, Scot and I hope for the best and sit down for a snack break.
It is our lucky day as the very small ferry pulls up in less than 5 minutes, never comes to a complete stop as 10 of us hop aboard. The ferry ride is about 3.5 miles and as smooth as a baby’s butt…which is fine by me, not being one to enjoy choppy water!
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