Today went better than expected.

Yesterday we were worried about how much we could walk, as we barely made it halfway through our intended stage.

The plan for today was to either get a complete day off, to let Laura’s knee heal some more, or start to walk and see where we end up.

In the end we did neither of these two options. As the little village of Cóbreces, where we stayed last night, had virtually no facilities, we decided to hitch a ride until Comillas so that, at worst, we would stay in a bigger town with access to doctors and pharmacies.

It was a strange feeling. We saw pilgrims go by and, once we were on the bus, the feeling of “betrayal” was tough to swallow. I have to say, however, that the Japanese mindset I found on the Shikoku Henro helped me with that. There’s no need to feel bad if you are acting in good faith.

The ride lasted only a few minutes: 8 Km is nothing on a vehicle, but it can change your day when you’re walking. Funny how time and space can feel different, depending on your frame of reference. Einstein had the right of it.

Once we arrived in Comillas, we talked about our options. In the end, it was Laura’s decision to make, and she decided she wanted to try and walk. And so we walked.

Our primary objective was the town of San Vicente de la Barquera, 11 km away from Comillas. In order to get there, we had to cross an actual golf course. Some people were training, as we walked past them. It was strange, but also a cool new experience. The neatly cut grass fields were really inviting us for a good nap in the shade.

We got to San Vicente around lunch time, where we looked at our options for the rest of the day. I was in favor of staying there and getting a further half-day of rest, especially because the afternoon hours are usually the worst ones for walking: you start to get tired and the Sun can really mess you up in certain days.

Laura felt good and wanted to walk on, however. And so we walked.

We managed to find a place to stay in the small village of Estrada, close to Serdio. There was an unexpected alternative route, which wasn’t present on our guide book, which let us walk through a forested area instead of the usual carrettera (paved road). That was an unexpected gift from the Camino, like the cool and cloudy weather.

We even saw the tiniest of birds on a wooden bridge: a house wren, which cannot be bigger than a thumb in length. Sadly, he flew away before I could take my camera. Damn it.

In the end, we arrived just before a big shower of rain and a thunderstorm.

All things considered, we really cannot complain about how the day went. We are less than a day behind schedule and the bus ride was really not necessary. Hindsight is 20/20 however. We couldn’t know how bad or good the situation was going to be until we started walking.

Once that happens, you are usually committed to getting to the next “serviceable” destination, which could easily be more than two hours away.

Going back is never an option.

We shall see what tomorrow will bring. For now, we are happy to stay in a cozy posada (inn) at the western edge of the Cantabria region.

Tomorrow we will cross into the Asturias.

I liked Cantabria overall, I really didn’t expect much and believe it’s a region you can come back to. Both the sea and the mountains are close, and there is much to explore around all its corners. The food is good and the cider is also worth trying.

No wonder we see so many tourists here.

Time to go to bed now and dream of green hills and tall cliffs, as well as farm animals and birds of prey.

Thank you Cantabria.

Cheers.