Laredo to Guemes
Distance: 18.3 miles (29.5 kilometers)
Total Ascent: 280 meters
Difficulty: 2
Calories Burned: 3,066
We stayed at a beautiful hostel last night in Laredo, the Hotel Ramona, and awoke this morning to join our friends, Lisa and Martin, for breakfast (coffee, juice and quiche for only 3 euro). We walked the beach to a small ferry that picked us up on the sand and took us to Santona, where we began today’s trek.
Today was a bit disappointing for us because we must have taken a wrong turn, and ended up walking along the road for nearly the entire route, missing the coastline and many of the small villages.
However, as we were walking along the road, we found Nicole, our Canadian pilgrim sister, who was lost and concerned about finding her brothers. We were able to call them on my cell phone and help them to reunite in San Miguel de Meruelo. This was so cool because now we were able to introduce our original Canadian pilgrim family to our new friends from Germany and Austria.
We had a nice lunch of paella at the Albergue Meruelo and set off to finish our trek for the day in Guemes.
Interestingly, Guemes isn’t much of a town, but the Albergue La Cabana del Abuelo Peuto is amazing. A huge home on an expanse of property, housing sheep and dogs and many small rooms for the peregrinos, we were welcomed by the host with a cold glass of fresh water and a cookie, shown to our private room (to share with our little family) and then left to meditate and read and enjoy the property for the remainder of the day.
Personally, I got my first piece of constructive criticism on our blog today. Namely, “TMI.” Andrew and I had a good conversation about it, and I’m torn on how I feel and how I’ll respond. Part of me wants to speak our truth and to offer a true and full accounting of what we are experiencing and working through on this trip. And part of me recognizes the public impact of a blog and the effect that negative reactions may have on our family and those connected to us.
This feedback did help us to discuss whether this should be my blog or ours, as he has been less participative than I had thought he would be. But he said that he does want it to be our blog, and that we will determine the right recipe for our story together.
I’ll need to sit with this. We both will. But we appreciate the feedback. Keep it coming. It tells us that you are reading and that you care.
