May 6th, 2017
Camp Zauratz to Deba
Km walked: 25
Km total: 69
The rain came down strong during the night and battered the tent, and luckily let up around 3 AM so that when we woke up the tent was pretty dry. The air was cool, clear and clean, and the view out towards the sea from our campsite was calm and beautiful and surreal. I can’t comprehend the beauty here in north eastern Spain. It is something out of the movies. It captures a particular feeling, one that conjures images of salty air and seaweed, lazy afternoons spent meandering over green hills and laying in the sun drenched countryside, drinking wine and listening to the wind.
We headed out and continued our walk, which brought us through the town of Zarautz. People walked the beach and sat outside in chairs in the front of cafes, sipping cappuccinos and reading the paper, and watching the waves slowly roll onto shore in mundane beauty.
We walked on a path that skirted the edge of a cliff, and saw people swimming out in the open ocean. Cyclists in Lycra zipped up and down the ocean view road, in packs of two or three and sometimes six of seven. They had matching jerseys and rode close together, and chatted to one another over the wind and sun as they rode onward.
The Camino is a mix of paved and dirt paths. But never are you on any major roads. They are mostly tiny little things that weave into the countryside, and never do you see many cars. It is a strange path and I can’t really explain its structure, other than that it is quaint and makes sense, and funnels you through small towns and farms with seamless ease, showing you a mix of urban and natural landscapes that compliment each other completely.
We are in a small town called Deba tonight, at the Alburgue here. It is nice and much larger than the first Alburgue, and doesn’t seem as cramped even though there are 50 beds here. People talk in Spanish and Dutch and German and sometimes English. Their laughs and conversations fill the building and bounce off the walls.
Birds chirp and children laugh outside, echoing off the tall stone buildings and coming through the open window. It is a happy place and it makes me happy too.
