Deba, Markina, Gernika May 25+26+27

In case you are totally into photos, stop reading now because I just deleted today's shots except for this one of a local crew team (looks more like they are training for positions in a Roman war ship).  

 Even the photo of the calf, so lovingly taken, disappeared.  How I managed this sleight of hand, I have no idea. A search on how to recoup vanished items did not help.  Honestly, today's shots were not  great anyway, except for the one of the one-eyed scarecrow.

The budget hotel in Zarautz has a 24/7 front desk, so Neddy was able to make me coffee at 5:30 a.m. It was nothing to write home about, even though that is exactly what I am doing, but two shots of caffeine are a necessity to prepare for the rigours of the day.  Speaking of caffeine, Zero Coke is available all over the place and, aside from Fanta, is about the only carbonated drink one can count on. 

At the start, a choice of routes again today.  I opted for the easier one along the coast, as opposed to the rugged inland route; they both meet up after a bit.  Almost 3000 feet of elevation (also yesterday and tomorrow) was enough para mí.  

Nothing to report about today's adventure except to comment on the isolated place of the booking....kind of like yesterday's but in the middle of nowhere, barely functioning wi-fi and absolutely no amenities except for a little terrace where I am parked at the moment. The digs are run by an awfully nice lady named Rosa, with whom I had to argue that NO she will not get up tomorrow to make me coffee at 5:30!  We settled on her leaving some sugar and milk (like for the cat or something).  Today am reliant on provisions bought yesterday, so a good thing the can of tuna made the final cut, although the mayonnaise did not. Add lettuce, onion and leftover avocado and you end up with a decent meal.  Bread, butter, jam, and nuts are staples.  So is chocolate. Note to self: do not keep jam more than four days lest it ferment, explode, and spill all over everything!  

Since I had time to spare, I purchased and installed a new eSim number as mine is a bout to expire. It seems that the plan is now renewable so I won't have to change numbers again, I hope!  A query to Customer Service is underway.

Back to the accommodation.  There are a bunch a cockadooledoers outside my window. They sure are a noisy bunch, but as if they have an internal clock they all stopped crowing at 7:50 on the dot!  A contest: who will get up earlier tomorrow, they or I? (I did.)

Today's "walk" was much like yesterday's: much severe uphill.  Actually it started with a steep downhill into Deba, as the B and B was about 40 minutes shy of the town.  The final section of this downhill was brick, but not as in the Yellow Brick Road, more like if these bricks were wet, the only way to navigate would be in a seated position.  Then without delay, the upping began.  Let's cut it short and say today's stretch was tough and long....about 18 1/2 miles. Fortunately it was cloudy and cool.  For a while it rained just enough to require rain gear.

The yellow-flower-studded-field is a last remnant of spring:

From the bottom to the top of them there hills:

Another way of looking at it:

A few miles from the finish, as I was figuring out whether to follow the yellow arrow or the GPS, a woman, who was confident of the route pointed me in the direction of the arrow.  I shadowed her and her two companions all the way into Markina.  There was a lot of fancy footwork involved as the path was steep, stony, and muddy, but it was such  comfort to have guides especially since there was another split in the route and I did not want to deal with that.

 The hotel, a good 1/2 hour walk out of town, is rather charming with stone walls, lots of polished wood, and an excellent shower, but the window cannot be opened by anyone under about 6'2".  I actually ate in the restaurant where I tried fried anchovies. Not bad, but not again.  A little tartar sauce would have helped. To get wi-fi, you have to go out to the hall and maybe you will be lucky.  There is always something to complain about, or one could say, note. 

Walk to Gernika was tough.  It was cool and rainy, not terrible conditions, but rain gear is cumbersome. Long day, lots of steep hills, lots of asphalt and cement and mud and rocks where the surface was neither asphalt nor cement, so it was slow going.  Left hotel at 6:30 and arrived at Hotel Gernika at 2:00, not having stopped once.  I was exhausted.  I am exhausted!  

The tour company had today's booking 45 minutes from Gernika by taxi. Forget that!  So Hotel Gernika is one of my three overrides.  Good choice!  Well located, plain but spacious room, mini frig, functioning wifi, decent bed, and very nice people at reception.  Bit of drama:  could not extract plug from wall this morning:  this was my clever grounded AC > UK > EU  contraption.  No one available in the hotel, so left a note, and even though I used the wrong word for plug (and I even knew it at the time), they responded to the message and the adaptor showed up with my suitcase. However, I left my nice, big, orange, plastic plate behind. I will find a replacement of some kind two days from now in Bilbao. (Today's "plate" was a plastic bag.)

I could not determine whether this was art, broken equipment, or something for kids to play on:

You know you are in Spain:

Doggums wanted to play: