Day 12 (del Norte): Munitibar to Guernica

Today is the second leg of the Markina to Guernica stage. We take a taxi to Munitibar, where we stopped yesterday and walk from there to Guernica. We plan to leave earlier than usual, as I want to make sure we get to Guernica in time to see its important sights. Guernica is a destination in its own right, probably the first such place since San Sebastian.

Since the hotel does not serve breakfast until 9 am (it seems 9 in Spain is like 7 in the rest of the world), we skip it. This hotel has been sort of schizophrenic. There are some great things about it but also some not-so-great things, the worst of which happened last night. The restaurant was busy well into the night, and the noise from there comes straight up through the atrium to the rooms above the ground level. It is critical for people walking the Camino to have a good night's sleep, but we didn't. What's worse, when we complained, the person at the restaurant said to the effect that this is Spain and she can do whatever she wants with her restaurant until midnight. (It's about the only negative encounter we have had on this trip which otherwise has been marked with such hospitality.) I don't know the exact arrangement between the hotel and the restaurant, but they seem to be under separate management. Hmm, where have I seen that before...

Our hotel just outside Markina: we want to remember this place by this nice decorative piece at the reception. It has been a hit or miss.

We offered to take the Korean boy with an injured foot in a taxi with us, since he should not be walking. We drop him off at Txori Taberna in Munitibar and hope that his party, who has started walking, will find him there without difficulty. At this point, I regret not having done a better job to make it more fool-proof, but we need to get going ourselves.

Buen Camino from dahlias, as we leave Munitibar on foot.

Figs along the way provided fresh snacks. We of course make sure these trees are not on private land.

And add blackberries to the list of snacks. And chestnuts and walnuts also. Today is a day of abundance.

Fuchsia along the way

Walking along a pumpkin patch, which doesn't seem ready for Halloween.

Olabe: this house takes the prize for the best flower decoration so far.

Olabe: notice the tiny pumpkin (lower right)

Olabe: nice peppers to look at (and eat!)

Most days the route has included a walk along the roadway. There are some advantages such as lack of mud but a major downside is the traffic hazard, especially when a bunch of cars from a club come zipping downhill as a group.

A nice spot for a break. A good place to crack walnuts as well.

Elexalde: Just down from the church, there is a notable waymark, written in Basque: Donejakue Bidea. An old oak tree in the background. (More on oak trees later.)

As we start downhill from Elexalde, there is a sign for a detour. It looks like we are not going through Marmiz but directed toward Loiola. The simple sign apologizes for inconvenience but provides no further information such as the length of this detour. I guess the pilgrims just keep following the yellow arrows and don't ask questions. One step at a time. Or one arrow at a time, linearly. It turns out that we avoid the hills on the Marmiz route as the detour is entirely flat, although we probably added a few kilometers.

Loiola coming into view beyond a kiwi orchard.

Loiola: maybe the first bar on the Camino today. And to think this is a detour... This Loiola is not where Ignatius of Loyola was born.

Getting close to Guernica

A nice and wide pedestrian path leading into Guernica

We arrive in Guernica shortely before 4pm, which is the target time (it is when all the sights are open). We stop at the albergue first as Sunjin needs a place to stay and the hotels are booked up. After a short walk into the town center, we check in at our hotel, a very modest place, whose designation as a pension seems appropriate. But it has a fantastic location, being almost next door to the Tourist Information Office and very close to everything else. The person at the TI is beyond helpful. About the best I have ever seen. She provides critical info on the sights in Guernica, how to arrange for a taxi for tomorrow's walk, and Sunjin's trip to Bilbao tomorrow. With all the sights now open between 4pm and 7pm, we are ready to hit them.

Guernica: the albergue is near the entrance to town. We have not seen many peregrinos today. Most of them probably started from Markina and are still walking.

Guernica: the board at the albergue lists the main attractions: the museums, the Picasso painting, and the oak tree...

Guernica: our modest hotel is one of those places not staffed in mid-afternoon. This self-check-in feels like a clandestine operation: first get the passcode by e-mail, punch that in, get the key that drops in the slot, note the 4-digit number written on the key, enter that number to open the main entrance, take the elevator, and use the key to open the door to the room