The trekking today took me away from the ocean and beach views and through timber production areas. Log decks, skid trails, many different species being harvested. Many non native species such as eucalyptus, coastal redwood, and a pine tree that looked familiar but I wasn’t sure of. A local was walking along the trail and we talked in my broken Spanish. I got out of him that it was Pinus Radiata, Monterey Pine…a California tree:).
Arriving in Markina-Xemein it was time to eat. I was with the two younger guys, one from Russia and the Netherlands, and the other from Switzerland. Neither speaks Spanish. I helped them and did the ordering. Unknowingly I ordered WAY too much. OOPS. The mass of fish soup alone could have fed us all.
They served an appetizer spread for the bread. I thought it was okay, then I found out it was pâté. If I would have known what it was I wouldn’t have eaten it.
I made it further than planned. Instead of stopping at the planned Markina-Xemein, I
kept going and finished the day at a monastery run albergue. The church site has been there about a thousand years, the church itself is ~600 years old. When the priest checked me in he said services are at 7:30, they then serve dinner at 8:00.
I almost didn’t go to the service, but I’m so glad I did. The rock, large, beautiful church was amazing. Probably most amazing was the acoustics. The organ, and their singing, was wow. There wasn’t much speaking, and everything was in Spanish. They blessed the peregrinos on their pilgrimage. I could figure out most of the words of the songs and prayers, at least close.
