24,203 steps – 15.88 kms

Today’s walk from Portugalete was a welcome change to pace — only 15.8 kms, making it one of our easier Camino days so far. The elevation wasn’t too difficult, and much of the route followed a concrete bike/walking path, which made for a fairly easy walk.

Even though it was a shorter day, there was still plenty of beauty along the way. We passed through lovely stretches of greenery, caught beautiful glimpses of the ocean, and crossed a scenic boardwalk that made for a peaceful part of the journey. It felt like one of those days where you could slow down a little more and simply enjoy the surroundings.

When we arrived in Pobina, we found our albergue and joined the lineup of fellow pilgrims, only to realize we were two hours early for check-in. After walking with everyone else, we got an unexpected surprise: this albergue did not provide blankets. Improvisation became the theme of the evening—we doubled up on clothes, layered everything we had, and even used our rain ponchos as makeshift blankets.

Sleep, unfortunately was hard to come by. Between the snoring symphony, constant movement, and creaky beds, it turned into one of those Camino nights where rest feels optional. We also headed out for what we thought would be a traditional Camino pilgrims supper, but it turned out not to be quite what we expected.

Still, that’s the Camino—every day has its high and lows, and tomorrow is another day.

“ The Camino teaches that a peaceful walk and a poor night can belong to the same day .”