I am finally off on the Camino Del Norte.
The Way seems to be well marked so far. I don’t think I really needed to do the scouting hike yesterday. But I know I slept better last night, not good but better, knowing I could get out of town without getting lost.
This Camino is really a coastal Camino. For long stretches I will be within sight of the ocean. I could smell the ocean as I walked past this tidal river.
A chicken coop with chickens. This is a good sign that on the Camino Del Norte the chickens will be chickens, not pigeons.
Horses and foals relaxing in their pasture.
This is a picture of the Way as we climb up to Santuario Guadalupe.
This is the beach just east of Irun.
The flowers on this part of the walk are in full bloom and are beautiful.
This is a guard dog at one of the farms. I had a hard time waking up this pup so I could take his picture.
This is Santuario Guadalupe. 
It was a hard uphill hike to get here and now I have a big decision.
Purgatorio is a very difficult uphill climb to a ridge that gives you great panoramic views of the coastline. You walk along this ridge for about eight kilometers and then there is a steep descent into Pasajes. The guidebook says that this is one of the most scenic parts of the whole Camino and one of the most difficult.
Or I can take the very pleasant low road and it would be a nice easy hike into Pasajes.
I decided to take the high road and it was beautiful, but the climb up to the ridge and the walk down from the ridge to Pasajes really kicked my ass. I hope I learned a lesson from this. I don’t always have to take the most difficult path.
Situated along the ridge line are five ancient watch towers.
Views from the Purgatorio ridge line.
A cow with a cowbell.
This is some sort of altar.
This is a trailside cross. I stopped here and said a prayer for Anna and everyone else on my prayer list.
This is the steep trail coming down off the ridge line.
Beautiful flowers and a house with a swimming pool.
I reached Pasajes De San Juan at about 12:30. This is the entrance from the sea to the harbor at Pasajes.
This was the fish of the day at the harborside restaurant where I had lunch. The owner assured me that this fish was swimming in the ocean early this morning.
This is the Alburgue Santa Anna in Pasajes where I will be spending the night.
This is the view from the back deck of the alburgue.
Flowers lining the walk up to the alburgue.
This is a picture of the alburgue, at the top of the hill, taken from the waterfront.
Three big ships like this have left the Port of Pasajes within the last couple of hours.
I hope everyone had a good Monday
Good night from the Santa Anna Alburgue in Pasajes De San Juan, Spain.
AbeAndMarkontheCamino 