Adversity Strengthens

CAMINO STAGE 11: Guemes to Santander El Camino Del Norte Route of El Camino De Santiago 11 miles, 27 days left

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The dead fly in my morning cocoa and hair on my toast foreshadowed the day a bit. We had lots of friendly residents wishing us “Buen Camino” on the way to Guemes and leaving Guemes. But scampering over the cliffs covered with cornfields above Playa de Galizano and Playa Langre, there was graffiti with “tourists go home” and people put on masks and almost ran away when they saw us coming. Very few responded to “Hola, buenas.” We chalked it up to fear of foreigners carrying COVID and didn’t take it personal. We are vaccinated and healthy and are outdoors most of the day and not near people. We see more cows and sheep than people on any given day.

“We survive on adversity and perish in ease and comfort.” Titus Livius

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“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.” Edgar Allan Poe

Growing up inland, I have never seen corn growing on cliffs by the sea. Right outside the cornfields, we bumped into a fellow pilgrim Donna from Essex again, and she joined us. She joked that it may be salty corn growing instead of sweet corn as there are sheep in Kent called Salt Marsh sheep by the sea that are renowned for their natural slightly salty taste. A woman walked past us and held her nose and glared at us as we backed up to let her pass. We returned her hostility with a smile and local greeting and carried on.

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We ran into surfers just before descending to playa de Los Tranquilos. Many were Australian and more personable.

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At Playa de Los Tranquilos, at the edge of Somo, the Cantabria sea was turquoise and inviting despite the overcast weather. The lighthouse Faro de Cabo Ajo in Santander could be seen in the distance. Limestone formations blocked our way, so we scampered over like crabs and slithered through crevices to avoid sloshing through the sea.

Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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We waited about 30 minutes for the ferry— all worth it for the beautiful 20 minute ride across the bay, Bahia de Santander.

We realized after getting to our hotel, no matter how many times you look around before leaving your previous hotel, you still forget things after 11 days in. Our adaptor was left in the socket. My washcloth left over the shower door, my writing pen for my journal left on a desk…. and so forth.

“If the road is easy, you’re likely going the wrong way.” Terry Goodkind

When I did laundry at the laundromat not far from the hotel, my little bag of magnesium, probiotics and B Complex got washed in with our clothes and everything smelled horrendous coming out of the wash. I had no more change nor time to rewash our clothes as I had to hunt for more magnesium as I get leg cramps from low magnesium, so it was imperative to use my time to procure more.

Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… . Theodore Roosevelt

Dinner was another challenge as everything opened after 8:30 pm and the restaurants we asked to eat at, the tables were already reserved until after 9:30 pm.

We wandered and I went in and asked at Meson Los Arcos for a table. They had one in a cramped corner with our backs up against a metal pipe. We ordered and were told nothing on the menu was available except squid or monkfish. We were grateful for anything at 9:30 at night. As I walked back to the hotel smelling of squid and clothing permeating with earthy B complex and magnesium eau de toilette, I thought again of the Camino lessons we were to learn of leaving things behind that weigh us down, being humble and patient in adversity.

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.”Albert Einstein

Rain is on the forecast so we know things are not going to get easier. But we wake up ready to tackle each day and feel gratitude for the journey as pilgrims or peregrinos afforded the opportunity to test our mettle, and push past adversity so we truly see ourselves at journey’s end.

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.” Arthur Golden