Camino del Norte Day 17: Comillas to Colombres

May 6, 2025

tongue orchid (Serapias lingua)

Two birders let me look through their scope, and I saw my lifer Eurasian whimbrels:

I stopped for lunch at a small bakery in San Vicente de la Barquera—the last opportunity for provisions before many kilometers of rugged walking. Victoria of Switzerland was also there, her blue eyes sparkling like the Zürichsee. My left ankle was becoming forbiddingly sore, so I tried to rest it as best I could.

Then I met this fine, handsome fellow:

“I’m all ears.”

He seemed a bit lonely, so we became friends. I clucked and trotted along the fence, looking back to see if he was coming. The stallion tossed his head followed me gracefully, stopping with a halt as soon as I did. When I looked at him again and reversed direction, he followed, bucking a little as he let out the clutch. After several such trottings, we were both laughing.

The four hobbits having a picnic at the end of the day