Stage 5 Markina-Xemein to Eskerika

Today was (again) a special day, but let me start from the morning.

Breakfast with friends, that's the only way I can describe it. We barely know each other and only briefly, but yesterday during dinner and today during breakfast, the atmosphere was very good, almost like on Tuesdays when we play Boules.

The day's journey starts off very nicely for me, with an hour of flat terrain, a bit like in the Eifel, with little streams babbling next to the Camino. The inclines are moderate and well distributed, but there are also 600 meters of elevation gain to Gernika, my destination for today.

I'm making good progress and after about 26 km, I arrive at my destination, but a small sign on the door of the hostel with the inscription 'Cerado disculpen los molestias' doesn't bode well. And Google Translate confirms it: 'Closed, excuse the inconvenience'. That's why I didn't receive a reply to my email yesterday and no one answered the phone. I look at the map, grab my smartphone, and lo and behold, at the next hostel I actually reach someone who understands my broken English and... has a bed for me.

So far, so good, but the hostel is still 11 km away... today will be a bit longer.

In the city, I go to a café, place my order, and pay with a 5 euro note: the waiter gives me 7.50 euros back. I point it out to him and he thanks me profusely. Outside the café, I enjoy my cortado and croissant. As I leave, the waiter comes running after me and gives me my walking stick that I forgot. We're even, life is beautiful.

On the rest of the way, I don't meet anyone else, 'the lonesome cowboy', or as they say on the Camino: 'El peregrino solitario'.

From Gernika, the weather is also much better again, the sun is shining... and it's uphill.

Finally, around 6:00 PM, I reach my accommodation. There are four of us in the place, which can accommodate 20 people.

After the welcome beer, I already feel much better. Now I just need to write the blog, then shower, and the world is wonderful.

Because of my 'overtime' today, there's a good chance I'll reach Bilbao tomorrow.

Now it's time for some rest.