After a quick breakfast at the Albergue we set off across Irun. At the edge of town our route started to climb. Within an hour we were up high enough to see Irun and France behind us and the Atlantic Ocean on our right. The mountains of the Basque region rose to our left, and the jagged coastline we were walking stretched out in front. I knew this Camino would have some elevation but I didn’t expect it to be as challenging as it was from day one. We walked 25 km and climbed 1000 metres.
Maros is from Slovakia and is walking his fourth Camino. We met him at a cafe in Pasajes de San Juan, one of two twin sea villages on opposite banks of a river. He is a business coach and project manager. He also works with a hockey team to try and teach the mental health aspect of the game. Mental coaching is commonplace in North American sports but has been slow to grow in Europe. Maros only has nine days to walk so he will return and finish his Camino in the summer. It is common for Europeans to walk a portion of a Camino with the time they have available.
Mark and I spent the night at Albergue Juvenil Ulia just above the city of San Sebastián. We were able to take a municipal bus from Ulia to San Sebastian for supper and groceries.