DATE
2019.04.15

START
Madrid
Calle el Escorial 26, 1a interior derecha

END
San Sebastián-Donostia
Koisi Hostel, Paseo de Heriz, 38

DISTANCE TRAVELED
~ 300 miles

TRAVELED BY
Foot • Metro • Bus

PEOPLE
Emma Norway

HIGHLIGHTS

Stovetop coffee at Steph’s.
Got to talk to you on your way to work. Despite being distracted and stressed and not being at my most engaged, I appreciated having you on the line, and very much appreciated your understanding. I love hearing you talk and it meant a lot to me to be able to participate more as a listener than a contributor this time.
Post-call texts with you had me full of jahhhful tears.
Got a SIM card from Steph for while I’m traveling. Super grateful for her for that.
Beautiful, QUIET bus ride from Madrid to San Sebastián. Listened to a baseball podcast, worked on some music ideas, and started transcribing some journal entries to share with you.
Had a nice walk from the bus station to the hostel, and am excited to see this city more during the daytime.
Hostel seems nice so far. Probably going to shower in the morning. Most people were sleeping already, but I did meet a girl named Emma from Santander and/or Norway (I didn’t fully understand which place she said she’s from). She was super sweet and asked if I was doing the Camino. She told me she was planning on walking it but twisted her ankle pretty badly recently and the swelling hadn’t gone down enough yet, so she wasn’t going to be able to do it this time.
Talked to my parents for a bit. It was nice to touch base with them.
Talked to you again! And yet again, so thankful for it.
Top bunk!

CHALLENGES

Was cutting it kind of close getting to the bus, mainly because the station wasn’t super clearly laid out. But I got to the bus with 5-10 minutes to spare.
I sat on a couch in the lobby\cafe while I was on the phone tonight, and now I’m wishing I had sat on a metal chair elsewhere. I’m sure I’m fine, but now I’m worrying about bed bugs. The hostel itself, including beds and sheets, are all very clean, so I’m not overly concerned, but I shouldn’t have sat on the couch. Now I’m feeling phantom itchiness. Writing this from bed; going to shower in the morning.

SOME THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO TOMORROW

Showering.
Desayuno.
Also, I apparently get a free beer from the hostel(!).
Exploring more of San Sebastián, including the beach and Old Town.
Figuring out what I want to do/when I want to head up to France to get started on the walk.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Loving you
feels like
loving me.