Mathematician on El Camino de Santiago

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Mathematician on El Camino de Santiago

Mathematician on El Camino de Santiago

Today was our best day yet on El Camino de Santiago in terms of cycling distance. We started in Cobreces and are now in Colombres, a 38 kilometer day. This pace will not get us all the way to Santiago this trip. Our daily altitude gain of 400 to 500 meters is challenging and we often end up pushing our bikes up the mountains, but it is fun even so.

The first two evenings we were so tired that we went right to sleep. The last three we were able to get cleaned up and then sketch a bit, take a small walk, and even watch the sun set at 9:30 PM. This evening while I sketched in the hotel garden, Peter worked on a bench across the way on a math problem, framed by an old stone wall, incredibly green fields and distant blue mountains.  And what could be nicer than doing mathematics in a beautiful place like Spain?

This is an iPad sketch.

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Habitaciones Bella Vista

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Habitaciones Bellas Vistas

Habitaciones Bellas Vistas

Today was our fourth day biking el Camino de Santiago. We made good time, aided by taking the ferry from Somo to Santander and then the light rail for 5 kilometers through the industrial portion of Santander. It was another beautiful day, although colder with occasional sprinkles.

We were headed for Comillas but 7 kilometers short of it a very dramatic thunderstorm caused us to pull to the side of the trail to put on our rain gear. We looked to our right and noticed the ‘Habitaciones Bella Vista’and scurried up to it instead.

Our first nights in Spain we were careful about hotels, looking them up on the internet and making reservations ahead. Now we go until we are ready to stop, keep our eyes open for a cheerful looking hotel and then just go in and see if they have a room. All the hotels have been great- attractive, comfortable, clean, staffed by terrific people and reasonably priced, this one, for instances, is 35 euros (about $38) a room. It overlooks the Playa de Luaña and, as promised, the ‘Habitaciones Bella Vista’ has beautiful vistas indeed.

This is a a quick pen and watercolor sketch done of our friend up on the balcony looking out at the sunset.

 

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Somo Beach, Spain

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Beach in Somo Spain

Beach in Somo Spain

We left Laredo this morning, biking along the beach to the Santoña ferry. Then we were in gorgeous rolling hills with farmland, pasture, forest and small villages for the rest of the day. A small storm arrived with the afternoon and we fought a head wind for a few hours. When we got to Somo, just across the harbor from Santander, we decided to stop for the night.

After an early dinner I did a few quick watercolor sketches. This one shows a couple with the Santander lighthouse in the harbor.

 

 

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Bike Repair on El Camino de Santiago

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan

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Bike Repair on El Camino de Santiago

People here are very friendly, wishing us a “Buen Camino!” us as we pass, or spontaneously offering directions. A few hours after leaving Castro-Urales this morning the cable for the front gear on my bike broke. We thought we would have to wait 20 kilometers until we got to Laredo before it could be fixed. However, in Liendo we noticed a sign in the window of a gas station for bike repair and called Luis. Luis (in the yellow shirt) and family drove over to the gas station with a new cable and repaired the bike. Talk about a nice man! It turns out that Luis biked the full Camino de Santiago, 800 kilometers, a few years ago. He proudly showed us pictures on his smart phone and then wished us a “Buen Camino” as he and his family left.

The goal I am working on during this trip to tell a story with image. This bike repair episode was a perfect opportunity to sketch with this goal in mind.

This is an iPad sketch.

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First Lunch Stop on the Camino de Santiago

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Lunch in Portugalete, Spain

Lunch in Portugalete, Spain

On our first morning on El Camino, we made our way through Bilbao and took a ferry across the Ria de Nervion O de Bilbao into Portugalete. We stopped for a quick lunch and sketch in a small park and watched the ferry load cars, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycles as we ate.

We biked on to Pobeña, Onton and finally Castro Urales, where we are spending the night. The Basque countryside is gorgeous, lots of avid gardeners, green hills and friendly people, many of whom had advice for us as we consulted our maps.

The sketch is an pen and paper sketch with some editing in Procreate.

 

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Unexpected Day at the Airport

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Unexpected Day at the Airport

Unexpected Day at the Airport

We did not plan to spend most of yesterday at the airport. However, our low cost, no frill airline switched our departure from one side of the large Barcelona Airport to the other, without announcing it. A few fleet footed Spanish speakers made it across the airport but we did not.

Hours later we made it to Bilbao and the hotel, arriving just before 8 PM. Our friend Iñigo was still enthusiastic about showing us his incredible town and we soon left behind our bad moods. The Basque have a delightful custom of bar hopping, eating a small ‘pintxo’ (tapas) and drinking a short drink at several different bars across the evening. Bilbao is gorgeous. I wish I had the opportunity to sketch here but it will have to wait for another trip.

Our four bicycles await and we start off in an hour on one of the ancient El Camino de Santiago trails, for us a 650 kilometer ride along the northern coast of Spain.

This is an iPad sketch of disgruntled passengers at the Vueling Airline counter.

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Waiting at the Airport

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Sarah Sullivan
Waiting at the Airport

Waiting at the Airport

Yesterday we cleaned and left our apartment in Jerusalem, returned the car, moved through the many layers of security at Ben Gurion Airport and finally waited for our plane.  It was great to sit and sketch. I searched a bit for a theme and then settled in on the body language of waiting.

This is a quick sketch of my fellow passengers on the iPad.

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