We have completed Day 3 of our Camino del Norte.Thanks to Ed’s excellent planning, we started out with an easy stage of 11 kms by taking a commuter train out of Santander to Requejada and then walking to Santillana del Mar, which is a lovely village that has been largely restored just within the last 20 years. Sadly, the wonderful 12th century church has not received needed attention. As we knelt in worship, an alarming amount of crumbling rock and mortar ground beneath our knees and seats. Gaping cracks were opened in the back wall.Among scores of ancient Camino churches where we have celebrated the Eucharist, this was in the worst condition.On Day 2 we wound our way up and down hills, near and far from the coast. That night we slept to the sound of the surf and woke to a band of dusky pink reflected from the sunrise into the western sky. Knowing that our needs will be provided, we started without our pilgrim symbols –the scallop shell signifying the Way of St James– and sure enough, found the very last two shells in a tiny shop tucked into the corner of the Santillana church.Notice the difference between this photo and the one at the top of this post. So we walk on, falling gradually into our pilgrim rhythm and listening to the quiet.