Day one:
Saint Jean to Roncesvalles 25 km
At least one hopes it goes down! The climb was relentless but the view and the magnificent day made up for it. We walked approximately a seven hour day and hiked about fifteen miles in total. The wind was out in full force but luckily the weather was sunny and mild. We did eventually go down hill after about 5 1/2 hours of climbing and my knees were talking to me by the end of the day.
The Pyrenees were amazing and the hills dotted with sheep, goats and horses. Pilgrim’s were plentiful as well. The array of nationalities and personalities were fascinating. We met Gerald from Ireland, Margie from South Africa and Sien Yee from Singapore; just to name a few. I loved hearing their stories and why they were doing the Camino.
We arrived to Roncesvalles and checked into the 160 bed Albergue that was in a Monastery. We promptly got in line for the showers then washed clothes and headed to the restaurant to have a Pilgrim’s dinner. This consisted of pasta to start, trout and chips (French fries). The 9 euro dinner included a bottle of very good house wine. My bed never sounded so good!
Day Two:
Roncesvalles to Larrasoaña 26 km
Even with ear plugs one does not get a good night sleep with 160 other Pilgrims getting up to use the bathroom and snoring in unison. Earplugs do become your best friend.
At 6:00am the light turned on and everyone was hustling to get their packs together and get on the trail.
We walked about 3 km in the dark and stopped for a coffee and a little bit to eat. I have to say that the Spanish are not big on breakfast and it’s a challenge for me to find anything I really want to eat. There’s a lot of white bread and food items with ham in them. I very seldom do white bread and I definitely don’t do ham.
The walk today was 26 km and felt quite easy after yesterday (I did wake up in the middle of the night with a cramp in my gluteus which was a reminder of yesterday’s long climb). The terrain was nice with gentle up and down paths with views of the woods that reminded me of both California and Colorado. Christine and I had picked up a few things at the supermarket and had a little picnic off the path. We did some Qigong before heading off again and I really think it helped.
I have to sign off before we get locked out of our room….yes, we do have a curfew!
Wifi is limited so I’ll post pictures and tidbits when I can.
Great pictures and story. Loving doing this with you! Hugs, Shawn
I’d be loving some cured breakfast ham from a little town shop. The country side looks lovely. Hugs, Joe
Love to hear your reports but don’t feel compelled to do them regularly. You should enjoy being away from all that.
Lots of love, Sara