24 August - Day 6

Woke up to the Gaita. This is an instrument from Galicia, which resembles bagpipes, and sounds like it pretty much. The hospitalero played 2 songs, with many mistakes, and I just had to laugh at the craziness of it. I readied and out the door.... I walked through the old part of the city which is very beautiful, over a real drawbridge at the gates of the wall that surrounds it and out.


I walked with (young) Dennis (Germany) for a bit but once in the rough countryside he walked on. Julia and Marta (Spain) and I kept passing each other periodically. They are 2 cutie pies. I stopped for a moment to check on my new blister. My Italian friends (whose names I cannot remember) and a Colombian man who was with them, doctored me right up.


I shared my avocado with them and they shared olives with me. Gave me some extra water as well. At a small village I was able to fill my bottles again. Sometimes I wonder if I will run out and not have a fountain nearby. It is important to always fill them whenever you are near any water (potable).


I started walking up to Alto del Perdon. It got steeper and muddier. The mud would try to suck my shoes off my feet. That was a tough climb. I am so thankful for my poles. The windmills at the top of the mountain would get closer and closer and bigger and bigger. They are all over these mountains bringing clean energy to the people. But they are also quite the sight...somewhat littering the landscape.


I got to the top and was tearful, so thankful to have made it and happy to see these huge metal statues of peregrinos,which I had seen for so long only in pictures.


Stayed a while, ate a bit and left with Veronika, down, down, down an all rocky trail.

That was hard on the feet and knees but easier on the legs compared to the climb up. We passed a couple of small towns. I met Didier (French) in one of those. There is an albergue there. I gave Didier a can of tuna in tomato sauce so that he could microwave tonight. He likes to stay in albergues where he can cook but this one did not have facilities and he did not want to go to the next one as he was tired. We had a little stop at a cafe and he stayed and we moved on.

We walked on to Puente La Reina and got a bunk at the albergue by the old church right in town. I settled in, showered and went to dinner with Veronika and Catherine (American). I checked my emails and went to bed. I never saw my old friends, nor my bottle of Patxaran!! I hope someone raised a glass in my name. Only my Italian friends, Julia & Marta were here. I missed the mass service. The priest washes the pilgrims´ feet. That is such a nice gesture. So much to experience here.

23 August - Day 5

What an afwul night!! All my things are still wet. It rained the whole night. My silk sheet was not enough. I put my skirt over my shoulders and an extra pillow from the empty bed next to me on my feet. I still stayed cold. During the night I had to go to the bathroom which is in a different building and ran there in the rain. I watched as this guy, 2 beds down took 3 flash pictures of his g/f. How inconsiderate of others, who must have thought, in their sleep, it was lightning. Everyone got up and left quickly. I waited until 9 am for the woman to show up and unlock the internet room so I could get my sarong which I had left last night. I repacked (everything moist), put on slightly damp clothes, my rain jacket and went out into the rain. The chinch bug inspectors came while I repacked and said all clean. Apparently there is still problems with them in some albergues. I stood at the street, walked towards the Camino, and I just wasn´t feeling it. I was cold, moist inside as well as out, and did not feel so happy. Turned around and went to the bus stop. The bus came, and for 1.71€ I was off to Pamplona.


The home of the Running of the bulls.


I asked for directions and went to a sports shop and bought a sleeping sack and a pair of socks. I went to the German albergue, Paderborn, and checked in. The man gave me lemonade and cookies and I got a room with 2 bunks.


Veronika (Austria) had a bottom bunk as well as me and that couple which were next to me in Roncesvalles , the Spanish couple from Madrid (Parque de las Avenidas)were on top of us. Selena (Germany), Marina (Palma), Martin (Quebec), Nadine (France), Elise (Montreal), Gabriel and his mom (Spain).... all people from previous albergues. There were others as well. I went with Martin to return something he bought at the sports shop and then went to eat the Pilgrim´s menu at La Raspa. I had acelgas with papas with olive oil drizzle, lenguada (a fish) big and delicious, with french fries fried in olive oil. Flan for dessert. Yes wine and bread. The bar owner was so attentive... he chatted with everyone, especially me since I spoke Spanish. Then he convinced us to try a local drink called Patxaran. He brought them in big brandy snifters over ice.... it is reddish and it was divine. Anise with a local berry soaked for a while to sweeten it.


Arturo, the owner, after seeing me and hearing me speak so well of this drink, brings a whole bottle (1 liter) of this and gives it to me as a gift. WOW!! I felt so happy....but how am I going to carry an extra 2 pounds? No way! I told Martin the plan and at the albergue I gave the bottle to Nadine and Elise, who were taking the bus to Puente La Reina instead of walking because the ALto del Perdon was going to be too tough on their legs. Perfect plan. Of course I told everyone we would be drinking together tomorrow night. The albergue has this apparatus for spinning out the water we handwash. It works like a centrifuge, getting it as least moist as possible. Then I used the blowdryer, a small one, which I used to finish drying my socks. Started out rough, ended well. Loving it! Now I have a warm sleeping bag.

22 August - Day 4

Lights on at 6am. People left quickly. I mosied (sp?) out, said goodbye to my London angels and headed out of Roncesvalles.



Almost all of the walk was through the woods, thick and thin. It was beautiful! Yeah it rained or drizzled... I never saw the sun. My Italian buddies, I had met at Orisson, encouraged me through a tough area, especailly those uphills. Many people passed me, but I trucked on, got a blister, right foot, second toe. I bandaged it. My right big-toe nail hurts. Probably from the stony downhill parts where the toes push towards the front of the shoe. During the last 4 kms my feet hurt so much! I hope I don´t lose my nail. I have already seen some black ones on other people...yuk! Got to Zubiri, checked in the municipal albergue, got my bunk and again took everything out, put it out to dry. The air is so moist, I have no idea if anything will be dry tomorrow. I put on my longjohn pants and 2 blouses and went to dinner with Jean Paul (France), Martin (Quebec), Henri (Montreal), Celina( Germany) and Veronika (Austria).


I had garlic soup and pork in sauce, fruit salad (called Macedonia) and lots of wine. Bread of course. Back at the albergue I tried to use the internet, blogged, but it turned off before I got it posted!. UGH!! There went another €. Now to sleep.

21 August - Day 3

Most people were ready to leave after breakfast. Corn Flakes and hot milk (not bad, actually), OJ, bread with butter and jam. It was raining, not hard. The uphills were tough. I started counting 20, then 30, 40, and 50 steps. I would stop to catch my breath and start again. Then the rain came down harder. It was very foggy and cold. I could not see 10 feet past the trail. An occasional car would go downhill. Never saw one going uphill. Then rain then pelted me, so I got my umbrella. Then the wind picked up. I am talking, very strong winds. The rain was coming down sideways. I would say I can do it, Je Peut, Yo Puedo... over and over. Whenever I would stop, it felt like the wind would get stronger, pushing my back as if to say, "Keep going". I thought of my mother. My legs were soaked. The backpack cover was blown off and I went up the hill to retrieve it. If I changed my stance, my umbrella would turn inside out. It started to tear. I started to cry. My step felt quicker, my shortness of breath seemed less, but my legs were freezing and my toes numb. I went on. 3 hours of this!! I saw no one for all that time. I felt so alone up there, thinking if something happened no one would see me for a long time. The Brits caught up with me. David would converse which helped me by taking my mind off how I was feeling. They offered to carry my pack. I cried, "NO!" We went on, and I was now soaked inside as well. They were as well. But did not seem to mind as much. Youth. And they´re used to cold and wet. I remember Stuart Wilde, from a CD collection I have saying, "I´ll just do cold and wet". I said that to myself, several times, "I´m just doing cold and wet". No biggie, right? I went up a very big hill, and I stopped to catch my breath. Sarah insisted she carry my sack. David helped me bundle up better. They were meeting someone in a car at the Vierge D'Orisson, which is a stone statue of a virgin who looks over the shepherds. We hadn´t realized we passed her awhile back, since we could not see past the fog. When Sarah took my sack I cried again. OMG what an awful feeling. I had broken down my resolve to do it myself. The car found us. The couple Philippe and Martin and their daughter, Pauline got out as they were going to walk with my English friends. Martin decided against it when she realized how bad the weather was. He too. They decided to drive to Roncesvalles and meet them there instead. Everyone´s packs went in and David insisted I leave with them. I wanted to. And I didn´t. The trembling in my body was uncontrollable. I turned away and bawled silently. I got in the car, he turned the heater on and I still shook violently for most of the ride. We went to a bar and they got me hot tea which helped tremendously. Back in the car now, I was shaking less. I was still so wet. We got to Roncesvalles and the now-shaking-from-the-cold group was already there! They said they were there in ahlf an hour. Damn it, I was so close to walking the whole stage. I didn´t know that. I regret it only a little. Next year I will do it again. But I will watch the weather before going. No blue skies, I'm not moving! We moved into our albergue, 120 beds big.


We got our credencial stamped, paid the 5€ and I got a bunk at the far end of the albergue. The place got full. We went to dinner and had another splendid meal. Leg of lamb in an exquisite sauce, fish consomme and a yummy local dessert, a yogurt cheesy mix with honey. Wine and bread of course.


Thank you to David for the invite. In the mountains through the fog, I could see thousand of white dots. No, I was not hallucinating... they were sheep/lambs grazing. I oculd not see their heads, jsut the white fluffy body. It seemed so tranquil despite the rain. It was actually beautiful, serene. Of course that was the foggy area, before the storm. I sometimes wondered if I was becoming delusional when I was walking in the worst conditions and wasn´t stoppping from tiredness. I saw a grave at one point and decided "no way am I going to die here", although I thought it could happen. I would see myself just giving up and falling on the ground and freezing to death. UGH!! It´s mean on the mind. After dinner, I settled in my bunk then headed to the church for the Pilgrim´s mass and blessing. Mass was boring - dedicated to pope Pius something. But then the priest did the pilgrim´s part. He named all the countries represented that night, then in each language (after he asked us to come to the front) he blessed our way. I went back to the albergue and chatted with several people. I hung out my clothes to dry. Everything in my pack was soaked!


Nadine and Elise were next to me, the Brits across the way and a Spanish couple which I would meet later were on my other side. Lights out at 10pm. I fell asleep immediately, after having such a tough day.

20 August - Day 2

As I walk, as I walk
The universe is walking with me
In beauty it walks before me
In beauty it walks behind me
In beauty it walks below me
In beauty it walks above me
Beauty is on every side
As I walk, I walk with Beauty.

--- Traditional Navajo Prayer

People had already left by the time I woke up. The only 1 I heard was the German guy above me. With his crinkly bags. Someone else took his boots by accident, which looke identical to his, but now he has a smaller pair. Poor guy! He put them on... his feet will suffer. The taxi man yesterday was funny. He talked the whole way, had done the Camino also, mentioned how his hemorrhoids were hurting today from a bike ride he did yesterday. LOL. Back to today. So I leave and it´s sprinkling, then more so I put on my rain jacket,went to a boulangerie and bought a warm quiche (it´s cold outside) and trekked out. Already breathing hard. Worst is yet to come. As I ascend, I am awed at the beauty of what lies below me. Tranquil green pastures, sheep grazing, perfect backdrop is the mountain range.


The road is narrow, cars occasionally zip by. Many squashed tiny snakes, medium sized frogs and snails. The cows in the road unnerved me, especially the second group which had 1 watching me hard. Her eyes would not leave me. I stopped, not sure what to do. Looked at the precipice thinking I would jump if she charged. And saw cows down there also and realized she knew how to walk down this drop. Then her back leg starts strumming the ground. OH SHIT!! Just like you see the bulls in the ring do. I told myself it´s ok, walked slowly, took a deep breath and walked between them all. I could reach out and touch one on either side of me (if I had wanted), that´s how close they were to me. As I passed I would look side to side, watching for them. I could not go any faster since I was already out of breath, not just from the hill but also the little anxiety I had just felt. I told them I was a really nice person and that we would be just fine. I listened for their bells and none got any louder! I sat on a rock and took off my right shoe and socks. I felt a hot spot on my second toe and sure enough a flattened blister. I wrapped the toe and moved on. The ascent was getting to me. I saw the sign 4 km to Orisson and kept telling myself I can do it! In French, je peut...in Spanish, yo puedo... in English, I can... This was my mantra for a while. I had to stop every 20 to 30 steps to catch my breath. I came around a hairpin curve and had an incredible sight below me. I teared up when I saw a sign stating, "Those that walk these mountains can touch heaven"



Several pilgrims approached and we sat on some rocks to snack. I lost my water bottle and map somehow and the French man (in his 70s), pulled out my map. Awhile back my other water bottle rolled down the road but was stopped by a wet cow paddy. EWWWWWWWWW! I probably lost it in one of those put on/take off stops,depending if drizzling or if the sun came out. I lost so much sweat. I arrived at the Orisson auberge, paid my 30€ and was taken to my bunk. There was a rainbow outside.


I put my stuff down, wrapped the blanket around me and slept within 1 to 2 minutes. Tired from the climb, tired from not sleeping these last few days, and tired from the jet lag time. I have 2 women as roomies for now. 1 French, Nadine and 1 from Montreal, Elise. They have walked 1 week from a French trail. They will stop in Leon and do the rest next year. The couple yesterday, Marta and Jaime are here for 2 weeks. They walked all the way across the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles today. NO WAY! I still have more uphill to go! I forgot to get my credencial stamped last night, but got one today. A while later 3 from London arrived. Sara, her husband David and her brother Richard. The hospitalera prepared a wonderful meal. First course, an excellent bean soup. Second course, beef with red peppers in sauce. Of course plenty of bread and wine. Flan for dessert.


Seems pretty common here and in Spain to do 2 courses in the meal... different inthe states where it is all 1 course together. I then played shithead with the Brits. At our table we had 6 from Italy, 3 English, 2 Germans, 3 French, 1 Canadian, and 1 USA, me. 3 from Portugal came in late. They had bicycled ahead and turned back when the rain got to be too much and Roncesvalles was still far away. We went to bed just after 9 pm. Woke up once during the night and had a hard time falling back asleep.

19 August - Day 1

Here begins the Journey
Now begins the Day.
With one step upon the Road
My soul is on its Way.

I couldn´t sleep last night. I repacked and got rid of a few more things. I wrote information from the Camino forum about the pros and cons of different albergues. Layed down at 2 am. At 3am I listened to my Zen. Fell asleep and woke up 3 more times! The last time was 1 minute before the alarm went off. Readied and out the door after my goodbyes with Begoña. Got 200€ from the ATM and went to the metro. Went the wrong way 1 stop and headed back on the next train... 2 more connections later I arrived late to catch the train to Pamplona. Phone calls later, I headed by metro this time to the bus station. 2 hours later I was on the most comfortable bus to Pamplona. I saw the landscape change, definitely more hills and then mountains. At the bus station in Pamplona I could not find anyone to share a taxi with to go to St Jean-Pied-du-Port (SJPP) so headed to a city bus stop to take me to the train station. Maybe there I would find other pilgrims. I looked at the schedule, and not understanding the Basque language, I felt something was not right and walked back to the bus station. Just then 1 woman and 4 men were walking out of the snack shop and I asked if any were going to SJPP (which is on the French side of the Pyrenees).


A couple were. We (6) got into a taxi van and headed north. First stop was Roncesvalles, which is known as the beginning of the Camino on the Spanish side. I would be there in a couple of days. On we went to SJPP. The rest of the ride showed us beautiful vistas, lush, green, woodsy, cute villages. The whole ride was 24€ each. We went to the office of Les Amis du Chemin de St Jacques and got our credencial. This is a little booklet where I will get a stamp placed in it each time I stop in an albergue. Like a little passport. It will be shown at the Cathedral once I am in Santiago de Compostela to prove I walked it and then I will be given the certificate, called the Compostela. Antoine was awesome... all smiles, laughing, singing, welcoming us. We each got our credencial and headed to our albegue. I got a room with 3 bunk beds and 1 twin bed, 7 of us, men and women and 1 dog. He wears a backpack with his food in it!

Then Marta, Jaime and I walked around this lovely village and ate a big dinner.



The albergue is in a family home.... I am not allowed to shower there however. Headed to bed early since I haven´t slept much and must be ready for the uphill climb to Orisson tomorrow.
On this date many years ago it was the beginning of my marriage, which ended with a divorce this past April. And today is the beginning of a new journey. What will this one bring?