The nightbefore our departure into the great pyranees was stormy. We feared for the day ahead. Luckily when we awoke the sky was mostly clear. We packed up our things and strapped on our packs and departed. As we walked we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise in one part of the sky while the full moon set in another. We felt it was a good omen as well as a good way to start our journey.
The first day was tough. We walked 26km up and over the pyranees gaining 3000+ ft in the process. We were so thankful for the nice weather though it was quite warm and I of course got sunburned. After the first day of walking we ended up in Roncesvalles a small town in the spanish foothills. There we stayed in an Albergue. We would soon come to know these places as home.
Albergues are like hostels for pilgrims (pilgrams being people on the pilgrimage to Santiago). The great thing about them is that they provide a cheap (3€-6€ though some only ask for a donation.) place to stay. These beds can range from a thin mat on the floor with 6 or 8 people in a room or a bunk bed in a huge room with 100+ beds. The worst part about albergues is the snoring people. I am lucky to be able to sleep through nearly anything but i do occasionally wake up to a symphony of snores.
Our favorite albergues have been run by the churches. At these places we are served dinner and breakfast as part of our stays. One such albergue which was my personal favorite was at Eunate. We had taken a side detour to see this church one of the older and more unique on the trail. The church was octagonal (8 sided) not a huge church but it had beautiful carvings all around it’s exterior. Rain clouds had set in and we felt rain was emminant so we inquired about staying at the albergue next to the church. Here we met a very nice and spiritual man named Jean. He was volunteering for a few days to look after the place. This was the smallest place we have stayed at so far. It’s capacity was ten people on mats in one room. There were 8 of us on this particular night. Jean cooked for at least 3 or more hours preparing a feast. He spoke french and a little bit of spanish but very little english. because of this he and I could not talk. Alyssa spoke with him abit and learned that he had walked the camino 4 times. The night was very multicultured with a french couple, a spanish couple, a german women, and alyssa and I. The feast was spectacular 5 stars to Jean. After the meal we went into the church with small candles and had a short prayer and meditation. It was a spectacular night i will not soon forget.
In the days that followed we covered some amazing country. The mountains were a cross between the rockies and the appalachians. They were smaller like the appalachians but drier like the rockies. Soon we passed out of the mountain region of basque country into navarra. Here we began to encounter miles upon miles of grape vines full of grapes. Navarra and the region that followed La Rioja are known for having amazing wine. It is cheap and flows freely. Here we pay 1,50€ for a decent bottle of wine. We even encountered a place which had a fuente de vino or in english a fountain of wine. We had read about it but did not believe that it could be true. When we arrived we found a fountain in a wall with 2 spouts. the left marked vino and the right marked aqua. We pulled the vino handle and out flowed red wine. truly amazing.
We eat well here in spain. When we eat out we typically get the menu del dia or the menu of the day. This tends to be two courses and dessert and bread and wine for about 8€. These meals are nice but we cook our own meals most of the time. The food available is about the same as in america. One thing we have found to be particularily nice is the cheese. Many different kinds are usually available and most of the time it is locally made. We eat lots of sandwiches usually chorizo and cheese or cheese and veggy. We drink wine with most evening meals as it is considered a food group here.
I feel i should share a bit of history of the Camino so that you may better understand the trail. It is the ancient pilgrimage of St. James. St. James was a deciple of Jesus. After Jesus died he walked accross Spain trying to spread the word and gain followers. Spain was not ready for christianity and St. James only gained 8 followers. Now we flash forward and St. James has died somewhere besides Spain I am unsure where. His followers in Spain contact his followers elsewhere and his body is floated to Spain and his remains get burried in Spain. He is forgotten then sometime in the future his body is discovered and the town of Santiago is founded and a church built on top of his grave.
In modern times we pilgrams walk to Santiago accross spain. Some people for religious reasons, some for spiritual reasons, and many more have other reasons. I am not sure why I walk. I came here to walk and hike because I like to walk and hike but now that I´m here I am unsure what this path means to me. I will let you know what I figure out.
The path is marked well with yellow arrows everywhere along the way. We walk from town to town to town. the distances vary from 1km-15km. There are 100´s of pilgrams. We rarily walk completely alone most of the time there is always some pilgram around.
I think I will sign off for now. I hope you all are well. Please write me and tell me of your adventures.
Much Love to you all
jon
