Buen Camino!

We left Tampa on Monday, June 25, after months of planning, we took a car, a plane, another plane, a bus, a subway, a train, and then another bus over the course of 2 days to arrive at St. Jean Pied Du Port in southwestern France. While we felt the journey to St. Jean was slow and we longed to get going on the Camino, it´s amazing that we traversed 1000´s of miles, an ocean, and crossed a mountain range in just 2 days!

After flying to Barcelona, we took a train to Pamplona where we spent the night. Think Hemingway and the running of the bulls. Apparently, Spain was experiencing a severe heat wave, but with Florida as our reference point, we didn´t really notice. But the local population was really feeling the heat. At one point, we were walking down the sidewalk and abruptly stopped to discuss something. There were two women walking behind us who ran into us. Apologies were made. One woman from Pamplona commented, “It is hot. We are all stupid!” Could this be a commentary on Florida?

We took the bus from Pamplona to St. Jean over the Pyrenees. The road was up and down,, twisting and turning. Sue and Malcolm were attacked by carsickness and were beyond miserable. For Sue, this made walking back over the same terrain much more palatable, because she couldn´t face the idea of taking the bus!

St. Jean reminded us of a theme park! Quaint old buildings, narrow streets, ancient signs, surrounded by a wall and protected by a citadel.

Day One on the Camino. Finally, on Thursday, we were off and walking from St. Jean to Orisson, about 8 kilometers. One kilometer is about 1.6 miles. So, 8k is about 5 miles; not far, even carrying a 20 pound pack. But most of the way was uphill and not a gradual slope and it was blazing hot (remember the heat wave?). It was a vertical assent of 800 meters. It was the most strenuous 3 hours of physical exertion of my life (short of childbirth – perhaps!). But so satisfying. The gorgeous vistas over the mountains and valleys, the farms and fields, sheep and goats – all pure delight. It was like being in “The Sound of Music” without the snow-capped peaks. We had a relaxing afternoon at the hostel during which the weather changed abruptly. It got cold and foggy and damp. It was misty and almost raining. Quite a change after our sunny morning! We enjoyed a delicious dinner where everyone introduced themselves. After dinner we watched the Euro Cup soccer match between Italy and Germany.

We have adjusted well to our packs, boots, and gear. We are staying well hydrated. We have even adapted to the communal sleeping arrangements and shared bathrooms. At breakfast we are greeted with a cereal bowl which is promptly filled with coffee and milk to go with the bread, butter, and jam. We have met people from all over the world: New Zealand, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Korea, and a few people from the US.

Day Two on the Camino. We made our way across the rest of the Pyrenees, finishing the 1200 meter assent, followed by the 1200 meter descent! While we walked 8k yesterday, today we walked 18k – up and down. We began in the cloudy mist with our memories of the beautiful vistas yesterday to spur us on. Once we were above the clouds, the sun shone and 2 rainbows appeared. We saw the mountain tops once again, but the valleys were hidden below the clouds.

Our descent was through the largest remaining silver beech forest in Europe. It was very beautiful, dark, and quiet. We turned a corner and the village of Roncesvalles appeared with a huge church and monetary, and an ancient building converted into a beautiful modern hostel where they do your laundry, wash, dry, and fold, for 2.70 € per load. An extravagance, to be sure!

Out of the five of us, so far only 3 blisters! WooHoo! We will try to send more soon. Buen Camino!