13 May
Written in Eglise Notre-Dame St Jean-Pied-de-PortEglise is the french Word for church.
Yesterday I took my suitcase to FedEx who wanted 296 Euro to ship it 800km to Santiago de Compestela. I had found other options on the internet which would have cost as Little as 100 euro but I didn't have the oppurtunity now to arrange them. For that Price I would have expected them to take it back to New Zealand. They had better take damn good care of it.
I went to Irun to buy a SIM card and discovered my Spanish was useless. I couldn't make myself understood even when trying to ask if they spoke English. I went to a Basque pub and had a hamburger and orange juice ordered in sign language. In the evening I went to a basque restaurant whose name I forget but it is in Lonely Planet. It is in Rue de Tonneliers. Anne who runs it single handed has 1 special dish - Axoa a traditional veal stew. It was delicious and cheap. The main course, half a bottle of |Gallica red wine, a beer, brandy and fromage (cheese) for 24 euro.
I met Luc from Italy over breakfast at Hotel Cote Basque. He got on the bus which has replaced the train to St Jean-Pied-de-Port and then discovered he had left his wallet behind when he switched tables to eat breakfast with me. At St Jean-Pied-de-Port I had a cup of tea with Donella and Rosario from Italy who were doing 10 days on the camino for their honeymoon.
Wandering around St Jean-Pied-de-Port I met up with Josh an American. We have been staying at the same places since then but I think tomorrow he will go further than I will as he has less days to complete the camino. His wife has recently died and he sprinkled some of her ashes from the roman bridge into the Nive.
Sitting in the church I desperately trying to get some focus on being in the being with God but with little success.
P.S. Got stopped by the French customs on the way back from Irun. There were road works with only a single lane and traffic lights controlling the flow. As the first car through I was stopped. They searched the car but there was nothing to find - I had filled the tank at the lower spanish Price.
Written at Orisson refuge at 6pm on 13th
Just been kicked outside while they prepare the dining room for 56. The guide book says Orisson only takes 18 but they have squeezed far more in - even people sleeping in tents. Given the crowd here I thought was away from the big wave who would have stayed in StJ P P I am wondering what the rest of the camino will be like. Perhaps I should have stopped at Hunto which seems to be less popular.
It was a fairly steady climb up here - 700m of climb in 8km with about the same climb over 14km tomorrow but the first bit is steep. It is too noisy here for any contemplation. It took 2hr 15m to walk here. 8km done 781 to go.
After dinner
Being alone is going to be difficult. After dinner we all had to introduce ourselves. There is a Brazilian and myself from the southern hemisphere. Everyone else is Northern hemisphere.
14 May
9.48am about 100m from the Spanish Border
I didn't think I slept well last night but the others in the room complained I snored all night. There was the pleasant sound of cow bells (yes hanging on cows) shortly after starting at 7.30am. Later on there were mountain ponies with foals. It is misty and a cold wind. I don't have enough clothes on but as long as I keep moving I'm not badly too cold. The shepherds here have small flocks (about 50 animals) and no dogs. When the sheep go the wrong way they have to run to head them off rather than sending the dog to do that job. I spent more time in prayer last night - when I wasn't asleep than I have for many years. I pray only that I can live in the present - for today with no regrets for the past and no anxieties for the future.
I am suprised to find my level of fitness is good compared with the other walkers. I am being passed very little and probably pass a few more than pass me. Alesandra from Italy is a real speed Walker so I'm not going to try and keep up with her. She has several days less than me to reach Santiago de Compestella.
Roncesvales 12.40pm
I got passed a few times on the descent though the forest (500m in 4km) but I have to be gentle on my knees. At least it was out of the wind in the beech forest. In NZ beech forest is evergreen so it never occurred to me it was deciduous in Europe. There is a hawk circling over the town. I missed seeing the vultures yesterday. It is too cold sitting outside in the wind so I am going to go into the café and have a coffee before continuing to Espinal.
Espinal 5.20pm
Away from the crowd at last. The walk here was quite pleasant. It was out of the wind and warm. Roy and Ian caught me up on the road into Burgeuete and we walked together to Espinal. Only Josh was here when we arrived and I thought we were in for a quite night but my bunk room now has all 8 beds full. Enjoyed a cold beer and a shower on arrival and then spent ages trying to find the @ sign on this weird keyboard. None of the special characters are where the keytops say they are.
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