Buen Camino

Buen Camino is what everyone says when passing a pilgrim on the way or when a group of us leave an eating area or just when you cannot think of anything else to say . You will hear it  from the locals to the 50 other people who have been sleeping at your Albergue and start out walking when you do. 

  Today, Mal Camino came to my mind but I was able to keep it in my mind rather than actually greet anyone with such negativity!!!  Reacting to weather  seems just silly.

This ( snowy and wet) Way.

Making the most of mud.

Raining most of the day.  Up hill most of the day.

Up hill

Muddy most of the day.  Honestly, when you look at 4 inches of mud and realize that you can not go around, you can not go back and you must go forward and just step in this muck hoping your boots do not fall off.  Truly amazing .
.

 Record snow this winter and now record rain.  Extreme weather they say.  Which, is why they closed St. Jean´s as we neared it after a pilgrim died a week or so ago and 3 peregrinos (pilgrims) had to be airlifted out. 

 And this is why we did not start at St. Jean but I am really ok with skipping that part!!

Difficult day, did I say that already?

In Pomploma

we did have the best Albergue and ran into a Easter festival and had good food and wine and washed and dried out all our stuff and most important, the snoring man did not follow us and we all had complete quiet from lights out (10)  to  lights on (6:30) 

Much to feel grateful for, right?

Now,  I need to take a shower and try and get some of the mud off my boots( YEA boots that are working so well) and clothes.

 Later, the tales of pilgrim food and then the pilgrims themselves and how young and in great shape they are with brand new packs and adorable clothes)

The Snoring Man

       It is 5 am on Easter Sunday ,March 31  after  our second day of walking. We are leaving Zubiri .

Leaving Zubiri.

  We agreed to make it a very short walk all together and stopped after only a few hours but after yesterday's walk we deserve and need a break.    

A short walk.

     Although I am tired and sore I am not sleeping and am up writing because we have the world´s most amazing snorer in our dorm-  We are in a

I am on the bottom bunk!

small room with sixteen bunk beds.  Jim is sleeping on a top bunk at one end of the room and I have the bottom bunk at the other end.  At about 3 AM we together , independently of each other, get out of our bunk beds and leave the room and find a place to sit away from the snorer.

    This guy sounds like a wild animal or someone grasping for his last breath.  Everyone in the room is awake except for this snorer.  Jim wanted to move his bed outside but that did not seem like the Camino thing to do. Jim also suggested that we turn on all the lights and wake him up and have a discussion.  

      I just do not know the Camino protocol on this kind of thing. It is everyone finding their pace on the way and doing your best and all but is this really the best that the snorer can do? I don't think so but hey, I am new here.

      By 5 am everyone but the snorer is awake and out of bed.  We are all silent , looking around silently at each other and packing our bags, ready to walk but especially ready to get out of that room.  I declare , "well, my ear plugs sure didn't work" and everyone laughs and the lights go on and the snorer wakes up.  We fix his face in our minds to never, never sleep in the same room with him again!

     Tomorrow we walk to Pomploma

This way.

 and I shall stay there until I find a store that sells the very best ear plugs in the world cause mine are just not working.  Do not ever think of saving money on your ear plug purchase.  Not worth it. 

Wish me luck.

We Are Walking

We are tired pilgrims with very tender feet but are learning much and feeling  stronger.  Stronger is good lest we give up now.

A cold first day.

  Our traveling companion, Marie has already told us she is thinking of quitting.
 But, Jim and I are determined to keep going and try to get "A Santiago" even if it takes 6 weeks!!!
The young kids are constantly passing us by but as they say on El Camino, it is your walk and so you do it the way you do it.

The Pilgrim's Albergue at Roncesvalles

We wanted to begin in France, at St. Jean's but because of some great and wondrous storms that suddenly erupted and the death of a Canadian pilgrim earlier and the rescuing of three Koreans who kept their lives but lost some toes St. Jean's main path was closed . And because of our beginning Easter weekend with no buses running we had to hitch hike from the end of the train ride from Madrid.

Hitch hiking to the start of the Camino.

We walked from Roncesvalles yesterday over 20 miles in the rain

and mud  and snow up and down mountains and found at the end there was no room at the Inn (Albergues for the pilgrims)as many Spaniards are walking only this Easter weekend  but they are  filling up our sleeping spaces!  And because I am on the Camino I accept this and do not bitch and moan about it being unfair and I do not call them slackers and I know that it would be useless if I did!

 So, we walked around town and found a Pension, a room in someone's home with a shared bathroom for a little more money, but charming and just what we needed at the end of a long walk. And there are not seventy other pilgrims!
 Today we walked less and found an Albergue early and I have the bottom bunk!! This is all I want right now.  A shower and the bottom bunk.

It is hard walking with the pack but Jim and I think we are 80% prepared with the correct shoes (YEA!!) and clothes but could have used an update on our back packs instead of the ones from 30 years ago!  Next time we´ll know better.

I am happy to be  here . I am feeling optimistic . I am meeting fine folks from all other the world and are our sisters and brothers on the Way and  I am learning much like not bothering to walk around puddles and just go on through!

Making it through another puddle

There was much snow this winter so many streams are overflowing now and it gets tricky to pass. 

 We saw the bridge where Martin Sheen´s bag went over in THE Way but we still have our bags!
Meeting folks is one of the very special things about this Camino.
 Yesterday, I met and had many interactions , over a period of a six hour walk,with a couple from Holland, sharing philosophies and we could hold each other close to say goodbye.

 Today we visited with 3 young college grads from Australia, Jack. James and Henry who made us laugh and whom we believe we shall never see again as they are walking way faster than we.
Holly was ill and not able to walk with us. Next time!

Que mas.  Communication can be a challenge as usually we are too tired to find a computer but tonight there is one here in our Albergue. I´ll try to connect periodically.

Spring is here, birds are singing, rain is falling and fortunately, I have super rain gear and super icebreaker underclothes .