If this is Monday, this must be Azofra...

If this is Monday, this must be Azofra!

I have had little time or opportunity to post to this blog but I have a little time today to tell you where I am and where I have been, so let´s get going!

First day: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France --> Orisson, France (8.0 km) ...

I wanted to stay at Orisson to ease into my walk and I am glad I did because many people who went the whole way to Roncesvalles are now suffering with leg pain or blisters. So far I have had neither.

Day 2: Orisson, France --> Roncesvalles, Spain (17.1 km) ...

Roncesvalles is a former monastery which has been providing hospitality to pilgrims for over 800 years. A funny thing happened here! The doors at the albergues (the dormatories for pilgrims) close at 10:00 sharp. When I was writing my last blog post there, I wasn´t paying attention to the time and suddenly I realized that it was after 10! I ran to the albergue and tried the door but it was locked, so I ran back to the bar where I was and asked for help. They suggested I walk to the next town. I told them my stuff was inside so they said I should go back and knock on the door which I did. A grumpy Dutch woman let me in and told me to take off my sandals and be quiet. I tip-toed to my bunk which was in a cubicle of four beds and took off my shirt and pants and got into the bed. I couldn´t fing the zipper though, which was strange as I had arranged my sleeping bag earlier, so I turned on my little flashlight. OMG! It was not my bed! I had crawled into what was probably the only other empty bed in the whole place and now I could hear someone shuffling back from the washroom. I grabbed my stuff and went into the hallway and I realized that my bed was actually in the cubicle next door. I crawled into bed and tried to calm my breathing, and eventually went to sleep. When I awoke just after dawn, I saw when I gathered my belongings that I had also grabbed the hoodie belonging to the fellow next door! So I snuck over and placed it at the foot of his bed and dashed away just as he opened his eyes! That was a good lesson. When they say be in bed by ten, they mean be in bed by ten!

Day 3: Roncesvalles --> Zubiri (21.9 km) ...

This was my first full day of walking and I arrived at the albergue fairly early. The dinner we had at the albergue was a riot! I sat next to two Basque brothers, and there was a Norwegian across from me, and a lot of other Spanish speakers. I think the Basque fellows were delighted because I asked them how to say in Basque two important things to know: "thank you" and "buen camino! (the usual greeting to pilgrims). I would run into these guys several times over the next few days and every time I saw them they would shout out "ondo ibili!" (i.e. buen camino) and I would shout out ¨hermanos bascos"! (i.e. Basque brothers). I now have not seen them in a little while and wonde rif I have lost them now. People tend to come and go. I have learned that when you connect with someone, it is a good idea to ask for their email right then and there rather than thinking you will get it the next time. Just as in life, there is not always a next time.

Day 4: Zubiri --> Pamplona (21.1 km) ...

Pamplona is a beautiful city and is quite old, dating from the 900s sometime. I walked around in the afternoon after I arrived but everything was shut. I am still finding it difficult to get used to siesta time. In Spain there are two siestas... one for the stores, and a second one later on for the bars and restaurants. If you are not careful you could find yourself with nothing to eat for a few hours! I sat in the main square (Plaza del Castilo) with my first camino friend I met at Orisson (a fellow from Ottawa named Guy) and we were joined by Mireille and Marcel (from Strasbourg). There is no better place to people watch than the main square of a Spanish town. In the evening the Spanish people stream into the square just to hang out outside. Young couples, old marrieds, pilgrims, grandparents, grandchildren, dogs, and everywhere happy, smiling faces. The Spanish all seem to come alive at night and really enjoy spending time outside. It must be because of the lack of air conditioning here.

Day 5: Pamplona --> Puenta la Reina (via Eunate) (26.9 km) ...

The most significant thing on this day was the detour I took to visit an old building in the countryside at a place called Eunate. It is an octagonal chuch which historians here are not sure if it was a church of the Knights Templar or a burial ground for pilgrims of yore. All I know is that it was one of the most magical places I have been to so far. I have some photos of it... and photos of many other things too... but I cannot post any pics until I figure out how to reduce the filesize. Until then you will have to read and wait for the slideshow.

Day 6: Puenta la Reina --> Estella (21.9 km) ...

Again, I spent the evning in the main square, drinking wine and watching the people pass by. The wine was very good and Navarra, the province I was in, is famous for its rosé which is what we were drinking. I sat with several Germans and after a few, they would forget English and would carry on in that strange tongue of which I only know a few words. One of my few German words is the German for "Snow White" but I didn´t have an opportunity to use that in conversation! Let´s just say that the wine helped move things along nicely anyway.

Day 7: Estella --> Los Arcos (21.1 km) ...

In Los Arcos, a little old man approached me and asked if I wanted to buy a walking stick. I tried to tell him that I had one, but maybe it was the look on his face when he thought he wasn´t going to make a sale, or maybe it was the fact that he is the same age as my own father, but I decided in the end to buy his stick and I am really glad I did because it really is a beautiful piece. This man had used a wood burner to write some camino related words, and inscribed all the names of all the towns on the camino in a downward spiral along the pole. I went back to his home and we went upstairs where he finished the pole by writing that it was the property of Don Roberto Jessop. Now I am very glad I bought it and it will be a life-long reminder of my camino. That is, if I can figure out how I am going to get it home. But that is a problem for another day!

Day 8: Los Arcos --> Logroño (28.6 km) ...

Logroño is the capital of the La Rioja region which I am sure more than a few of you will know is famous for their wine. This was a very long day of walking and it was very, very hot (over 40 degrees Celsius). I went to the first albergue I could find but it was full, so I went to the next (also full). I was on my way to a third when a stranger stopped me on the street and said "pilgrim, you need a bed?" and then proceeded to draw me a map of a local place which wasn´t in my guidebook. This place was full too but then the camino did its magic! The woman there made some calls and found me a bed in a pension. She asked if it would okay for me to spend 15 euros for a private room and of course I said yes. It was on the other side of town. I went to the Bar Orinoco where I was told to ask for a key and they took me across to my room. It was small but private. My first private room! I said I would take it and went back to the bar to pay. As I was leaving the bartender called me back and handed me a bottle of Rioja wine to lift my spirits. Fifteen euros for a private room and a bottle of delicious wine. I could have cried I felt so grateful. I am actually tearing up a little right now as I write this because I was so moved by the experience.

Day 9: Logroño --> Navarette (12.7 km) ...

This day was a Sunday and when I got to Navarette I stopped for a couple of cafe con leches and a piece of cake. I ran into some people I met in Orisson and they told me they decided to have a short day and took a private room to rest, then they went on their way. As I was leaving the town I thought what a great idea that was and so I found myself a private room and slept for three glorious hours in the middle of the day. I am finally learning how to take a siesta and it gave me a real boost of energy to continue on my way today.

Day 10: Navarette--> Azofra (23.2 km) ...

Got up at 5:30 and was on the road by 6:00 and saw the sun rise over the fields of grapes and wheat. It was delightful day for walking today...not too hot...and I got to Azofra just after noon. The albergue here is the best I have come across so far. There are small little rooms with only two people in a room. And they have washing machines! And they are free to use!! I could stay here for days, but alas, you are only allowed one day in any albergue before they send you on your way.

Now that brings us up-to-date. There is so much I could write but I think this is a long enough post!

Hasta la vista, baby!