STAGE FOUR: Zubri to Pampalona

Up early again, no breakfast at this auberge and we were all out early in fact I don't even think the owners were present when we all left. Bond was by far the first ready and all of the boys waited outside while I finished packing, it would take me two more days to get a system going where I would pack quickly. The next town Larasonne was delightful, we fortunately took a wrong turn looking for coffee or I would not have gotten to enjoy the beautiful architecture, flower boxes and homes. It was early and the homes had a sack on their door handle for bread to arrive (sigh), I picked out the home I wanted and the masses were prowling the streets looking for our coffee. We all almost gave up on this town for supplying us that much needed drink until one person got wind of a little stop and news traveled fast. There is a pilgrim pipeline that is hard to explain but news of others whereabouts travels quickly. I knew I wanted to stay in a specific German run auberge in Pampalona...thank God for Bond and Little Bear for they appeared much faster than Papa Bear and I and secured us a bed there. We all slept in the same room with some others and woke to a simple but nice breakfast. Thru the streets of Pampalona we would travel while dark in the morning searching for way markers which was a lot of fun. At one point we were too busy talking and heard a loud whistle and some Camino angel was catching our attention to let us know we were traveling the wrong way. It would be in Pampalona where we would run into a young man from California, he would provide some younger company for Little Bear, and while Little Bear is an old soul and could hang with anyone I was happy to see him have a young walking partner to enjoy.

STAGE THREE: Roncesvilles to Zubri

I really liked Roncesvilles, some describe it as a pilgrim factory but I loved the new excited energy to be found there and the non rushed feeling of sitting outside and eating, drinking and greeting fellow pilgrims upon arrival. We woke this morning to what would become the normal routine...I think we were out by like seven fifteen. Bond would be first to be ready but patient for the rest of us, Papa Bear and I would be the slowest and we let Bond and Little Bear lead the way. There is a sign "the sign" showing the miles to Santiago and we all got our mandatory picture taken there. We were not far from an old Hemingway spot called Burgette (I don't have my books on me at the moment or I'd clarify that spelling). Based on my research I knew I would love this town. It had a small grocery store operated by the nicest man who asked where each of us was from, we each got some fruit for later in the day and found a little cafe to get some coffee. Tristan from a very young age has gravitated to the composer Handal and a song that he used to think said "the big archie" it was playing and made me miss him so. I didn't want to rush coffee but when with others you have to consider everyone's needs and we hopped back on trail. In my guide book I specifically had notated that I wanted to head to Larrasone and skip Zubri (my notations said 'industrial') but Bond and Little Bear would beat us to it and since the crowds are larger than normal beds fill up fast so they made the executive decision to get our beds there. I almost gave up my bed wanting to go on but I enjoyed their company and was hungry so stayed. There was nothing fancy about the auberge, it seemed a little claustrophobic but the owners were super sweet and I was glad we stayed. I ventured out and met others for drinks at one time sneaking off alone in a bar/restaurant to make my first attempt at "face time/Skype" with the kids and Steve. Funny it has not rained at all but all of a sudden several Spanish guys doing a few legs of the Camino came running in singing saying it was raining the second our call started. It ends up they were all my roommates for the night, I think six bunk beds per room, there were three rooms and I was the only female in mine. Little Bear gave me a choice of bottom or lower bunk and I chose top for some ventilation. His father and Bond were in another room. We paid six Euros to get our clothes washed and dried which was a huge relief. There is a small river and I think a Roman Bridge as you enter town and Papa Bear and I took advantage of the cool water on our feet. The meal was OK, no Campari Umbrella moment but food which I desperately needed. Today would be the first day I could. Feel my muscles ache.

STAGE TWO: Orisson to Roncesvilles

We awoke to a beautiful fog around our little oasis, breakfast was served and the troops were off. I was one of the last to depart everyone tells you to keep pack weight down and there was even a pile of clothes on the side of the street where in the struggle someone determined to empty their pack on the spot. I am pretty proud of my packing, a host in Saint Jean urged me to go lighter, he even tried to get me to unpack my light wine glass that Steve had purchased from REI, it has been engraved with BUEN CAMINO 2012 and gets a lot of attention. I forgot if I mentioned our family style dinner at Orisson it was real nice and off we all had done to bed. I did not pull out my earplugs and was conscience about rattling my sac while others slept however a gal snored in the bunk under me and I could not sleep. I took my sleeping bag up on the deck overlooking the mountains and slept well, I only wish I had done it several hours earlier. It was so special sleeping under the stars I kept hearing what sounded like a halyard on a sailboat and looked around to see what it was, I couldn't find the source but once packed and ready to set off white cows surrounded the auberge sporting bells and it was a beautiful site. While sitting outside at Orisson a young female I would guess in her twenties came up over the hill walking beside her horse, we were all fascinated by them and the horse made her way over to a table with the cutest expression wanting the beer that the three gentleman were consuming. The trek today was everybody as bad as yesterday. Suprisingly no soreness but we continued up and over the mountain range with Roncevilles as our destination. How can one describe this? I am in shock at how difficult this has been for me...I am going to steal a description I read on a young gals blog to best describe this route. I will go back and find the source to give her credit, I just remember the author of the blog was named Rachel and her Camino blog was hilarious to read. Anyway this is roughly how she out it...

Today I walked from Saint Jean oner the Pyrenees to Roncesvilles, I took the "Napolean route". Do you remember when Napolean took his men to Russia and didn't prepare them for the cold and they had no jackets and they all died? Well let's just say that was the second stylist thing he has ever done.

Most seem to struggle on the down hills most, I clearly struggle on the up hill. Today took us thru some lovely woods though, it's do neat how familiar the faces are and the bond you form with people out here. As I walked today I met a young man who I guessed to be in his twenties, J. From the Midwest, I arrived to the Fountain of Roland and asked him if he'd help me undo my wine glass from the back of my PAC,I felt the Fountain of Roland was so worthy of my wine glass. I walked alone thru the forrest for awhile at a relaxed pace drinking my water from my wine glass. At some point J. caught up to me and we walked and talked. What a super kid, I instantly loved him and he shared how he was walking the Camino with his father and that they both were carrying their bagpipes in their pack. We arrived to Roncesvilles and I must admit I did not give this town the respect it deserved in my pre travel plans. The auberge has been redone think IKEA inside old stone building outside, a massive building but cubicles sleeping four with two sets of bunk beds. I slept one cubicle of D from England and little J and Big J from Montana. I would start calling D from England "Bond", and my two new friends, father and son "Papa bear and Little Bear". It ends up the gal with horse had passed us by in Orisson and had knocked on a door a little way further up hill and asked if she could put her horse up there for the night. Evidently she knocked on the right door for she was welcomed with open arms and she stopped Papa Bear and Little Bear as they walked by and they joined her sleeping out under the stars. Both Bears said "those Basques can drink". So I heard more about this facinating girl and her horse,they had started in Toulouse France and my starting point of Saint Jean was her half way point. I am days behind on my blog but have to say I smile on trail when I see the piles of horse poop for I know Soul (the horse) is ahead and already been this way. We attended the pilgrims mass, ate a pilgrims dinner and found ourselves asleep at the mandatory lights out at ten thirty. The best part of the day was sitting outside of the bar as pilgrims strolled in looking for the auberge, there was no rush we ate and drank well and sat for hours catching up with each other. You are never alone on this path...

STAGE ONE: Saint Jean to Orisson

I need to apologize in advance, I bought the new iPad pre trip and as everyone knows I don't even know how to text so it is so hard for me to write easily on this, usually my fingers fly over a keyboard and I find I am writing on an elementary level in this way on the I pad. To top it off it thinks it knows what I am trying to type and can be pretty humorous to read when you see the words it picks.
So Saint Jean to Orisson...where does one begin, I almost died...I made D from England (now known as Bond for he has every gadget known to man and is very thoughtful and assisting with all things), promise he would never share how ugly this leg was for me. I left Saint Jean full of life, massively intimated by my backpack, cringing at the idea of even having to pick it up and I left thinking "here we go". I totally underestimated what this trip involved, I've seen the pictures and felt "a bunch of long walks filled with wonderful people, great food and plenty of wine". The arch of Saint Jean's citadel was still in view when I thought how was I going to do this. I have not for a second regretted the decision but have to say from step five I was shocked at how much it has kicked my butt. I had gotten my reservations for day two at Orisson, a private auberge that is ten kilometers into the twenty five kilometers over the Pyrenees mountains. I started second guessing that about a week ago, I heard it is possibly the most beautiful spot in these five hundred (plus) miles but ten kilometers is only six miles...
Let me just be clear had Orisson not been there they would have had to bury me right there on the side of the road. Honestly vultures flew overhead and I have no doubt they had spotted me with the greatest of anticipation.. Orisson was exactly as described, an oasis on the mountain...a deck overlooking the mountains and I was greeted by friends who had arrived before me, relaxed, excited and happy. Within minutes I was back to normal and took a deep breath as I clearly think I could not have been happier. I slept in a room with I think five bunk beds and the sweetest gal below me snored like a champ. I had not pulled out my earplugs and didn't sleep at all. In desperation I took my sleeping bag up on the gorgeous deck and fell asleep under the stars. It was amazing, the meal before was served in a family style and I slept under the Milky Way by myself and loving every minute of it. I kept hearing a ringing similar to the sound of an unsecured halyard on a sail boat. Many curse this sound when sleeping on a sailboat but oddly it is the sound I chose when I do hypnosis and I thought it just might lull me to sleep. As I slept I kept hearing someone else breathing, I realized I must not be alone and looked around...I clearly was alone but it made me think of the poem of footprints in the sand and when Jesus said, "these were the times I carried you". This was an amazing start to my journey and Orisson was exactly what this peregrina (female pilgrim) needed.

Saint Jean Pied and my night at L'Espirit de Chemin

I arrived to the airport in Bayonne/ Biarritz airport half dead from exhaustion. I hadn't slept a wink on the plane over and was up all night packing the night before. I actually wasn't up all night packing as much as I was second guessing what I did pack. Your world literally is strapped against your back for this journey. Everyones goal appears to be 10 percent of their body weight though when I hear of that successfully happening it appears to be legend to me, I've yet to witness it with my own eyes. Future grandchildren of mine will hear this "grandma hiked the Camino with only ten percent of her body weight and on her knees.....".
I was so fortunate to compare notes with a lovely gentleman from England prior to taking off,we met on the forums that help you research your trip and had the common denominator of starting our Camino on the same day. Since we both appear to be research hounds we were drawn to the same two places to stay on our first two nights, amazingly our flights arrived within minutes of each other and we shared transportation to Saint Jean with two others thus saving money. You can't really determine where you are going to stay on this path but having reservations the first day is highly recommended, the second only if you don't make it over the Pyrenees mountains. I had booked a place the second night to cut my trip over the Pyrenees in two, it was a choice that I second guessed after (stay tuned) as I thought "do I really need to break this up, won't I lose a day".
I got my second wind and D from England and I had a wonderful stroll thru town to find our auberge ( place to stay). We approached L'Espirit de Chemin decorated with backpacks boots and pilgrim staffs and heard the sweetest voice to my ears, Lisette one of the volunteers here at this Dutch oasis, "do you have reservations? Come in". Staying there requires that you will do a family styled dinner and breakfast which was the highlight of all. I think there were about twenty of us we introduced ourselves and relaxed with vino and enjoyed the atmosphere and company. I thought of my friend Michelle who lives around the corner from me, affectionately known as "rabbit" for I tend to show up at her home just like Winnie the Pooh shows up at rabbits house. She is always making the most special meals and treats and serves them with such warm and open grace. We ate several courses but the main one was a quiche with potatoes and bread crumbs with paprika and cayenne sprinkled on top. After a wonderful breakfast we were kissed and sent off by our hosts with a " Buen Camino"...it's hard to believe in a few short hours they would be entertaining a whole new tired and anxious crew, they appeared to be there just for us.

The Camino will provide

You hear this often along The Way and as you plan this wonderful journey. I assume it meant if your funds ran out or you lost earplugs someone would come to your rescue. This experience is so hard to explain, the beauty and most of all inner peace you experience from the second you decide to do this is so intense. From the second you decide to do this your journey has begun...the willingness of strangers, other pilgrims who have gone before you to assist you is something magical.
So the week before I left I started getting a little anxious about my time away, you would suspect it was related to how long I will be gone (forty days) ,but it was due to possibly not giving myself enough time. Ideally I thought I needed four more days to insure a WALK to Finesterre and Muxia on the coast. Not going to the coast is just not an option for me, though the Camino is complete without it, in Santiago. Walking it from Santiago and enjoying my Camino at the pace I wanted with certain city/region stop was stressing me out...would I have the time? So on Friday Steve dropped me off at the airport and I was the first to the gate...there with no staff even present yet was a sign asking for volunteers to give up their flight to depart about thirty minutes later. The offer was a $250 voucher, raised to a $350 voucher with discussion to raise it to $500. I approached the wonderful attendant and said "if you add four days to my trip you have a deal", she barely looked up clicked the key pad and all was done. I would arrive at JFK thirty minutes later,with time to catch my flight over the Atlantic. The Camino will provide, I was happy, content and just thrilled more than words can explain. American put me on a Delta flight and we piled on, the doors closed and I was on my way. All of a sudden they came over the loud speaker to say lightening was spotted and they were going to have to wait till it cleared to take off. Did I mention there was not a cloud in the sky when I arrived at the airport? No huge worries, I had a nice buffer to get to JFK and make my connection. Then about forty five minutes later they opened the airplane doors and said they had no idea when the flight would take off, I panicked. I hopped off the plane retrieved my backpack which I reluctantly let them put in a cage to go under the plane and I ran crying to the wonderful gal at American airlines. She was in a frenzy boarding a plane to La Guardia and I witnessed the conversation between her and the crew urging her the doors needed to close on the plane so it could depart. Her fingers were like magic over the keyboard as she was searching for options to get me to some/any airport that at this point could fly me out to any airport in Europe. Instantly I knew I would probably not make it to Paris in time to catch my flight to Southern France...if I missed that flight my Camino and my first two days of dreamy reservations (the only reservations one can make) would be ruined and my Camino would happen not how I had planned or imagined. There were two passengers on standby trying to rush the flight attendant as they wanted on that flight, this wonderful flight attendant called out, "do not give up this one seat left it is hers...I don't know what plane flight you will be taking over the Atlantic but getting you out of Raleigh and up to New York is our only option...run get on that plane I will have details booked when you arrive to New York...run"! I could hear them barking at her that the doors had to close "run...you'll find out the plan in New York". She then came running on the plane handed me a ticket and said a taxi will take you to JFK from there you have a close connection. I took a deep breath to look down to see she had two agendas for me a late flight out to Paris that would allow me to take my flight to Southern France and another that would take me to London then to Paris with no time for my flight. For hours I was in a rat race...I got the taxi to JFK got my flight to Paris had to catch a bus to Orley the smaller airport in Paris and caught my flight to Southern France. In the end the Camino provided but much like the journey it was physically challenging. I would arrive to Saint Jean de Pied for one of the most amazing evenings of my life...I would arrive having had no sleep in about thirty six hours.