Author: eathomson15

We have made lots of friends now and meet each other along the way. We all walk at different paces and stop for rests at different times. Today was a medium difficulty day. We walked for 22 kms past farm land, over hills and got to meet the local animals up close.

We had a steep decline into the quaint hamlet of Zubiri. To cool our tired feet and legs we tried to go for a swim in the river – ice melt! We both managed to get our feet and legs wet.  But it was great for our tired muscles.  Our fellow pilgrims have a vast array of reasons for doing this long walk but to my surprise many of them haven’t trained or prepared for the physical challenge. We make good progress everyday but not at speed and take our time to take in our surroundings.  We are pooped at the end but not too bad over all. Others are struggling but are determined and keep putting one step in from if the other. There are others with health issues or recovering from life changing events and they are determined to do their best. The hostel staff are very supportive and respectful. We are enveloped by kind, peaceful people. It is beautiful.

We left early in a deep mist. We walked from Orisson to Roncesvalles 17.7kms in white out with steep drop offs along the path. Yet the weather didn’t stop the locals. Shepard’s rounded up their sheep around us with sheep dogs and traditional calls. We met the local Brumbies and meet lots of monster slugs in the misty rain. We took a windy steep path down to Roncesvalles walking through ancient Beech forests with mosses, lichens and lots of leaf litter. So peaceful and beautiful. We booked into a monastery for the night and had a free yoga class before dinner. Our rom slept about 70 people.

With excitement we headed out early with full packs and a 7kms walk straight up. We decided not to do the typical day of 25 kms up and over the Pyrenees, but rather take our time and spend the first night on the mountain. It was hard work but we were rewarded when we arrived at Orisson. The views were breathtaking. Observations? The pilgrims were all very friendly, lots of languages, lots of smiles and energy. The sheep look like goats, the weather was clear with high blue skies, the wine ran freely all afternoon as we socialized and there were 8 Aussies staying at the hostel.

We walked straight up.

We caught a very fast train across France to the launching point – a medieval town called St Jean Pier de Port. We walked the ancient streets and the citadel. Our hostel was wonderful – 22 people from around the world.  We shared our intentions for the Camino.  Mine was to be outdoors, to walk the land and mark the end of a working life and living life differently. We lined up with other pilgrims and collected our compestella – our pilgrims passport.  We get a stamp at every hostel on our way to Santiago.

We have just had two of the most wonderful days in France. We spent one day walking the streets of Paris – kinda training 21kms – seeing some of the iconic sites, including climbing the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the Pantheon. We walked along the Seine and spent the day taking it all in. Some observations since my last visit in 1977. No signs of gobs of dog poo on the footpaths, very helpful strangers who offered us assistance, lots of tolerance of our use of English, beggars who shouldn’t be beggars such as whole migrant families with babies and children, and very expensive. We think we got ripped off when we bought some ham but we’ll never know! Our French sucks. It was a special day.

The following day we joined a biking tour of Versailles with the chateau tour in the morning before the crowds, a cycle tour of the town and markets, then a cycle around the kings estate, the grand canal, the king’s holiday house, the queen’s holiday house, then Marie Antoinette’s Neverland. Yep, she beat Michael Jackson to it. It could easily have been a set in The Hobbit. Across the course of the whole day, we had fabulous historical detail from our guides. It was a remarkable day. I have always wanted to see Versailles and I wasn’t disappointed. Cycling around town was madness with cars, buses, bikes, scooters, pedestrians and dogs. But wow. A hoot of fun. Observations? For all the wealth, pomp and ceremony of the last three kings of France, I’m glad it wasn’t me.  If smallpox, syphillis or anal fistula didn’t get you, the guillotine did.