Remy’s 2023 Travel Notebook

What a day it has been again. There has been far too much to process and type out concisely. I couldn’t even take a moment to sit down and write a little bit until 10:00 pm. More friends were made between last evening and the morning when we started walking. We woke up again at 6:00 am, got ready, packed up and prepared to leave. The lights turned on at that time, so we were awake whether we wanted to be or not. We meet at the lobby, get our shoes, and many of the friends started to leave one by one. It was nice to see that they don’t always feel the need to be together all the time. In the albergue I met an Austrian medical student (Isabella) and we bonded initially because we recognized each other from the train ride to Saint Jean and she was right next to me in the dorms. Soon we saw we both speak German (Swiss-German, but she understands). We decided to start our walk together.

The walk started out cold and shady today. Above is the albergue from night 1, and the sign I saw that tells the distance (although by the road) to Santiago. I knew the town ahead that is most common for people to stay at was Zubiri, but the friends from day 1 didn’t plan to stay there for good reason. The most recommended stops will often time be run like a business, and may not give the most authentic Camino experience. Boy, can I tell you they were right.

We walked 1 km down the road, and came to the first cafe (you always stop at the first cafe). I introduce Isabelle to The Group and we all have a croissant and cafe con leche. We soon start walking but the group splits up. Isabelle and I walk slower and the rest move ahead. The countryside was beautiful and misty, with varying terrain and mountains in the distance.

The two of us did nine miles together at which point Isabelle (who is recovering from tonsillitis and almost cancelled her trip altogether) fell behind and we went our separate ways. I walked from miles 9-14 by myself through peaceful forests.

At mile 14 I come into Zubiri and find the rest of the group with some more friends they have made sitting at a restaurant. I join and eat a hamburger and fries with the friends. After eating, I say goodbye to Isabelle who had just come into the town and will stay for the night. We continue our walk aiming to go until about 35km. I am continuously converting miles to km because my Garmin is in miles but everything else is km. I will have to change that in my watch settings. We come to a point where an albergue would be but was closed. There is a river and we take a swim and relax. Here, I discovered my first blister and get guidance on keeping it from getting worse. It is right by the toe nail of my right big toe interestingly. I think the front of my shoe is still slightly stiff which causes the two toes to rub together. Too many details…

I patch up the blister and we head on our way.

The next albergue we came to was certainly the highlight of the day. It is integrated with a 13th century church in a town of population 29. Many of the inhabitants are nuns of this church. We were met with such hospitality by the two hospitaleros. We got our beds, stamps, and were told the plan for the stay. In exchange for our bed, a breakfast and dinner, we would do a pilgrim’s mass with the nuns and provide a donation for the next meals of the next pilgrims to visit. This was an incredibly wholesome experience. Before dinner, all pilgrims in their beds taking a rest, I played ukelele songs which were very well appreciated. When I stopped, an Italian lady looked and asked if I had any more. I played again, and she later said it stopped raining after I played, which I didn’t notice.

Dinner was at a table with all ~12 pilgrims, a 3 course vegetarian meal which was refreshing after last night. The three friends and I enjoy our meal, banter and make fun as if we’ve known each other for years. I forgot to mention we went to the church before and after dinner. Before, they shared with us 10 points for pilgrims to live by, and they moved many of the people to tears. I will share those another day since I need to sleep very soon. After dinner was the pilgrims mass. Many people shared their experiences and motivations for walking, including myself. It was a great way to learn some French and Spanish as everyone who shared had their words translated by the nuns. Tomorrow, I am still unsure of what I will do. Pamplona is only 8km away, and while I want to sightsee, I will also have to split from the friends I have already made who will walk at least 30km again. I would also not get much walking if I did that, but I’m sure pamplona will have enough to do.