15/9/2014 0 Comments Day 0/1 to 5 the CaminoDay 0 July 31 Tonder to Saint Jean Pied de Port
Start 5:30 am quick breakfast pack last bits and go to pick up Olivia who drove with us to Billund airport, she will then take Svend’s car back to Tonder We had plenty of time in Billund to get the last things sorted; the flight was 30 min late. I Carcarsonne France We got our Herzt rental car and ready to go about 2 pm. Ho Ho Ho here we go, I managed to get the rental flexible so we could leave the car in Bayonne or further on to the coastal area. 4 hours drive and we were in Bayonne with a few stops for food and coffee to be honest I was quite tire, my mate Svend had a few sleeps in the car haha. In Bayonne we were told there was a train to Saint Jean Pied De Port about 3 km walk to the train station, of we went to the train station about 7 pm, next and last train / bus combined would leave at 9:10pm. All good we had time for dinner and 2 beers, also have a look around Bayonne a great town with a big river and lots of old beautiful old France buildings great atmosphere, the weather is great, where we will sleep in Saint Jean Pied de Port is still a question, the time is 10pm and we are on the bus still 30 min before we arrive. Arrived at 10:30pm walk with about 30 others, walk through this wonderful old town cobbled stones and lots of old buildings with narrow and steep streets. Svend is quite concerned that we get a place to sleep, I ask in a few hotels and get prices 90 to 80 euro Svend really want to get a room, it's late and all could be booked out and what will we do, I am able to convince him to relax and tell him things will work out, We find the Camino office to get our first stamp proving we are on our way, in the Camino they are trying to get rooms for an other 15 people and about 11:30 pm they managed to open a floor in a hostel and about 12 of us move in one big room, mattress on the floor include breakfast 5 Euro, Svend is all smile don't know how all this came about. We get a shower and go to sleep about midnight with about 8 people in our room. Day 1 aug 1 Saint jean pied de port to Roncesvalle 27km ( 30km for Svend P ) It's on, I sleep really well Svend wake me at 5:45am, and some of the guys has already gone. We pack and have great breakfast downstairs, toast jam and coffee, the very helpful guys from last night is now here serving breakfast it's all good by 6:15 am we are ready to go, we wander for 10min thought the town to get to our start of the walk Svend think he knows where it is, but don't, I end up walking back to the hostel to get the guy to show us, at some stage Svend has gone walkabout and I can't find him. Anyway by 6:45pm we are finally on our way with one of the 65-year-old volunteer’s from the hostel showing us the way. Well 27 km later (30km for me) we are in Roncesvalle it was a very hard walk uphill most of the way and to be honest with the little training I have done it's really hard, the walk is fine and the views are fantastic looking back over Saint Jean Pied de Port there are quite a few walkers on the walk, so it's not easy to go wrong the last 4 km is very steep downwards, where we are now “Roncesvalle” is a like monastery church turned in to a Camino hostel church hotel and 2 restaurants there are no shops in town at all, only above but it's really good. The mass is at 8 pm which was really interesting and a lot of peregrinos as we are called here. We have got a great hostel with hot showers the cost is 10 euro for a bed only. Lunch with beer 7 euro and pilgrim dinner 9 euro the weather has been ok really getting a bit cold in the afternoon and we have had a bit rain as well I washed a few clothes. Had a nice just over 1-hour sleep late afternoon great. We had our pilgrim dinner at one of the 3 restaurants set meal entree pasta omelet for main with salad and yogurt for desert quite good really. We attend a very nice church service at 8 pm. I was asked to do a reading in English got iPad of priest with English but did not understand my duty so in the middle of the service when he called me I had to reject, must say it was a bit embarrassing ha-ha. But Svend never worked it out, so no worries we had a look around the church after the service which is build in about 900 AD and in the same still as Notre dame Worst news is that it's cold and it's raining so we look forward to hopefully nicer weather tomorrow and it would have been nice with a sleeping bag ha-ha Day 2 Aug 2 Roncesvalle to Larrasoana 27.4km A great day up at 5:30am ready to go before anybody at 6:00am sharp, all others waiting for their boots we Svend and I had ours in our rooms. Walk with maybe 5 others in the dark for nearly 1 hour, we stop for breakfast after 1 hour in a little village, the walk is beautiful though forest and small tracks and fields it can't be better we were told it would be raining and cold and here we are a bit overcast and great walking weather, we go to Zubiri our planned overnight place 20,8 km at 11:30am we decide to go on to Larrasoana which is 5,6 km further on, we have a great lunch at Zubiri from a supermarket bread roll ham cheese and tomato. We get to Larrasoana at 1:30pm Svend seem to want to stop because of some Italian guys we have been talking to, I think Svend is quite finished but will not admit. So we stop here and end up having a good time with a lot of people we have met over the last few days, sleeping and washing a few clothes out for a drink at the local supermarket meet a lot of the people we now have spend a dew days with. One is a Swedish lady Eva age 67 which have done to Camino 7 times the same route every time. We have Camino dinner at the only local pub 12 euros with vine, it's all good we go to bed at 10pm It's still light it would be great if they changed to time 1 or 2 hours so we had some light in the morning. It has been a great day with beautiful walks my feet seem to have a problem the joint next to my big toe seem to be swollen and hurting. Goodnight Day 3 Aug 3. Larrasoana to Uterga 31.8km Zuriain An other great day with a few challenges. Got up at 5:05 am lots of activity people seem to want get going early, we got up and ready to go by 5:30 am our walk the first 45 min was in the dark with headlight but we could hear the river running quite near to us there was a few going already but we were some of the first of the marks. I was planning on about 27km but hoping on about 32km Was stopped for breakfast in the next village Zuriain Larrasoana, which were great lot of other walkers came after us, it was now light and the clouds were hanging very low but it was dry and as long it does not rain it's just fantastic the temp was also perfect for walking and by the time we got to Pamplona the sun was out and only about 7:45 am, we met a lot of other walkers and had a good talk and laugh. Pamplona is a big place not sure but maybe 50000 people, a typical Spanish town with old buildings and square, but everything was closed today it's Sunday !!! Now my personal little issue,!! Had the feeling something was going on in my shoes and at breakfast I discovered 2 blisters on the outside of my little toes, no good, I put on a little plaster on and of we went again. I Pamplona I discovered 1 more blister on the toe next to the big toe, now I pricked a hole in all of them and for the next about 8km I walked in my thongs it was great but a bit hard, half of the way was though the streets of Pamplona the rest on tracks outside the place Zariquiegui, Where planned to maybe stay, I again took my shoes of we had a beer and a bit of food and Svend left it up to me to decide if we wanted to go on over a beautiful ridge with windmills where we also would overlook Pamplona the weather was absolutely fantastic sunshine about 30 degree and clear as anything obviously I decided to go on for the next 6km very steep up for the first 3 km and then down steep to Uterga we read in the guide book it was a place with very little facility and only few beds. I got the lady to call and book 2 beds for us, When we got here is was great, a small place with about 20 beds very friendly staff outside tables and a restaurant we got a bed 10 euro and ordered dinner I wash Svend’s t shirt and my undies and my t shirt had a great long shower, operated on my blisters had a little walk though this wonderful town had a sleep for 20min outside on the sun bed while all other walkers had a rest in our large sleeping room, we are now about 30 people here, now it's 6:40 pm and everybody are here ready for dinner at 7pm. I had a beer and a chat with the other people, all people here are new to us not many have walked 32km today We had a lovely dinner with about 10 people from Hungry violinist living in UK. US Marian Olga from Poland. Eva from Sweden ME from Italy Tobias from Germany and a few others going to bed about 10pm. goodnight Day 4 Aug 4. Uterga to Estella 29 km ( 32 km ) Started walking 6:15 am finished about 2:30pm It was a mixed day, you never know what a day will bring We started early after a nice night at the hostel, it was very noisy with the thin walls between the beds but I had a great sleep. Svend had problems sleeping and complained a bit. We started walking at 6:15 am after 30 min walk in the near dark we realised we were on the wrong track and had to turn back, we did an extra 3km at least ha-ha The walk today was going through beautiful farms and also vine fields and hills with lots of quaint little villages with very few people around, the way we walk is nearly all on small tracks and through forest and fields, there were quite a few up and down hills to deal with, which is hard when your feet hurts. We meet quite a few people both of which we have met before and new people which is walking slower pace. Must say most people are younger then us. My feet hurt quite a bit and thongs is what I walked in for quite a few km, my 2 blisters on my small toes got really bad in the afternoon but I wanted to make the town if Estella, must say the last quite a few km I walked through a few pain barriers, I just took the time it took, so we were quite late arriving, the first hostel was full so an other one 5 min walk away was the place we had to go to, my body adrenalin got us there really quick and it was ok we were the first to arrive so could choose our bed in a room with about 60 people at the end of the day it was also full. I had bought some special little bandage for my blisters Had a shower gave legs and feet a great massage and some body lotion put the feet up as high as possible on the bed and had a sleep for about 1 hour Hallelujah felt really good Svend and I was ready to discover the town, the supermarket 1 km away was the target. We were told it was no dinner at the hostel and not much in town. We discovered otherwise It was a wonderful sunny afternoon about 25 degrees, we found out there were a bull run in town the next morning at 8:00 am, the street where the run was taking place we walked through, all my pain has gone from my feet and I just wanted to so the run the next morning, Svend did not think it was a good idea ha-ha, it was now about 4 pm and people had started coming out into the street in the white and red dress trousers and t-shirt I stopped a few young people and asked them what was going on over the next few days, found out there was a bull fight on at 6:30pm and the main bull stadium about 1 km from the center it really got me going, as planned we got to the supermarket got some biscuits and yogurt for breakfast the next day and 8 beers We found a nice little place in the square, to have a beer and a few biscuits the atmosphere was starting to build in town. Got tickets for the bull fight 9 euro and had a great few hours of entertainment, no bulls was hurt they only try to avoid the bulls when they attack (don’t know may the bulls are on drugs? they are very angry.) while we enjoyed a few beers and the sun came down, life could not be much better in Estella and the Camino de Santiago We now walked through town the music was playing, walking bands through the streets, people was eating, drinking and having a great time we found a place to eat and have an other few beers and met a few people from the Camino, they also seem to join in on the festivities but none wanted to run with me in the morning. Well it was a great day and evening which I wish: My dear wife my love my life was here to enjoy with me. I have met a guy a few times which I call Felix he look like Aden’s Felix it's not him I have asked him ha-ha will take a photo with him if I see him again ha-ha We got back at 10pm in bed and quite at 10:15pm. Goodnight Day 5 Aug 5 Estella to Torres del Rio 29.9km Started walking 6:15am finished about 2:00pm Considering yesterday's situation this was a good start to the day, even we got up 5:30am it took a little while to get breakfast and our bandage sorted out. Svend has got a really large blister on his right heal but got some special bandage for it We get going quite well the first few km; I put back my soul in the right shoe. (I decided to take them out after my 2 blisters and my feet have swollen and therefore the shoes are actually now really a number too small so taking the souls out I hope it will get better We again walk through some beautiful landscape hilly with very nice villages lots of vine fields We walk together and talk quite a bit with Svend and we talk to other walkers. We also have times where we really have time for our self, to go through our own thoughts I must say for myself I have had some quite emotional things to deal with and hope to get more time to go over things in my previous and future life, Close people which are no longer in this world and have played a big role in my life, surely is not forgotten on a walk like this, even through pain laughter and meeting all these wonderful people there is plenty of time to deal with things which is important to the person doing this walk. There is still quite painful times but we do our 22km before we have a rest and lunch at 10:45am not bad walking at all, we spend 1 hour here and I talk to Helen on Skype she is a bit lonely I think that's what she write to me as well. Try to convince her we could do a mountain bike trip I don't think it impresses her, well we will se what happen ha-ha After our little break for 1 hour we walk to our final destination for the day Torres del Rio about 7 km. we find a nice little hostel with maybe 40 or 50 people for 18 euro for bed dinner and breakfast best deal on town. Have shower wash undies and t shirt have a sleep and spend at least 1 hour writing diaries for yesterday to today Weather is absolutely fantastic little cold in the morning up until 10:00 am then slowly getting hotter and quite hot at 4 pm 30 degree Finish now 6 pm
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
ArchivesCategories |