GETTING THERE AND STARTING OUR CAMINO

Our travel from Madrid to Saint Jean Pied de Port (SJPDP) was again uneventful as it was getting to Madrid.  This is very strange and concerning because everything is going according to plan.  This is not normal, it's good, just not normal.  Anyway we walked from our B&B to the Atocha Station where we met our first fellow pilgrim, Paul, from Tucson, AZ.  You can easily spot fellow pilgrims in big cities as they are carrying a big backpack and have a confused look on their faces.  By the time our train was ready to board, there were many other confused looking pilgrims.  The Spanish rail system is great and we left Madrid exactly at the scheduled departure time of 11:35.  After 3 hours and 5 minutes, again on the dot of the scheduled time we arrived in Pamplona.

 

We shared a cab with Paul to the Pamplona bus station, where we cooled our heels till our bus to SJPDP was ready to leave precisely 5:30.  While waiting for the bus, I checked my e-mail and I had a message from Paola at our Madrid B&B that I had left 40 Euros in our room.  She said she would save it for me as we were staying with her again at the end of our trip.  After 1-1/2 hours we arrived intact, having survived the somewhat harrowing ride provided by our driver, Raul, a close cousin to some guy named Mario.

So, we got off the bus and started walking to our B&B and thought that I should be shooting some video of the occasion.  It was then that I discovered that the GoPro camera was still on the bus.  In a panic, I ran back to the bus stop and our luck was still holding, the bus was still there as was my camera.  Cathie and I decided at that point that it would be her job to make sure that I didn't loose anything and it would be my job to make sure we didn't get lost.

 

SJPDP

Our first day on the Camino was to be a short 5 miles, so we had a late breakfast and made several stops in town before heading out.  It is not required but one should stop at the pilgrims office before heading out.  It is here where you get your first stamp in your Pilgrims Passport and find out about the trail and weather conditions over the Pyrenees.  If the pilgrims office advises you that the weather is dangerous over the pass, pay attention, they know what they are speaking about.  They will suggest a lower route.  People have died crossing over the Pyrenees in bad weather, and if you need to be rescued, the Spanish government will charge you for the service.

Your passport identifies you as a pilgrim and allows you to stay in municipal albergues (hostels) along the way.  At each stop along the way, you get your passport stamped to show where you have been.  Besides stamps at albergues, you can have it stamped at churches, bars, hotels and lots of other places along the Camino.  I also allows you to partake in pilgrim meals offered along the Camino.  These usually consist of 3 courses and come with wine or water.  The choice of wine or water tells you that in Spain, wine is the same price as the water.  I opt to choose the wine, which by the way, is excellent in Spain. 

 

 

ON OUR WAY

So off we went on the Camino.  What the 1st five miles lack in distance is made up in the steepness of the road.  You actually walk a road most of the way, but a steep road non the less.  We took it slow and covered the first day in about 2-1/2 hours, arriving at Rufuge Orrison, our lodging for the night.  At Orrison, the refuge is the only option for lodging and on this night it is booked to capacity.  So for 36 Euros each we get dinner, breakfast, a timed 5 minute hot shower and the privilege of sleeping in a bunk room with 9 of your fellow pilgrims.  Space is limited, so it's best to be friendly.

 

The dinner at Orrison is quite good, a hearty Basque meal of three courses, and of course wine.  After the meal, you are invited to stand, introduce yourself, and if you like say a little something about why you are walking the camino.  It is at the point that you realize how truly international the Camino is.

 

It started snowing just as dinner we getting over, so we shall see what tomorrow brings.

Off to bed at 9, the normal pilgrim bed time.  Being the gentleman I got the top bunk with Cathie below.  Included in our crowded bunk room two gals from Nevada, a husband wife from North Carolina, a Korean couple and their daughter, and a guy who arrived late who I know nothing about.  After about 10 minutes the snoring started and went unabated the entire night.  Two ladies kept the rest of us awake ALL night.  I did manage to get about 20 minutes of sleep.  I know this because at about 2 am, I started playing my music on my phone and I only missed 5 songs on my playlist.  That's when I was asleep.  Ahh, the life of a pilgrim.