Reset day - 39 to go…

Yesterday, day 1, was a brutal day.  Crossing the mountains was much more difficult than I had planned.  It was all I could do to come dragging into town, only to find that there were zero beds available.  

I ended up with a fantastic dinner and shared a private suite in the grand hotel with another pilgrim.  After my shower and dinner, I crashed, giving my body 10 hours of peaceful sleep.  Thank you, God, for this blessing! 

 

Speaking of peaceful sleep, during my first night at the hostel, there wasn’t any.  All night long, fellow travelers fiddle with their bags, phones and whatever.  I found it so easy to fall into my selfish ways and wish everyone would just go to sleep.  So, forgiveness and tolerance are my first areas to work on.

A new thing is Camino Tours, where all your lodging is prearranged for you and your luggage/bags are delivered to your next hotel.  This allows you to just walk and enjoy the experience, without the hassle and stress of dealing with your stuff.  Somehow this seems to me to be in conflict with the spirit of being a pilgrim.  It also means that many of the rooms are pre-booked by the travel companies.  These companies then add their management fees to the costs, so a lot of free travelers are priced out of the journey.  I see this journey as a huge privilege and it is a bit sad to me that the simple way of the Camino is no longer available.

 

On the positive side, I have met a lot of amazing people who are walking their own Camino.  Yesterday I spent a good amount of time with a Korean couple, who were part of a tour.  Later, 3 French women entertained me and won the prize for being the happiest hikers.  My only regret with folks was that the hills slowed me down and many times separated our travel pods and ended great conversations.  If only to be young and fit again! 

Today, however, started out great!  I had a wonderful pace downhill after a great night’s sleep.  Once again, I started to believe that I can do this!  I opted to leave early, as once again I didn’t have a booking for a room.  The town where I was headed to was 100% booked.  I found a delightful coffee shop 2 miles down the road and settled into my rhythm.  

Soon I ran into 2 sisters from Ireland.  Polly and Molly are on their second Camino and just lovely walking partners.  They encouraged me to stop at the “man with a van” to enjoy a coffee.  Their pace was perfect, although they both beat me up the hills.  The time flew by and soon we were strolling into town.  They had a small room and even offered their floor if needed.  However, the first Albergue I checked had a bed.  They appear to have a much better set of accommodations and I look forward to trying the hostel experience again.  I have also learned that “free travel” is not always an option and I already booked a room for tomorrow night.  But the best part of the Camino still exists - the people that you meet and their stories…

It is now 3:00pm and I am a happy pilgrim with a bed in a dorm room.  I am looking forward to day 3 and returning to Pamplona tomorrow… 

 

Steps today:  30,434

Miles today:  14.61

Zubiri:  42.932924, -1.504227