In a few minutes we will be on our way to our next stop, either 16 km to Zibri or, if we´re feeling all hale & hearty, another 5km beyond that to Larasoana. One thing we´ve been learning is that the Camino experience is different for each person. Many people, in fact, most Europeans we´ve met so far son´t go all the way to Santiago, they just go as far as they can for the time they have allotted, then maybe each year they´ll go a Little further until they finally reach Santiago. Here in Espianal we are sharing a room with a nice Finnish lady and a young German mother who is doing the Camino with her Little 4-yr-old daughter! Between my pathetic German and her great English we are communicating just fine. Tom, is quite a hit with the little girl though niether speak the other´s language. The mother, whose name is Maria, says she only has ten days then they have to be back home. She already did the
Camiono before and she says she doesn´t care how far they go, she just likes being on the Camino. That seems to be how people feel. Maria says she would love to come to the states so, of course, I told her to come with Clara (her daughter) and stay with us, so maybe that will happen. Though there is no one way to do the Camino, still the typical route for those doing the Camino Frances (what we´re doing) is to either start from Saint Jean Pied-De-Port and go over the mountain (which we didn´t do - took the wonderful but under used low road) to Roncesvalles, or skip the mountain (or low road) altogether and start the Camino in the town of Roncesvalles. Subsequently Roncesvalles is a great congreation of pilgrims, kind of like Pilgrim Central. We decided to skip Roncesvalles as a stop-over and walk about 7.5 km further to the tiny town of Espinal. But we did stop by Roncesvalles since it was on the way. The <pigrim albergue there is a fromer monastery, a beautiful, enormous old building, I guess from the middle ages, where there are over 400 pilgrim beds! The monastery dominates the tiny town but there are 2 hotels and a couple of restaurants and bars on the "campus" as well. I say campus because my impression of Roncevalles wasa campus the first day of college! Happy-looking people, Young and old, wandering around and meeting up, we peeked inside the pilgrim office, which is also the "admission office" of the albergue and it was overflowing with people, backpacks on the floor everywhere. The terraces of the bars and restaurants were full of peopleas well, laughing and talking. And the Monastery kind of looks like a college, so the whole impression was "exciting first day of college". But better, I guess, because there are no clases, no studying, no anything except waking up in the morning and walking. But <i´m glad we didn´t spend the night in Roncesvalles because Maria and her duaghter did and Maria said that there were 400 people sleeping there in bunkbeds in an enormous comunal room! As I said, we moved on to Espinal, also a tiny under used town, since everybody stays in Roncesvalles. But we had a wonderful room her in a hotel that reserves the top floor for pilgrims. It´s a big loft with a big living room, lovely terrace, and a free computer on which I´m writing this. Everthing is very kind of Danish modern decor and new. There are only three other pilgrims vesides us, Maria and Little Clara and Kirsti, the finnish woman, so we have the wholoe big place to ourselves. Our Pilgrim meal last night was, for 10 euros each, a big plate of spagetti with a delicious tomato sauce for starters, then a pork cutlet with Fries, then rice pyudding for dessert (lots of carbs for the road!) And of course, the standardbread basket and bottle of wine. Breakfast is usually some bread and coffee or tea for me, here we had a huge toasted baguette. So now we´re off onto our next leg. Quick answer to some questions: Claire, yes, I´ve been using my French like a house afire, you wouldn´t believe all the people who are floored by an American who is fluent in French, though I always assure them that us francophiles are out there! As for theweather, it´s been great so far though rain is predicted for tonight. Love and a wonderful day to you all! Patti 8)
Camiono before and she says she doesn´t care how far they go, she just likes being on the Camino. That seems to be how people feel. Maria says she would love to come to the states so, of course, I told her to come with Clara (her daughter) and stay with us, so maybe that will happen. Though there is no one way to do the Camino, still the typical route for those doing the Camino Frances (what we´re doing) is to either start from Saint Jean Pied-De-Port and go over the mountain (which we didn´t do - took the wonderful but under used low road) to Roncesvalles, or skip the mountain (or low road) altogether and start the Camino in the town of Roncesvalles. Subsequently Roncesvalles is a great congreation of pilgrims, kind of like Pilgrim Central. We decided to skip Roncesvalles as a stop-over and walk about 7.5 km further to the tiny town of Espinal. But we did stop by Roncesvalles since it was on the way. The <pigrim albergue there is a fromer monastery, a beautiful, enormous old building, I guess from the middle ages, where there are over 400 pilgrim beds! The monastery dominates the tiny town but there are 2 hotels and a couple of restaurants and bars on the "campus" as well. I say campus because my impression of Roncevalles wasa campus the first day of college! Happy-looking people, Young and old, wandering around and meeting up, we peeked inside the pilgrim office, which is also the "admission office" of the albergue and it was overflowing with people, backpacks on the floor everywhere. The terraces of the bars and restaurants were full of peopleas well, laughing and talking. And the Monastery kind of looks like a college, so the whole impression was "exciting first day of college". But better, I guess, because there are no clases, no studying, no anything except waking up in the morning and walking. But <i´m glad we didn´t spend the night in Roncesvalles because Maria and her duaghter did and Maria said that there were 400 people sleeping there in bunkbeds in an enormous comunal room! As I said, we moved on to Espinal, also a tiny under used town, since everybody stays in Roncesvalles. But we had a wonderful room her in a hotel that reserves the top floor for pilgrims. It´s a big loft with a big living room, lovely terrace, and a free computer on which I´m writing this. Everthing is very kind of Danish modern decor and new. There are only three other pilgrims vesides us, Maria and Little Clara and Kirsti, the finnish woman, so we have the wholoe big place to ourselves. Our Pilgrim meal last night was, for 10 euros each, a big plate of spagetti with a delicious tomato sauce for starters, then a pork cutlet with Fries, then rice pyudding for dessert (lots of carbs for the road!) And of course, the standardbread basket and bottle of wine. Breakfast is usually some bread and coffee or tea for me, here we had a huge toasted baguette. So now we´re off onto our next leg. Quick answer to some questions: Claire, yes, I´ve been using my French like a house afire, you wouldn´t believe all the people who are floored by an American who is fluent in French, though I always assure them that us francophiles are out there! As for theweather, it´s been great so far though rain is predicted for tonight. Love and a wonderful day to you all! Patti 8)
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