Tighten Your Boots
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September 18th, 2013

9/18/2013

7 Comments

 
Sorry for the gap yesterday, in the last albergue we stayed at the computers no fonctiona and the same for the albergues we´re staying at now.  But <I found this little store with a computer so we´re in business! But if I go for a while without posting it´s just that I can´t find a working computer.  Anyway, to catch up:  The day before yesterday we made the 17 steep-uphill-and-steep-downhill walk to the town of Zubiri. So, up until then it had been for us kind of a luxury accomdations pilgrim experience, but at Zubiri it just got real.  We stayed in the municipal albergue for 6 euros each.  The albergue is in a former school house where they´ve converted the classrooms to bunk bed rooms.  I think our room must have been the time-out room, it was soooo tiny and there were 3 bunks shoe-horned into it.  Our suitemates were two very cheerful ladies from South Africa, sisters about our age; a friendly middle-aged Italian man who was doing the Camino on bike, and George, a quite portly old Hungarian ( I say old, I took him to be in his late 70´s but it turned out he was only 61!) who immdiately latched onto Tom as his bestie.  Before we left he gave Tom a ribbon of the hungarian flag to attach to his backpack, which Tom did.  Now besides his shell he has on his backpack the Hungarian ribbon and the finger rosary the Nashes gave him before he left.  The bathroom facilities were quite plentiful (probably because it was a school) but they were across the courtyard from the albergue ( probably because it was a school!)  All the facilities were in a brick building.  You walk into the building and there were 5 toilet stalls on the left wall and against the right wall was a big communal sink.  On either side of the sink were the shower rooms, on for men and one for women.  In the women´s room ( and I expect in the men´s, too, though I didn´t take a peek, but I could have since there were no locks on the doors)  there were 5 shower heads - but  no stalls! (And no locks on the doors, right?) But I decided either take the darn  shower or smell like 5-day -old fish, so I sucked in my breath and jumped into the festivites.  I just pretended I was at the Y.  Next day we started walking towards Pamplona.  Tom had read a blog about an albergue on the outskirts of Pamplona about which a blogger had written unfavorable comments, he discouraged anyone from staying there because, although it was a super clean, big and modern place with great facilities, no one ever stayed there, he was the only person there and it was too lonely.  Too lonely?  As in all the bathrooms for us?  We made a beeline for the place!  The place was as the blogger described it, 10 euros for wonder facilities plus breakfast but it was better than completely empty:  there were 2 other pilgrims there, a middle-aged Canadian with foot problems ( I told him to tighten his boots!) and a German man, Josef, about our age who gave us some great advice & encouragement about doing the Camino (this is his 3rd time doing it).  And of course all the commodes and showers for me, me, me! We like this empty place so much ( and the hospitaliero is so kind and helpful) that we are going to spend another night here.  Today we´ll take the bus into Pamplona and return later.  Life is good on the Camino and I hope it is for all of you, our friends and loved ons.  Have  good days all ´til I can write again.  Love, Patti 8)
7 Comments
Marianne
9/17/2013 11:00:53 pm

"showers for me me me"-- I d be tempted to stay a week! Your writing is so interesting, I'm checking your blog each morning to stay with you in spirit.

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Michael S.
9/18/2013 05:19:50 am

Hey, Patty, catching up on your blog. May you find more places on the road ahead with toilets all for you! When I did the AIDS ride in California a few years ago (SF to LA, 545 miles), it was always a thrill to find a portapotty in camp that was "pristine." :-)

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Linda Papajcik
9/18/2013 05:51:35 am

Oh man, it's just like I prayed for for ya's, a piece of cake!! Ha!!
Now I am wondering, are you REALLY in Paris or Rome or London?????

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Romaine
9/18/2013 06:01:30 am

You've been showered with blessings!
Now time to go run with those bulls on the way to your next destination.
Love You!

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Justino
9/18/2013 06:06:19 am

Wow! What a great trip!

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Theresa
9/18/2013 08:57:27 am

Take lots of pictures!

Reply
Mary Liszkay
9/18/2013 12:18:06 pm

Wow, I am so jealous! I am happy things are going good. Sounds like you are meeting allot of cool people. Take care!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Patti Liszkay

    My husband Tom and I will be walking the 490.7-mile Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago, Spain. We leave Columbus 9/11/13 and return 10/30/13.  God willing.

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    The sequel to "Equal and Opposite Reactions" in which a woman discovers the naked truth about herself.
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    "Hail Mary"
    by Patti Liszkay
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     A romantic comedy of errors.
           Lots and lots of errors.

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    "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
     by Patti Liszkay
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