Camino francés - Page 3

Roncesvalles - Larrasoana (ca. 25 km)

I didn't take any pictures today, these photos are of Clay. My old camera only stores 100 pictures and I overdid it on the first day. Have also decided to immortalize only scenic impressions and people. For architectural feats I find better pictures elsewhere. Ramon was gone an hour before everyone else this morning. Clay and Gretel decided to go on pilgrimage to Larrasoana together. And I wanted to walk alone today to slowly get a feeling for it. We had breakfast together in the restaurant, but I left earlier than they did. On a sign was Santiago 790 km, I thought briefly whether I was still ticking correctly, but then said to myself: Don't think, start running. I did that then also for several hours. It went long slightly downhill through a beautiful snowy landscape. In Espinal there were slight orientation difficulties, but the path was, thanks to the good markings, easy to find again. In addition, there were only traces of one person ahead of me, Ramon, and he lost his way only with low probability. Interrupted by short breaks, I reached Zubiri sometime after noon. At an ugly factory I got lost again and on one of my detours Ramon came to meet me.

I had wondered, since his tracks had disappeared at some point. He had made on the way extensively lunch break, at his "smell of alcohol" I immediately grasped that again some speech diarrhea would come to me. But his spanish-english I understood well and so the last hour to Larrasoana flew by. In the meantime, however, I noticed how my bones ached. It started slowly, the physical torture, as they like to call the first third of the way. The back hurt, despite my very small backpack, which everyone made fun of. The feet were pressing and the first blisters made themselves felt. Arrived in Larrasoana, a small town, we found the hostel open and empty, not a soul was here. It was freezing cold in the small room. Freezing we went to the shower, well, at least hot water to warm up was there. Only the clothes do not become dry here, one change of clothes I have. An hour later Clay and Gretel also found themselves here.

No coincidence that you always meet in winter. Very few hostels remain to choose from in that season. After we were done, the next challenge was to find something to eat in the village. There were no shopping facilities and bars or the like were not in sight. After some questions we were referred to a kind of store, which was a market and a café in one. Reluctantly, an older lady opened the door and after some haggling in Spanish, she let us in. But after some initial grumbling, the woman turned out to be a good hostess, she cooked delicious food for us and had a lot to tell us. Clay mostly translated into English for me. Among other things, we heard about a Polish woman who walked here with her two-and-a-half-year-old child, from Poland. I was supposed to meet her a few hundred kilometers away. In any case, the evening was saved, we were warmed up and full. So it went then also in the hostel, still some blister plasters stuck and off in the sleeping bag.

Larrasoana - Cizur Menor (ca. 21 km)

After Larrasoana, the snow slowly disappeared. It became one of the better days, not rainy and the sun came through from time to time. We ran off in threes, Ramon was gone again before us, I should not see him again, but he wanted to run anyway only to Burgos, then his vacation was over. Gretel also went her own way after a few hours, she had time and wanted to enjoy the way. She looked at many churches and often attended church services. Clay and Gretel were Christians. So I went with Clay alone the last route towards Pamplona, it was very relaxed, we chatted a lot. I understood him better and better and so the day went by not only because of the only 20 km distance as in the flight. In a place before Pamplona we bought food for the evening in a supermarket and made extensive rest. On it we ran in Pamplona, after the two days of pure nature, immediately something stressful. The traffic lights show here the seconds when the pedestrian gets green, good invention, I mean.

Clay told me about the bullfights and the Sanfermines, very traditional but now controversial. He knew at all very well with nature including animals. His hobby was hiking, he had been all over the world with the tent, had also met bears, my nightmare in the past. He said the black bears were harmless, the brown ones should be treated with caution depending on your mood, but if you see a grizzly, then hope that he does not notice you. In the meantime we were in the beautiful old town of Pamplona. A man approached us, talking to Clay in Spanish. Clay translated the most important things for me. He was a math teacher and had walked the path several years ago. He repeated what one had heard many times before: the Way had changed his life. Clay mentioned that I wanted to be in Santiago on Jan. 15. He said it would be tough, but if a German wanted something, he would do it. I thanked him for such an optimistic assessment, but Ramon had also assured me after the first stage: You are very strong, you'll make it.

Through the conversation we hardly noticed how we were already leaving Pamplona. We passed the university and took a comfortable way to Cizur Menor. We found the hostel there quickly and just in time, it started to rain again. A friendly older lady was the hospitalera and she led us to a comfortable accommodation. Finally a proper warm up and clothes drying. After the settling in, we went to buy some things, in the meantime Gretel had also arrived. Clay cooked some delicious local dish and I washed up again. That evening we talked a lot, the hospitalera came along and told us interesting things. From how to best tie our shoes to special tips along the way, she had a lot of experience. On the bridges the Camino has special energy, one should stay there longer. I find such statements mostly not logically comprehensible, but where I can not prove the opposite, I accept it. So in the future I really walked slower when the path went over bridges.

Clay and Gretel massaged each other's feet, offered it to me too, but that was a bit too close for me. The two had some inner peace and serenity that I was completely missing. We still exchanged our contact data, because the next day I will have to run larger stages, otherwise I can not keep the schedule. We saw us then also the next morning the last time. Still I had held back, because I was warned, who walks too ambitious at the beginning, crashes here very quickly.