Buen camino!

We arrived and have started the camino. It is an incredible experience so far. We arrived at Madrid at 12:00 p.m. took a train to north Spain that left at 3:00 P.M. Arrived in Pamplona at 7:00 P.M and took a taxi to the beginnig stage of "El camino". We arrived at the office to get our credentials at 7:50 and the closing time for  the office is 8:00 so barely made it.

It is a beautiful place after getting our credential we went to a Pilgrin´s Mass where they read the countries of the pilgrins at the Inn. There  were people  from 43 countries including a group of 20 some teens with blue and white robes from Butan or Burma. I am nor sure. It was very moving, later on speaking to a 56 yr. old Swedish divorcee (Anika) who confess that she did not believe in anything and yet she was moved to tears.
We slept in our first albergue (this is what the inns are called) and old  type of fortress, beautiful but with four handred beds in 6 different floors. Our room had about 15 beds , but they made this type of compartments that made them kind of private, so it was not too bad.
Did not sleep at all. Too excited, too many people, extrange place. I don´t know but whatever the reasons the results. I did not sleep.
7:00:A.M all lights are on and by 8 everyone is on "El Camino". We started our fisrt 22 Km. trek up and down the Pyrinees mountains. EXHAUSTING! but I made it. I am so proud. It felt so  good to finish the first "etapa"

I don´t have much time so I'll leave for now."Buen Camino"

Mark in our first Albergue

Alittle History

Roncesvalles is a small village and municipality in Navarra, northern Spain. It is situated on the small river Urrobi at an altitude of some 900 metres in the Pyrenees, about 8 kilometres from the French frontier.

Roncesvalles is famous in history and legend for the defeat of Charlemagne and the death of Roland in 778, during the battle of Roncesvalles (Roncevaux Pass), when Charlemagne's rear guard was destroyed by Basque tribes.

The small collegiate church contains several curious relics associated with Roland. The battle is said to have been fought in the picturesque valley known as Valcarlos, which is now occupied by a hamlet bearing the same name, and in the adjoining pass of Ibañeta (Roncevaux Pass). Both of these are traversed by the main road leading north from Roncesvalles to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port( the town where the Camino begins), in the French Basque Country.

Since the Middle Ages, this collegiate church has been a favorite resting place for Catholic pilgrims along the Way of St. James, since it is the first place to have a rest after crossing the French Pyrenees. Every year thousands of pilgrims begin their way to Santiago de Compostela at Roncesvalles.

Here are some pictures:

Etapa 2 Roncesvalles Zubiri

This etapa was quite challenging 27 Km. and many hills

and an especially difficult one called Erro. I was jocking and calling it a "killer hill" and when we got to the top of the hill there was a memorial dedicated to a 62 yr. old japanese women who died there on 2003. This was kind of spooky.

The walk otherwise was beautiful, we passed beautiful fields, mountains and villages. The Basque country is really charming.

When we got to Zubiri we could not find lodging, all the hostals and albergues were full. I was exhausted and Mark had a bad pain in his hip to the point that he thought that he would not be able to continue. Finally one of the hotel managers called someone in the town who rented rooms and we  ended up in this nice apartment in a room with aprivate bath (very nice). Mark got some medecin for his pain and the next day we were ready to continue on to Pamplona.

Some pictures of Zubiri and the Camino getting there.

Third "Etapa"

Today we will be going to Pamplona (the city where they have the running of the bulls) the trek will be 22 Km. It was a fairly easy walk except when we got to Pamplona, we were tired and we had to walk up to old city walls and there was a 3Km. walt to the Hostal where we were staying. (Hostal Hemigway) near the Bull ring and the calle Estafeta where the running of the bull takes place. It wasn't a very fancy place but the idea of being at the Hemigway hostal was kind of neat.

Pamplona is a big city and very nice. We went out to a near by restaurant for dinner. The food was superb! We did not do anything else we were very tired. The next day we walked all over the city and took some pictures. really a beautiful city, seems quite wealthy.

Some pictures of Pamplona