Day 1 - Roncevalles to Zubiri

The alarm woke us up at 7 am. Our ride would meet us just down the street at 8 am. This gave us an hour to get breakfast and pack back up. We were basically packed.  Last night we did the "what did you bring" thing where you virtually unpack and repack your bags. So after a quick clean up and breakfast of croissants and orange juice we were ready to head out.

We stepped out to meet the day. The sky was overcast and looked a bit threatening.  I said a slient pray that Roncevalles had better weather. When we got to the meeting spot we saw a group of other pilgrims waiting there. We just kept to ourselves at this point. Only when the van arrive did the others move towards us. We exchanged where we were from. The 2 couples were from America. One of the gentlemen commented that yes the Americans were taking the van over the mountain.  He went on to tell us that they were going to Pamplona. They had to change with plans due to his wife having an illness or injury the week before they were due to come over. They felt the mountain would be too much for her, so they will start in Pamplona.  You just never know what the Camino has in store for you!

Our van pulled up a bit before 8 and we all piled in. The ride back up the mountain was filled with mixed emotions. On one hand it was just a nice pleasent drive. Then when I stopped to think about it and remember back to being on the road, walking down the road, it really hit me how much we had done last year. Sometimes it seems like we didn't do much, but on this day I knew we had really walked a lot those days. The road seemed to go on forever, winding back and forth. How had we done it and in the rain to boot!  I had a renewed appreciation of our efforts.

Leaving Roncevalles

As we drove along, the sun started to peek through the clouds. It looked like we would have good weather to start with after all.  We arrived a little before 9 am and we were soon on our way!  We were looking forward to the coffee stop already! The guide book said it was about 3 km in, so that would be an hour give or take. No Problem!

We arrived at a little cafe sooner than we though we would. Either the guidebook was wrong or this place was new. The place however looked like it had been there a long time. We found a table outside, in the sun and sat down to our first cafe con leche of the trip.

With us leaving out of Roncevalles so late we thought we would be the last ones. However as we sipped our coffee we saw other pilgrims passing by.  Not that it was a concern but it is nice when you know there are others on the path with you.

The path to Zubiri was not too bad. In fact it was a nice walk. There were some assent and descents, but nothing like the Pyrenees. I can see how this day would be welcome after walking over the mountain.  The rain held off for most of the day. It was funny, we would stop for a coffee or break and it would start to sprinkle. So we would pull out our coats and put on our covers and then head out. As soon as we were on the path, maybe 5 minutes at the most, the rain would stop.

We arrived in Zubiri around 4 pm.  We were booked into an Alburge that had private rooms as well. They also served a pilgrims meal, which is great not having to go look for food.  We had time enough to shower and rest a bit before dinner. We took a walk around the town and found a little market open. We stopped by to get some food for tomorrow and beer for the evening.  Which turned out to be an adventure on its own.  Funny thing when you carry your bags on the plane, you end up with out a cork screw or a bottle opener for beer. We should have stuck to cans.

We had dinner with the early group at 7pm. I was so happy to have it early. I was hungry. All that walking really works up an appetite.  It was nice to be able to just go down to dinner in socks and/or sandals. I was done with my boots for the day.

The dinning room was full. We were shown were to sit. They fill up one table at a time. There was room for 9 people at ours. We found that our table mates were from France and one young man from Germany. It was funny because here we were in Spain and we were using more French and German that night. Lucky for me the German guy liked to speak and practise his English.  These people would become our "camino people or family" of sorts. The people you see through out your journey. The ones you wonder how far they got or where they are. Its odd really. Most people go on the camino to get away from people, and yet we form these bonds, well I am not sure bonds is the right word, but connections with other so early on.  I guess its just the way.

Our meal was nice. We had a starter of soup, broth really and then a choice of pork or fish, with bread and wine and ending with dessert of Lemon custard or tiramisu. All in all a pleasant evening. Soon it was lights out for us. We set our alarm to wake us for breakfast, which was also included in the price.


                                                      Day one- 22 km

I used a fitbit to track our progress. However on this day the battery died at 13.9 km.