We are all up and out of the albergue before 7am…..despite having a terrible night’s sleep. I shared a sleeping area with Jytte and Ebbe from Copenhagen, and Bene from Adelaide. (I was in the same room with Bene in St. Jean Pied de Port) Jet lag, being cold, and other people snoring were the bane of my night. The albergue did not supply a blanket so I wore most of what I owned to try and stay warm. In middle of the night I discovered an open window directly opposite from our sleeping area. Little question why I was so cold.

After a quick piece of bread with butter and jam, washed down with extremely rich hot chocolate I headed out. A group of us walked together and talked a lot. Somehow I unintentionally ended up at the head of our little pelaton. I hope these people understand I do not know where I am going. As it was still pre-dawn I turned on my my flash light, hung it on my backpack strap, and headed down the trail. After about 30 minutes, and as we emerged from under the cover of the trees it was finally light enough to switch off my tiny spot light.

Eddie and Bene headed off leaving the old folks behind……

After about 3 hours we decided to stop for breakfast. Spanish tortillas (no similarity to the Mexican namesake) accompanied by an orange drink and we were back on our way. We had caught up with ” the kids” at this point. Susan decided to go to mass and Eddie and Bene walked ahead. I walked on my own for the rest of the day though wonderful scenery. BTW, Canada doesn’t have anything on this part of Spain.

The scenery is literally spectacular. Forest covered mountains, the smell of pine and a gentle breeze made this so memorable. I spotted a tiny lizard, much like the type you will find in tropical regions. These little guys are dark brown but look remarkably similar to their tropical cousins. What do they do when it gets cold in this area?

I literally limped into town around 2:30 in the afternoon. This hills, and more importantly, the down-hills were murder on my legs and feet. I can’t wait to get these boots off. My socks were soaked about 30 minutes after starting to walk today so I tried to change socks at least once during the day. If possible I want to make a it a daily regime to take my boots and socks off to dry them both off…….. today I could.

As a group we decided to stay in a private hostel in Zubiri costing 15 euros a night, including breakfast. This gives us the luxury of a communal shower and “first-class” pilgrim accommodations. (Nicer bunk beds and blankets) How do you spell luxury?

Although we had split up earlier in the day we managed to group again in town……I had a hot, hot shower. All I wanted to was to lie down…… and I used the last bit of energy to do just that.

We’ll be leaving this sleepy little town in the morning, but the bridge and the little river that welcome you when you come in on the trail will be a permanent image in my mind.

Susan was way behind us so I decided to reserve a bed for her where we were staying. I found Susan as she came into town, and told her I had arranged one of the last beds in town for her……I got a hug for this effort, and then another hug for good measure. What a great reward after doing something as simple as this for another person. Rewards are not necessarily the big things…… this reward touched me deeply.

On every other level however, this walk is much more difficult than I imagined it would be……..

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