last nights Pilgrim dinner at Orisson was very memorable & special. We were all seated amongst 3 long tables with a 3 course meal. Mr D & I got chatting to a Canadian snow plougher bloke called Larry & swapped many a funny story. We met Larry & his partner Liz, as they sat on top of a tank by the side of the road as we came walking up for dinner. At the end of the meal we each stood up said our name where we come from & why we are doing the Camino. This was the highlight. There were 6 of us Aussies with 4 of us from Perth. At the end of our table was an American man whom finished with “And I DON’T like Donald Trump!” Next to him just as happens, was a North Korean man just out of military service. The amazing young lass working there offered us a car lift we couldn’t refuse back to our Albergue.

The next morning started with Mr D’s phone alarm going off at 5.45am waking everyone up. We quickly packed & headed    back to Orisson for breaky with our new Pilgrim friends from our Albergue last night. Jo & Sigrid, a retired older couple that have been walking from Germany for the past 4 months! I call them real Pilgrims as they have actually put on backpacks, walked out the front door of their home & started walking to Santiago. No train, bus or plane have they used to get here. We also met the two young Korean lasses at our Albergue & they seem very nice people as well. Breaky at Orisson was the usual bread rolls with jam & butter occupied with a bowl of tea / coffee. Mr D commented it was like drinking a bowl of coffee soup!

We set off early at 7.30am, the going was tough over Napoleons Pass, not only steep but the wind was relentless & made the going slower as the winds kept trying to blow us backwards. Beautiful blue clear skies & cold, cold wind. We stopped at a pop up cafe for Pilgrims for a coke & muesli bar to keep us going.

Going down out of the wind, it warmed up as we crossed borders into Spain with no passport checks or marked lines on the ground. One undesirable Pilgrim walked pass us without a hello, swearing & cursing away loudly- about the walk or us? His negative energy made us hope not to bump into him again! Everyone else is great & you always greet with a Hola & Buen Camino – the universal language amongst Pilgrims.

Coming down we went down the dangerous pass where we were advised to avoid! When I reflect back, the horses there followed me down then turned & went back up as to tell us we had gone the wrong way. Mr D said “it’ll be fine” so on we went carefully slowly down the descent, & arriving safety at our Albergue in Roncesvalles, a tiny village with historic monastery & buildings.

I bumped into one Pilgrim lady that was so upset with our little cubicles of 4 beds each in modern factilities, exclaiming ” I came here to stay in the big Monastery of 110 beds as shown in the movie The Way! I come to see all that was shown from the movie only, it is the reason I came!” ( this room opens in summer only due to increased Pilgrim numbers ). Then she said “I want to stay at that Albergue from the movie – you know, the one with the strange man! Do you know where it is?” “Nope” I replied. Then she needed me to help her find her bed number. She thought the lady with short hair on the lower bunk of her cubicle was a man. She pulled me out of the lady’s sight & said in panic, “I can’t sleep here! I can’t sleep with men!” I said “Well ask the lady there if there are men on the other beds”. She looked again & saw it was a woman & became embarrassed saying, “Did you know she wasn’t a man? I thought she was a man!” Now what was she thinking – she was going to sleep in a bunk room of 110 beds all filled with only women?!  Each to their own Camino….

Off to a very nice bar you couldn’t find the likes of in Perth, for a couple of Vinos & relaxation as we had earnt it off course! Jo & Sigrid came by & joined us briefly as Jo wanted to show Mr D the map of how far they have walked from their home. When then wandered off through the town, passing also Lottie & Hanne along the way. Then Mr D spotted Larry & Liz drinking at a cafe bar outside so we joined them for another drink! All in all, the afternoon was a social one! Our walk today about 18kms covered on foot.

We were sent over to the restaurant we were just at having our drinks for dinner. It was a peregrino meal with fancy meals on the menu. We sat with an Aussie lady that has moved to the UK. She had blisters all over her feet & had done the big walk from SJPDP today so she was done. She was saying to us tomorrow she would only walk to the next village & stay there. Lottie & Hanne whom we briefly met at Orisson last night. And this tiny religious woman with her husband. There was another older lady opposite me as well & another couple I hadn’t met. So the religious woman decided to say grace as we had started eating. Not asking us or anything. So we awkwardly sat our utensils down till she had finished. She was sitting opposite Lottie’s dad Hanne & asked a very direct personal question his way, “Is your wife still living?” What kind of question is that?! He replied “Excuse me?” So she repeated it again. I could sense he did not like her questioning & was reluctant to answer. But he did inform her his wife & Lotties mum was still alive. She then went, “Well, where is she? Why is she not here with you?” “Because she doesn’t like hiking”. This lady had poor mannerisms if she intended it or not. She was strange. Very intrusive. She gave her meal ticket to Lottie saying “Here, I trust you will pass this on to the restaurant staff for me.” as she & her husband that didn’t say a word took off for church mass. We all gave each other looks after she had gone, then broke out into laughter. The woman should of given her meal ticket herself to the restaurant staff!

We also said our goodbyes to our German friends, Jo & Sigrid, as they were having a rest day tomorrow. I’m sure we would see them again when they catch up to us.

10.2km, 12,988 steps to Orisson.

We had a late Pilgrim enter our cosy quarters last night. He had nothing to say but snore LOUDLY he did in the early hours of the morning which kept us awake!

Nethertheless, we bounced out of bed & downstairs for our Pilgrim breakfast this morning, consisting of a couple of bread rolls with jam, some sort of thin nutty loaf slice & tea & coffee – YUM!

With full tum tums (?!) we packed up & made it out by the deadline of 8am. Most Pilgrims had already left & there were only us and a scattering amount of other late starting Pilgrims, as we made our way out the gate & over the bridge: the starting point of thousands of Pilgrims before us & thousands more that will follow.

The day was perfect for walking, very misty to start with then cleared to beautiful blue skies. It was only 8kms to our second albergue so we had a pleasant slow walk soaking up the views.

We stopped halfway along the way at a cafe / Albergue by the side of the road. There I struggled to communicate an order for coffee & crossiants to the older lady serving inside. She kept disappearing for a while then returning. Finally I had two coffees as she didn’t have tea, & two  crossiants. Mr D was laughing at this one young woman practicing yoga & meditating in front of someone’s gate. Then they came home in their car so the young lady had to stop her practice & move out of the way. She only continued in another spot sitting cross legged in the dirt meditating away.

Steep climbs went up & up then zig zagged up & up. Our fellow Pilgrims marched on by, leaving us in their dust. We arrived at Orisson at lunch. But we had booked into their overflow Albergue, Kayola 1km back down the road we had come! AND no dinner or Breakfast there!

So this means walking extra back and forth for our meals. Well, it is what it is. We enjoyed lunch & Sangia / Beer overlooking the mountain views.

Our little Albergue sleeps a full house of 10 & is quite comfortable & quiet. Tomorrow we have an early start as we continue our climb over the Pyrenees mountains.

Well, we have arrived at our starting point at St Jean Pied de Port, France. Tomorrow is our first day of walking!

Today started off with a rush out of bed, packed up & downed some crossiants & Espresso (D) on the way to the train station. Then it was a 3 hour train to Pamplona ( those train seats were terribly uncomfortable to ones behind I may add ). There we had a lazy few hours gap to amble around town, sit & enjoy a rather delicious lunch followed by tea & cake.

Then straight on the bus for a 2 hour trip into SJPDP through the Pyrenees mountains where we climbed up & up along narrow roads & then down & down along narrow roads. The temperature was dropping the views obscured by low clouds & then some rain. Mr D took one look at the steepness of the terrain & began to sweat with anxiety – “I have to walk up that?! What was I thinking?! Taxi!”

Our first stop in SJPDP is the Carnet de Pelerin to receive our first sello in our passports. Mr D starts to converse in Spanish before he realises we are not in Spain!

We stay in our first Albergue, in a room with 6 bunk beds but only us & a rather loud Frenchman that speaks no English. We had a fantastic 3 course meal just the 3 of us before the remaining 32 German Pilgrims were to come down for dinner.

The volunteer hospitalero woman that manages the Albergue converses with us that she is done working there & will be returning home soon. She quickly shows annoyance at a group of tourists that seem to come into the building to have a look. Then they walk back out without a hello to the woman. She looks at their departure darkly.

We finish the night with a stroll around town & a couple more vino’s to ensure we have a restful nights sleep.

Jodie was so excited that she didn’t sleep last night and with the total transit time being 24hrs is totally zonked out. Here I was ready to hit the Madrid night spots but will have to console myself with a San Miguel or two 😉 all by my lonesome 

Waiting since 3.30am at Airport too excited to sleep! Taking off soon😊

Goodbye, Cold and Windy Perth, for a couple of months anyway. 

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Last training run today & what perfect weather to have for a 15km walk from Scarborough beach to Craigie home. Feet were getting a tad sore & body tired – a little indulgence at Hillarys Marina was in order to reboot energy levels for the home run. 2 days remaining in Perth now!

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Pictures from 17km warm up walk yesterday

Jodie’s last day of work today

The morning turned out quite nice for a gentle training stroll through Bushland behind the Craigie Leisure Centre. Lots of pretty wildflowers in bloom, a peaceful & reflective walk.

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Two weeks to go!! Jodie’s over her Bronchitis and I’m almost over the back problem incurred last weekend 😊

Photo taken from Newtons circle rooftop