¡Todo Completo!
Roncesvalles to Larrasoaña
I awoke to the noise of the three persons closest to where I was sleeping moving around, their darkened silhouettes just about visible against the less dark background of the dormitory. A glance at my phone indicated it was 04:30. They seemed to be in the process of packing up and putting stuff in their mochilas. I did notice that they were talking amongst themselves at a volume somewhat higher than you’d have thought to be considerate to the needs of the other 170 members of the dormitory, the majority of whom would have considered 04:30 a rather ungodly hour to be commencing proceedings for the day. There’s me trying to figure out some rational explanation for the fact that three people were preparing for such an early start:- so I assumed they were on some sort of military-type manoeuvre, so turned over in the top bunk and probably fell asleep again for an hour or two. Eventually some bright spark (pardon the pun) turned on the main dormitory light…it was around 06:30. Then there was a great mass awakening and a consequent flurry of activity. I really should have joined this merry band and got my ass into gear and at least made an attempt to have had something for breakfast. That would have been really sensible, but no, lounging around in the top bunk just seemed more enjoyable at the time. Should have gone to bed earlier, Terry sir! So I acted as proof of the first part of Newton’s 1st Law of Motion.
At some stage there was the sound of a Gregorian chant emanating from somewhere. Whether this was a genuine performance given we were in an old monastery, or just a recording I never figured out. Eventually I had to succumb to the harsh mathematical fact that if it takes me 30 minutes to get up and dressed, check out the mochila, say hello to Cindy and Pei Pei, then go downstairs to retrieve the walking shoes, add on another 15 minutes in case something didn’t go to plan I had to be out of bed by 07:15 at the very latest…because everybody has to be out of the building by 08:00….irrespective of state of dress at the time and No Exceptions to the rule!!! Then I found out it was raining!!! So after making myself look reasonably presentable I greeted Cindy and Pei Pei. A sad moment because Cindy was no longer going to be with us, it was time for her to begin her journey back to Chicago. Which just gave time for Cindy, the master-organizer, to bequeath to me the responsibility of ‘looking after’ Pei Pei….not that Pei Pei who had recently travelled on the Trans-Siberian railway wasn’t old enough to look after herself, it was just the fact that Cindy and I had noticed yesterday that she had a tendency to keep walking ahead in a straight line, and therefore providing living proof of the second part of Newton’s 1st Law of Motion, sort of oblivious to the fact that the Camino does occasionally go off at an angle, usually indicated by the yellow markers. It was therefore my job to ensure I impressed upon her any forces necessary to stop her walking in a straight line if and when the Camino headed off in a different direction.
Cindy’s final act of generosity was offering a yellow dry bag to anyone that wanted it and that she had used to store her valuable documents. So I took it and in turn also used it to store my valuable documents. Despite one really excellent attempt to lose the thing and the entirety of the documents contained within it on my very last day in Spain, I did otherwise manage to retain it reasonably safe and it did a ‘great job’ as someone in the White House might have said.
So we said our farewells to Cindy, then went downstairs to prepare for our departure. I believe there’s just one main room that acts as a repository for the walking shoes/boots which unfortunately meant that the area immediately adjacent to it resembled a city centre metro station…people all over the place and quite chaotic. My shoes had survived their overnighting without being stolen/taken by mistake….which is why I chose them to be quite a bright green colour……something which I’d have never chosen to wear ordinarily, such is my vanity.
I was however quite astonished to see the three persons that had been packing their mochilas at 04:30 still inside the building and it was nearing 08:00. So much for the military maneouvres that I had imagined they were up so early for. Quite why it took them three and a half hours to get to this stage I really do not know. Little did I know at the time that this was to be my first encounter with what came to be known as the ‘Korean phenomenon’. Because it was quite definitely raining it meant having to put on the gaiters. How I wish I’d have reminded myself how to put these things on whilst I was still back in England. But no! One went on ok, but the other was all over the place and I think I was still having to rearrange it outside in the rain, as the little hand of the clock was now pointing at the number 8 and the big hand was pointing at the number 12. In the rain and the associated gloom the whole place looked even more austere than it had the night before and I must admit, sadly, that I wasn’t sorry to be leaving it behind.
One of the good things about lots of other people being around is that route finding involves nothing more brain taxing than following those that are in front. But even then it seemed that the Camino waymarkers were doing a pretty good job of doing that already. Full marks to whoever has the job of maintaining these waymarkers. So we crossed the road by the much photographed sign that says ‘Santiago de Compostela 790’ , without the manadatory photo of it! So 790 km to go or in other words 491 miles to Santiago….then 56 miles to Finisterre. The first stage of the walk beyond Roncesvalles is quite flat with trees on the left hand side of the path. It was raining quite steadily but every now and then quite heavily. I was wearing this:-
Thanks to one of the larger Camino forums and several months scanning the equipment recommendations section I finally decided upon this. Basically the debate on rain protection gear is split between the relative merits of the poncho and the rain jacket. Ultimately it comes down to one of personal preference. Fashionwise the rain jackets look much more stylish and come in an almost infinite variety of styles and fabrics. But speaking from a personal basis based on wearing most types of these things in the UK, I know that Goretex just does NOT work for me if I’m on the hills. The only material that does work for me in the British hills are the Paramo range of waterproofs that curiously are made in Colombia! But they are heavier than the Goretex-type equivalents and so for the Camino it was a no-starter. So I went for the poncho alternative. Firstly I bought the Altus poncho from Spain. It is quite long so covers the trousers as well as the mochila and it worked fine in the UK the one afternoon that I needed to use it. But BRIGHT red…..Nooooo!!! I like to blend into the environment when I’m out in it so I searched around for a more naturally coloured variant which is why I ended up with the Frogg Toggs poncho….and it is lighter. It is fairly short on me, so overtrousers are necessary. It also relies on three popper fastenings down each side to keep it together. It’s a bit of a problem in the wind, but I do like the fact that you can put both arms through the garment and so vent them as you walk along. It felt very comfortable and quite loose fitting during this first trial in the rain. It is though quite useful if you have a walking companion with you to refasten some of the poppers if they do come undone! In fact my entire equipment list is almost identical to the one recommended on the forum by an American guy who has done the Camino many many times. Many Many Thanks Dave. I noticed that Pei Pei was still wearing the same jacket as she had done yesterday, there was no extra layer on top. Also her mochila was uncovered. I had with me a medium-sized Osprey mochila rain cover which I originally had doubts about carrying, as the Frogg Toggs poncho is designed to cover my Osprey Exos 38. So the least I could do was to offer it to her but at first she wouldn’t take it. But after another 15 minutes or so in the unremitting rain I offered again, this time with more success. There was no way that I could allow her to get the mochila and its contents wet, soaked clothes are one thing, it’s the resulting considerable extra weight that you have to carry that’s also no fun. It’s Murphy’s Law that the thing you’re trying to find in a mochila is almost always about three quarters of the way down it, as it was this day. However once it was retrieved, handed over to Pei Pei, and I got myself back into the poncho, the journey continued.
We arrived in Burguete just before 09:00, famous for its association with Hemingway, but on this wet morning the vast majority of peregrinos, Pei Pei and I were more interested in exploring the interior of Café Frontón. A chance for shelter from the rain and desayuno. This was to be the first of my encounters with the Camino breakfasts. This would usually be a ‘café con leche’ with a Spanish omelette or variation thereof, (if you were lucky there would be freshly squeezed orange juice), a croissant or a sweet pastry to boost the sugar loading, and whatever else you could deduce from the menu, it there was one available. In larger villages/towns it was possible to find a café open at 07:00 but usually you would have to wait until after 09:00. So not having had the breakfast back at Roncesvalles we settled down here for another 45 minutes or so, taking on board essential nutrients. Leaving the café the intensity of the rain was less but still sufficient to put the poncho back on. The Camino proceeded on a more or less level track and passed through some more wooded areas before dropping down to cross the Rio Erro on the semi famous and iconic stepping stones that feature in many of the videologs of the Camino. I actually crossed by the road bridge…Pei Pei did it properly. By now it had actually stopped raining and I crossed my fingers in hope that it would stay this way. Viscarreta wasn’t far away from this point and the Bar Dena Ona was an obvious attraction and temptation to have another refreshment stop.
The covered-in part of the place was very full so we were resigned to the outside terrace. I suppose we should have considered ourselves lucky that there was a table free. So having wiped the rain off the seats we went in to the main café one at a time to grab our respective snacks/lunches as by now it would have been about 12:00. After a short while we were joined by a Norwegian couple whose names I regretfully have forgotten. But what’s in a name anyway? Just another label yeah? Yet I would never ever forget a face. Why is that? I’ve always been tremendously impressed with Scandinavian persons’ ability to switch into English, the moment they realise that you’re neither Danish, Swedish, nor Norwegian. This couple were no exception to that rule. We all just spoke about nothing in particular, the weather did get a mention and the usual chat about where our respective destinations were going to be that night. It’s one of the wonderful things about the Camino. It provides the much needed and much craved opportunity for us, as human beings, to talk., with the added benefit that on the Camino no one has the chance to stick a label on you and so there are no preconceived barriers to what it is you can talk about. You can be as open with people as you want to be…it’s all up to you. To commemorate this impromptu but pleasant gathering of peoples I decided a photo was necessary, the one shown above. Now remember that it had been raining quite heavily all that morning and that the table at which we were seated was under a tarpaulin covering. The rain had stopped but a wind had got up, which was probably responsible for blowing it away. Just seconds after taking the photo a gust of wind got underneath the tarpaulin and dumped about a gallon of rainwater right over the chair where I would have been sitting if not for having taken the photo. Another coincidence or evidence of divine intervention? However what I distinctly remember is Pei Pei bursting out into a wonderfully spontaneous laughter and it just seemed to transform her entirely, for the rest of the afternoon. Up until this point our conversation had been courteous and civilised but somewhat ‘one-dimensional’ and semi-serious.
The Norwegian couple departed and five minutes later we too were on our way, after checking that we were headed in the right direction!
And so we passed onwards firstly along fairly level terrain and then upwards through another wooded area and a couple of hours after leaving the Bar Dena Ona we arrived at yet another refreshment point, the mobile café known as El Kiosko.
But as I approached I noticed, seated at one of the tables and with his back to me, the unmistakable outline of my Brit colleague Dan, who had travelled out with me on the bus from Pamplona a couple of days before. He was there with a couple of young ladies, lucky old him, but they all moved on shortly afterwards. Pei Pei had teamed up with the very pleasant man from Taiwan who both of us had come across from time to time yesterday. Whilst we were here we also were joined by a couple more people who must have known the other two. We all eventually moved off together as a group of five, enjoying the improving afternoon weather with Zubiri as the next destination. The walk was straightforward in the sense that it was all downhill but there was an awkward rocky section close to Zubiri that Brierley’s guide book warns about. It was only on sections like this that have awkward rocky descents that I used my walking pole. Otherwise it remained all nicely folded up and hidden away in the mochila. So we crossed the little bridge into Zubiri by now bathed in glorious September sunshine.
And so to the ever-so-busy café Ogi Berri I think it’s called. It was about 16:30. As I was booked into an albergue in Larrasoaña which was over 3 miles or so further along the Camino I took this opportunity to join the others for a decent hot meal. Not the most comfortable meal I’ve ever had. There were no problems with the food, the place was simply jam-packed full! full!! full!!!. I did say I’d report back on my success with my Spanish….so I have to admit that my initial attempts to procure a salt pot/cellar/shaker ended up with one of the staff walking me over to where the packets of salted crisps were (crips = chips by the way). So I was in the right ball park, so to speak. Second time around I did manage to obtain the salt pot. Salt!…so important…not too much though….just enough to keep the electrolyte balance on an even keel….a personal preference sort of thing. After everyone had eaten we left and the others proceeded to check out the various albergues. However none of them had made a reservation for their second night on the Camino. As we approached the first of the albergues there was a prominent sign displayed at the Entrada. ….a sign bearing a three syllable word, a word guaranteed to strike terror into the heart of the weary peregrino, a word that you do NOT want to see as you approach any albergue for which you have not made a prior reservation, and that word is….COMPLETO. So the group moved on to the next albergue, and the next one after that, and were then told that as far as albergues in Zubiri were concerned it was ¡TODO COMPLETO! in fact it was TODO COMPLETO all the way to Pamplona. So to cut a long story short the others had to wait for a taxi to take them to Pamplona from where they would have to begin anew the search for an albergue that wasn’t COMPLETO!!!I did however give my mobile number to Pei Pei which gave me hope that this separation would not be permanent.
So off to Larrasoaña I headed….just over 3 miles further, with the the river on my right as witness to most of this final stage of the day’s journey. The weather remained fine and sunny. At one stage the Camino passes by the Manga mining works where they apparently extract and refine magnesite which is an iron-containing mineral, which is a bit of a blot on the landscape.
It was at this stage that the ‘German group’ caught up with me, the same group with whom I’d been speaking in Roncesvalles the night before. So for the final hour of the walk I walked along with them and they spoke to me in perfect English all this time. They were headed beyond Larrasoaña, so we said our farewells and I crossed over the river and into the smallish town. It was about 19:00. Larrasoaña was bigger than I’d expected. Stood by the church there were numerous houses to my left and to my right. So to avoid spending quite some time searching around for my night’s accommodation it was time to pluck up the courage to phone the place up. I admit I only half understood the directions that the proprietress gave me first time around, second time around I got the message!!! So having turned right at the church and then taken the second left, I came to the accommodation, Hostel Asteia. Immediately upon entering it I could detect a gorgeous scent permeating the place…a really nice aroma, so relaxing. A reminder of the fact that ever since arriving at Santander my sense of taste and smell had been thoroughly restored after years of blockage whilst back in England….and Santander is on one of the Caminos. Was this a manifestation of the ‘ hidden power’ that some people say emanates from the Camino? Having already eaten sufficiently well that day I didn’t venture out to the local bar/restaurant. Instead I showered and sorted out things in the mochila and went to the downstairs lounge where I came across a couple of others including Christiane from France, the first of several encounters as I will report in subsequent blogs.
Thoughts for today
- I was so pleased to have had the foresight to make accommodation reservations for the first three nights on the Camino – at St Jean, at Roncesvalles and here at Larrasoaña. I had heard that Zubiri can be a serious accommodation bottleneck. It’s a shame that booking ahead has the effect of removing the spontaneity that turning up in hope at the accommodation brings…in the true spirit of pilgrimage. But this is the problem of having so many peregrinos walking the Camino nowadays.
- It was sad to see Pei Pei and the others have to take a taxi onward to Pamplona. But Pei Pei has my number and we’ll surely get back in touch tomorrow.
1 comment
Comment by cynthia villanueva
cynthia villanueva January 5, 2021 at 5:09 am
Love your description of your Camino! Each day is such a new adventure!
Cindy