July 8 (Tue.) --- Beginning of the pilgrimage.
29 km from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles
(cf. Ｓｔ.Jean de Pied de Port on the right upper edge in the map above)
8 AM. Breakfast at Hotel 30FF (Cafe au lait, bread). A man at the same table told me the way to Roncesvalles showing me a guidebook for pilgrims (which I also bought in Logrono later). He recommended me to walk along another road rather than to walk on the car-abundent main road for safety reasons. I decided to walk on the main road, however, since I was afraid of losing a way as I didn't have a road map.
8:30 AM. Left hotel. The way to Roncesvalles is N135. Slightly upgoing slope but the landscape is splendid and the weather is beautiful. Cars are not frequent. I walked with a jaunty step. Walking about 8 km, I arrived at Arneguy, the city on the board between France and Spain.
There is nothing such as the border gate. There was something like a drive-in, but I passed it before knowing it.
(Walked from down to up)
I proceeded to a slightly upgoing slope without even going to change money, arrived at Valcarlos the first town in the spanish territory (11 AM). Talked to a lady whom I saw sitting at the entrance of a house at the roadside. "Three hours to the pass if one walks at a good velocity." That's impossible! I thought I would need at least five hours.
She gave me a glass of chilled water. I met the Father of the church here, asked pilgrimage stamp. Well, how many hours will it necessary for me to reach the Pyrenees... Hold out!
This is a 25 km up-hill way from Saint-jean. Yesterday I planned to stay here in Valcarlos tonight, but it is still 11 AM now. Then, I shall walk as far as possible.
A steep slope followed after this. At first I took a rest every one hour, but afterwards I took a rest more and more frequently. I cannot go ahead.
As a result I took a rest almost ten times. I shall not arrive unless I continue making ahead. Step by step. Mineral water gushing out from the Pyrenees is cold and tasty. This water gave me a new energy.
Comfortable winds come and cool my body when I take a rest under a tree at the roadside. I would be extremely happy during this ten minutes of rest.
OK, let's begin walking again! After walking one km, I found a wooden cross at the top of a hill. That's it! Nothing else! What a happiness. Ibaneta pass was in a wide and high plain.
There is a small church with a bell which always rang in order to guide pilgrims who climbed up the hill with much difficulty. There is also a stone monument of Roldan, who is famous with brave military poems. Several pilgrims who came by car stopped their car in the parking field. Sheep with small bell at the neck are eating the grass free from care, with the bell making a pretty sound.
I watched the blue sky vaguely for about 30 minutes, lying down on the grass, with a feeling of big satisfaction plenty in my heart.
A Swiss (from Geneva) and his son (nine years old) talked to me.
"I have also walked until Santiago de Compostela about ten years ago. Pilgrimage is a good thing. Incidentally, my son exercises Judo and Aikido." That pretty boy showed me Aikido. They quitted in their camping car after enjoying talking with me for half an hour or so. He told me that he was going to see his brother and his family in Leon.
OK, let's walk again. Going down the slope for about one km, I arrived at the village of Roncesvalles. This is a quiet village with a large abbey and two small hotels.
"The door is open to everyone. Open to the Catholic, to heathens, to the poor, and even to the fools. We shall welcome them as if our brothers regardless of his nationality or his politics... " (From a lyric poem). The Roncesvalles abbey was also a first-aid station for the pilgrims from the Middle Ages. I have lived these years with this poem somewhere in my heart.
Many young people with a white suite of cloths and a red handkerchief as a scarf around their neck can be seen, since, I suppose, SanFermin festival is held now in Pamplona. Finding a room may be difficult in Pamplona during the festival. Taking an accommodation is also difficult even here except the pilgrims' inn, though Roncesvalles is apart from Pamplona by about 40 km from here. I entered the office after confirming the sign of "Camino de Santiago" at this abbey.
I made a pilgrim's notebook in this office, and had the first pilgrimage stamp stamped on it.
"Lights go out at 10 PM", "Mass shall be held at 8 PM." Listening to some regulations, I was allowed to enter the room. This was a room on the second floor in the abbey, with eight double deck beds, i.e. a room with sixteen beds. There were still other bedrooms.
A mass began at 8 PM. About thirty pilgrims presented themselves at the mass. I was deeply impressed by the mass read by ten Fathers specially for the sake of the pilgrims staying in this abbey only...
8:40 PM. Dinner at a small restaurant in the hotel (French francs coins are accepted; 45 FF). Two Dutch with whom I had dinner were going to Santiago riding a bicycle from Holland. One of them is a high school teacher, another is a manager of a pension. They were very friendly persons.
Today is my elder daughter's birthday. I will send her a postcard --- to congratulate her on a happy birthday.
I made use of the sleeping back for the first time, as there is no bedclothes in this sixteen bed room. The bed squeaks every time at my only slight motion. Someone's snore. Took two capsules of medicine.
40795 steps (28.5km) today.
July 9 (Wed.) 16 km from Roncesvalles to Erro.
It was raining as I woke up in the morning. Left the abbey after making up the luggage. The town of Roncesvalles will remain in my heart with a lot of memory for ever.
I began walking on a straight and slightly down-hill road in the rain. I found a stone monument called the "Cross of Pilgrimage" soon after I began walking (Afterwards I saw a lot of stone monuments of this kind everywhere on the pilgrimage road). Making ahead a little more, I found a sign indicating that the pilgrimage road was the right branch. But I walked on the national road because I had to change money in the village of Burguete about two km ahead.
Cars are very rare. It would be much more wonderful if it were not raining...
Burguete is a small and quiet village in the rain. This village is famous in its connection with the novel "Sunrise Agein" written by Hemmingway. I would like spending a week or so in such a village.
The church in Burguete was closed. So I headed for the village of Espinal 4 km from here. It began raining heavily; a rare weather here. I asked for a stamp to a gentleman who came out when I knocked on the next door to the church. He was kind enough to open the Father's desk by a key, and stamped on my notebook, although he himself was not the Father.
I have a pendant on my breast. It is made from a scallop shell, or in other name, a pilgrim shell. The pendant may be favored by everyone.
<Map of Today's Pilgrimage Road>(Walked from down to up)
I have been walking on the national road until now. I entered the pilgrimage road after this, but this was a mistake. The road is narrow, muddy, and slippery due to rain. How often I was about to slip in advancing only ten meters! The road continues to a deep forest where I felt cool or even chilly.
I feel a little strange as I have read that the pilgrimage road is well maintained. I suspect a road which became too muddy to walk due to rain like this is really worth saying as being well maintained.
My shoes are wonderfully muddy, my trousers are muddy as well, as I once slipped on the road.
I lost a lot of time. I hurried to go back to the national road. It would be better that I shall not walk on the pilgrimage road on a rainy day in the future. Though roads in the plain might be much better even on a rainy day. Maybe it rains heavier than usual today... The church in Viscarret was also closed... There was a small hostal which has rooms at a rate of 3000 pts.
It's still two o'clock now. Go ahead more. From here I took the national road N135 again. The village of Erro is a small and beautiful village on the top of a hill (places around here are by no exception small to be named as town). The church in this village is also closed. Isn't it always closed except for mass on Sundays? Or the Father charges for several churches at the same time? An old lady told me that there was no hostal in this village. She pointed the "Bar Hostal" at the entrance of the village for me, saying "What we have in our village is that only."
A young girl was in it. She says a room costs 7000 pts. Expensive! I was astonished. She looked sorry and said "Muy Calo (very expensive)" by herself. But this is the only accommodation available in this village. And I am tired today... I ordered a cup of cafe con leche before negotiating the room rate. She went to the kitchen, spoke with someone, and came out. "4000 pts (But still expensive... )" I answered "Muchas gracias (Thank you)", about 25 US dollars. I accepted this price, and was surprised looking at the room.
This was a beautiful twin bed room with bathroom! Grateful. And The village on the hill can be seen through a small window in the room, and makes a wonderful landscape on it as if a beautiful oil painting in a picture frame. This made me happy enough. Took a bath after not being able to take one for one week. Hot water comes out! I will wash my dirty socks, underwear and jeans as well. I felt happy to become clean again.
8:30 PM. Had a dinner at the bar-restaurant on the ground floor. 1000 pts. But this was too much for me in the quantity. My stomach became small. A glass of wine, soup, a large serving of salad, fried ham, two fried eggs, and bread. I had heartburn after I ate all these dishes. Even now I put a small pillow under my back lying on the bed writing this. This is a very important pillow I use everyday in my home, and I brought it to my previous travel five years ago.
Today I ate too much. My present stomach accepts only three pieces of bread a day. Took a bath again. I don't know when I can take a bath next.
11 PM. I still have heartburn. Take a medicine and go to bed. The senora said she wouldn't get up before 9 o'clock tomorrow. So I will also have a rest until 9 o'clock or so.
22949 steps (16.06 km) today.
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July 10 (Thu.) 21 km from Erro to Pamplona. 9:30 AM. Breakfast at the bar-restaurant on the ground floor. The weather is cloudy. <Map of today's Pilgrimage Road>(dotted line shows the pilgrimage road) 10 AM. Departure. I came to an up-hill slope of about 5 km long, soon after I left the village of Erro. This slope is also trying a little, but only a little. I found it much easier compared with the 30 km long up-hill slope in the Pyrenees... compared with that mountain... Whatever thing that is trying is better finished earlier. I saw many people training cycling here. A mild down-hill slope waited for me after crossing the mountain pass. Passing through the village of Agorreta, I crossed over a bridge on Arga river, arrived at Zubiri. Road sign indicates 21 km to Pamplona. This is a small village indeed. Walked 10 km until now today. Looked for a post office to send a happy birthday postcard to my daughter, but in vain. Asking a girl, she said to me "That's it. That white house on the small branch street", but there's no indication of post office. This seems nothing but an ordinary residential house. Asking a lady nearby, she went upstairs and came back with the post office clerk. At last he mentioned me the price of 151 pts, searching in a book saying "I don't know how much is it to Japan." Will this postcard arrive safely in Japan? Bought a bottle of coke and bread (sixteen pieces in a bag) 280 pts. Maybe enough for lunch and dinner. Let's walk! Arrived at Urdaniz, and after that, at Larrasoana. Before knowing, I fell into sleep with my backpack as the pillow in a wide grass field at the roadside. I didn't notice at this moment that there was an Albergue (pilgrims' inn) here in Larrasoana also. I knew this afterwards; I have not yet understood in a real sense what is called Albergue at this time. I have been walking on the national road N135 until now. The cars ran by at a speed of more than 100 km/h though the limited speed is 80 km/h. I concentrate on walking on the sidewalk of the width of one meter or so, paying attention to the high speed cars. I took again the pilgrimage road near Zuriain, but the road is a narrow trail with the width of about 50 cm. The road is not bad as it doesn't rain today. I feel suddenly cold every time I take the pilgrimage road in the forest. Since tall grass blocks the road, I was forced to make my way pushing the grass aside. The right hand side of the trail is a deep valley; a stream can be seen 30 meters below this road. This trail will become dangerous if it rains. The trail is not always safe, particularly for a person to walk alone. I met again on this trail a pilgrim whom I saw yesterday also in front of the church in Erro. He came from France and 76 years old now. He gave me a courage that I am still young. He wrote his address after taking his picture. Not easy to read for me as he wrote it standing on his feet. Maybe I walked on the pilgrimage road one hour or so from that. I saw the entrance of Pamplona turning around the left corner. An old stone bridge is built over the stream of Ulzama river. That's Pamplona! Arrived at last (But this was the town of Arre on this side of Pamplona in reality... ). When I was taking a rest at the riverside, I witnessed three young pilgrims entering the old stone built house at the foot of the bridge. I can't read Spanish or English... But I think I have a kind of intuition which I learned during my travels in the past. To overcome the difficulties in language, nothing but this. I also entered that house. That was an information office for the pilgrims. There is a pilgrims' inn, indeed, in the bridge at the entrance of this city, Pamplona. They told me to have my notebook stamped and that I put 300 pts here. And they took me to the next building. That was a room with lots of beds. More than ten pilgrims sat on the bed and talking with each other already. Yes, I've got it! That 300 pts is for the bed (I have still not yet understood what is albergue at this moment due to lack of information before departure in Japan). Gracious. I can sleep in 300 pts only. I have given up finding an accommodation even at the rate of several ten times more than that, as SanFermin festival is held in Pamplona also today. To tell the truth, I was preparing to sit up all the night on a bench of a park or at a bar. This is really gracious. Now I have a sleeping bag and also a bed for tonight... Putting down my backpack, I went out to walk around near here. I didn't go to the center of Pamplona. Instead, I had, as I often do, cafe con leche at a bar which I found after walking a little. I asked the place (street) of tomorrow's cattle driving to the Camalero at that bar. "From 8 AM tomorrow morning. Forty minutes walk along this road. Go straight", he replied. Asking at a cafe is a good idea if one has something unfamiliar. Cafe con leche, bread, coke, and water 750 pts. I shall get up before 7 AM tomorrow morning to walk in the city of Pamplona, and go to Puenta La Reina. Must buy a map at a bookstore. 8 PM now. Shall go to bed earlier. Lights go out at 10 PM in this albergue. The sky is not yet dark enough outside Most of the pilgrims sleep soundly already. 30454 steps (21.3 km) today. PAGE 3 OF 13 |