Last night, my wife Suzanne came to me at the foot of my bed waking me by tickling my toes. I sat up and looked at her. ''What are you doing here?'' I said. '' I miss you so much and couldn't wait until the fall to walk my Camino, so Dad is with Jean-Luc and I'm coming with you''. I was so happy to see her. She then climbed up the ladder to my bunk and curl up besides me and fell asleep. When I woke up at 6:00 am, Suzanne had vanished and I realized that it was only a dream. At that very moment I realized how much I loved and missed her.
By 6:50 am, I was on the road. At first, I walked alone and for a very long time. The narrow trail was bordered with wild flowers of all kind. Jenêt, a bush with tiny yellowing blooms that has a scent of lilac, rustic roses, honeysuckle bushes, and fields of red poppies as seen in Claude Monet's painting ''Les Coquelicots''.
When I reached Alto del Perdon I caught up with a pilgrim I had seen every day since I've started the Camino. Up until now, we had only exchanged a few words. He exuded a very positive vibe and also had a very generous smile, that said a lot about his personality. Jean-Marc C. 59, was a retired fireman who once lived in Paris and was currently living in Dunkerque near the France-Belgium border. He had a love affair with repelling and exploring caves (la spéléologie). He had travelled across Europe to fulfill this passion.
Alto del Perdon is where a grouping of cutout figure statues of pilgrims is located on top of a hill. The site marks the change from the Pyrenean foothills to the mild climate of the Navarra, characterised by wine growing and agricultural fields. The panorama from the top at Alto del Perdon is breathtaking. Across the valley at a distance is another foothill with many wind turbines. Jean-Marc took a photo of me posing next to the statues.....but I would accidentally delete it by accident later that evening. I also took a photo of him. I had already realized even though I had only been walking for 4 days, many very nice people I had previously met would no longer be part of my days, and I needed to remember them in a visual way. I told him that he was ''un bon vivant'' (happy-go-lucky guy).
The descent from Alto del Perdon is more than a km long, rather steep and stony. As Jean-Marc decided to take a break, I continued alone. Within minutes I was now walking with Thomas, 45 from Germany, who slept on the bottom bunk while I was on the top at the Albergue in Larrasoana . He was a rather reserved chap, but we struck a friendship all the same. Puenta de la Reina was supposed to be my final destination for Day-4, but as it was only 11:00 am, I decided to continue for another 9 kms. We had an early lunch at a local bar where I ate my first Tortilla Patata (potato omelet pie). This one was infused with small pieces of chorizo (a spicy Spanish sausage). It would also be the most flavorable one I would eat on the Camino. Since Thomas was a vegetarian, instead of eating Tortilla Patata, he ate two creamed filled doughnuts. I sat outside under an umbrella at a bistro table with another pilgrim who was enjoying a smoke and having a beer as his walking day was already done with. This guy had an impressive built with a massive upper body. ''Are you Austrian?'' I asked. ''No, I'm German'' he said. Have people ever told you that you look and sound just like Arnold Schwarzenegger? ''Yes, I get that all the time, my nickname is The Terminator and somethings they call me Rambo''. We both started laughed.
After crossing the 11th century footbridge of Puente la Reina, Thomas and I would walk for another 2 hours up to Cirauqui. An extremely steep hill before Maneru had Thomas regretting his choice of snack. In retrospect, it felt like the steepest section of the whole Camino. We had a back wind and the noon sun was at it warmest. Thomas was sweating bullets, and breathing quite hard. He stopped briefly to check his pulse......''160 per minute'' he exclaims. I suggest that he turn around to take in a bit of the wind to cool down and catch his breath. He snaps the waist buckle from his backpack and the unbuttons the top button of his pants, because he felt bloated and had a tummy ache. ''It's those doughnuts I ate.......I feel like Homer Simpson''. His comment completely caught me off guard and I was in stitches.
Cirauqui can be seen from at least 5km away. Approaching the medieval town that dates back to the middle ages, the trail cuts across cornfields and vineyards. Cirauqui rises from the horizon like a cone shape fortress with a church bell on top that resounds throughout the valley every half hour.
The first corner store I spotted, I stopped for an Aquarius. The streets in Cirauqui are extremely steep, and the side walk have stairs to reduce the effort of climbing or descending. This is my first Sunday on the Camino. We arrive at 13h15 and check-in at Albergue Maralotx. The Albergue itself is superb, modern, Spanish tiles through out often set in a mosaic pattern, sporting a eating/sitting area on the second level balcony. After a quick shower and hand washing my clothes, I make my way to the nearby grocery store only to find out that it is closed. As the Albergue is serving a pilgrim supper, the hostess omitted to tell us that stores close at 14h00 on Sundays and don't re-open. From here on out, I would carefully consider restocking my food provisions on Sundays before 1 pm.
As I was eating tuna and bread from my backpack, three Spanish ladies from the next table offered me a nice ripe tomato. I would use my Swiss Army knife to split it in two and share it with Thomas. During that afternoon, I would also meet a lovely couple from la Réunion. A young Australian who had quit his job to walk the Camino and had hooked up a pretty American just few days ago. When he asked me where I was from, I said Moncton, NB. To my surprise he said, ''I've been there''. As it turned out, he had cross Canada in a rented van. By the time he got to Vancouver, he had picked up a few hitchhikers who decided to join him on his journey. I them mentioned that he should have filmed everything, as it would have made a great reality-travel TV show.
At this Albergue is also where I was formally introduced to Françoise L. who lives near Lyon, France. I had also seen her since Day-1. She had started a day before me and had slept her first night at Orisson, at the 8 km climb of the Pyrenees from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Like Jean-Marc C., she had previously walked the 800km stretch of the Camino between Puy-en Velay and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France. She works as a laboratory technician in a hospital. She and Jean-Marc shared the top and bottom bunk next to me, while Thomas was once again my bunk mate on the bottom bed.
As I am writing in my journal and enjoying this spectacular view from the balcony, on this Sunday I truly feel at peace on the Camino, and would not want to be anywhere else. The man seated next to me in this photo is also German. My estimate is that he's at least 65 years old. He did not talk English or French, so we only exchanged smiles. I would see him once in a while during the first week. This guy did not let his age damper his ability. He was a real fine-tuned walking machine, and I could only keep up with him for brief periods of time.
Supper was great and served in the basement of the Albergue which featured stone laid walls and had a pub atmosphere. It was accessed from the left side of the building. There were three tables, one for Spaniards, a second for the French and I sat at the International table. I felt sorry for Thomas when he mentioned that this was his first hot meal since he had left Germany a week earlier. When I asked why he had not eaten the pilgrim supper the previous evenings, he just said that no one had ever mentioned that such a meal was available. This is when I realized how important it was to establish connections with others around you. If you remain in your shell, opportunities just passes you by. This was also the last time that I would also see Thomas from Germany, although I did hear that he was in a neighboring Albergue in Los Arcos the following evening and would eventually walk ahead of us.
Tip of the Day- Bring some headgear. A cap or a broad rim hat made out of breathable material, that has a UV protection against the sun. These will also protect your eyes. I suggest that you also wear sunglasses with a UVA/UVB protection. This head wear is also easily hand washable and dries quickly on a clothesline.
May 30 - Day 3- Larrasoana - Cizor Menor - 20,7 km -
Sunny - 32 C shade / 40 C Sun
For Suzanne & Claude
Woke up at 6:00 am. From this point on, I would always prepare my own breakfast with only a few exception. Usually a piece of baguette bread with some peanut butter or jelly, a piece of fresh fruit, a yogurt when a fridge was available and a glass of water. Just enough to get me started. I was on the road by 6:50 am. Nice and cool at first, some wooden trails that are still partially muddy from a moderate amount the rain received the week prior. There's no precipitation in the long range forecast at this time.