Snow and Pine Scent – 4 April 2022

We were woken around 6:30 by the Hospitaleros and the chanting of monks. Not that we needed much waking, from 5:00 am there was a near constant stream of people visiting the bathroom and the toilets had the loudest flush on planet earth. James and my bunk buddies were two friends from San Francisco, Rebecca and Mary Ann. They were lovely, friendly Americans who, like many of us, hope to walk to Santiago de Compostela.

Roncesvalles was extremely cold at 7:30am as we pilgrims headed to La Posada for breakfast. This morning we were again joined by Karen, a septuagenarian walking her 4th Camino. Karen hails from Holland and is a great personality. We were also joined by Evalina from Estonia. She is walking alone and, like quite a few pilgrims, we cross paths during the day.

The first few kilometres were on the road due to the depth of snow. We stopped at a bar in Espinal for a cafe con leche and a snack. From Espinal we were on the trail for the rest of the day.

As we walked along, James and I passed 3 people. We said g’day and quickly realised they were Australian. Not just Australian, but lived about 150m from James and his mum, in the same road, St James Road of course! Donna and her son Sam and his girlfriend Jazz were walking the Camino, Sam and Jazz only for about a week or so. It was a lovely connection and James and Donna walked and talked together for some way. Donna had lost her husband recently and James remembers being taught by him. Ah the Camino, always throwing up a little magic.

Though the landscape was sublime, it was also treacherous. The melted snow formed as ice and we slipped often. But there was no escaping that we were walking through the most beautiful place.

As the Camino snaked it’s way through the valleys, we passed from oak into pine forest. The beautiful scent of pine hung in the air. it was hard walking, but we were rewarded with stunning views.

The final descent into Zubiri was tough. Jagged rocks, mud, ice and the steepness all added to the difficulty. James struggled as this sort of descent is tough on the knees and mentally and physically we were tired but needed to stay concentrated. Thankfully the village of Zubiri appeared. We stopped at the Albergue Rio Agua and got a bunk for the night. We have a small room, only 10 people, which is a nice change after last night where there were dozens on our floor.

After a shower and some washing, we headed to a local bar for lunch and a beer. The pasta was lovely, a mix of seafood and pork. Sounds weird, tastes divine. We each have a cerveza (beer) and then are joined by Karen, Siobhan and Alice, the latter two a couple of pilgrims from Ireland who we keep running into. We have a great chat about life. Karen did her first Camino in 2005 when she turned 50, her second in 2014 and her third in 2017. She said that it was the first time that she felt free to be herself, not a wife or mother, sister or daughter. She was telling us that yesterday she wasn’t feeling the Camino, then she met a few pilgrims, us included, and knew this was right. She was back on Camino. She asks me about my dad after we spoke yesterday. She cares for James, always engaging him in conversation. She is a real gem.

We had dinner at the only restaurant that was open, a good pilgrim’s menu for €13 each. Now we’re ready for sleep, tomorrow we’re off to Pamplona.