Julie Van De Wyngaerde

Day 3: Roncevalles - Larrasoaña
~27.1 km (16.8 miles)

The overhead lights turned on this morning at 6:00 am while classical music cod be heard coming from overhead speakers, signaling that it was time to wake up. I laughed to myself knowing that the Spanish girl across from me, who had come in tipsy last night, was planning to sleep in until 6:45. I had opted out of breakfast because I had read that it wasn’t great, and I had plans to stop in the next town down the road.

After packing up, I headed out alone into the cool air. It was another beautiful day and I felt fortunate to be blessed with great weather. I snapped some photos of the charming homes and more horses, as I began, and was happy to snag someone to take my picture at the sign, showing how many kilometers we would walk to reach Santiago.

I considered today the real beginning of my Camino, and I wanted to embrace every moment. Burguete was less than three kilometers past Roncevalles and I had read that it was a good place to stop for breakfast.

Pilgrims were gathered outside of the bar as I approached and I was eager to get a taste of my first real Camino breakfast. Spanish tortilla, café con leche, and OJ were as satisfying as I imagined they would be and were the fuel I needed for my long walk. Off I went again rambling down the path, chatting with pilgrims as I walked and wishing others a Buen Camino.

As I approached an area where the river flowed over the Camino path, I watched as the pilgrims before me climbed atop the cement pillars that were in place, and balanced their way across, keeping their shoes dry. It was perfect timing to have just met Tammy and Jeff from Sydney, Australia and Jeff offered to snap my pic as I crossed.

Moving on at my normal, quick pace, I heard the southern drawl of two men walking together and I knew that they had to be from the US. Asking them where they were from, I learned they were Doug and Jeff from Atlanta, Georgia. I chatted with them for awhile as we walked, until it was time to meet someone new.

Later, up ahead, I was happy to see a food truck parked along the path, and I decided it was a good excuse to take a break. After ordering a lemonade and a small packaged cake, I sat down to visit more with Doug and Jeff. I learned that Jeff is an author and had worked at REI for 7 years after he retired as a pharmacist. I also ran into Rachel from Switzerland and we laughed that we were again meeting up where food was involved.

Moving on I walked alone again, knowing that there was a well-known descent up ahead that many pilgrims find difficult. “The descent into Zubiri.” When I finally reached it, I proceeded with caution over the rocky, jagged protrusions that shot up from the ground like shards of thick glass. I didn’t dare take my eyes off the ground, choosing the placement of each foot with care. My poles kept me balanced as I made my way towards the town of Zubiri and I could feel a bit of soreness in my knees. I didn’t feel that it was as difficult, however, as the horror stories I had heard from experienced pilgrims.

While Zubiri is a popular stop for the night, I had chosen to push past to the town of Larrosoaña. I did take the time, however, to walk into Zubiri and take in its charm. As I walked over the bridge I eyed all of the pilgrims who were basking in the sun on the riverbank below, and soaking their tired feet in the cold water. Doug and Jeff had arrived and they were fumbling with their phones to try to figure out which direction to walk to their accommodation. They had booked their entire walk through a company called Camino Ways, so they were booked into fancy hotels that they hadn’t even chosen.

It was on the bridge that I met Lynn and Jeanette from Utah for the first time. Lynn is a professor at Brigham Young University and he and Jeanette were walking the Camino with a group of Lynn’s students who were enrolled in a Spanish studies course of his. I enjoyed my brief chat with both Lynn and Jeanette, and discovered what a wealth of information Lynn is when it comes to Spanish history.

While all of the pilgrims who had chosen to stay in Zubiri were done walking for the day, I still had another 5.4 km (3+ miles) to go, through two small towns, to reach my final destination. I found my way back to the Camino, then carried on solo. I only passed one pilgrim during my walk of over an hour, and she looked a bit forlorn. I found out that she was headed to the same Albergue as I was. She didn’t seem like she wanted company so I walked on ahead of her.

When I arrived at Albergue San Nicolas in Larrosoaña, I was happy to see Kristin from Los Angeles. Kristin is a 30 year old, also traveling alone on the Camino. Once I got checked in, I was also happy to see Rob and Mario from Australia, who I’d also met at Orisson. The two of them, Kristin, and I were all in the same dorm room again. I wasn’t thrilled with having another top bunk, but there was nothing that I could do about that. After showering, I ventured across the street to the only store in town hoping to find some face cream. Here I met Easton from the Bodega Bay Area of CA, a fellow pilgrim who I had heard about.

I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out on the patio visiting with other pilgrims and learning where they were from and why they had chosen to walk the Camino. We shared where we had started our journeys and how far we planned to walk.

When it was time for dinner, we seated ourselves around tables of six to eight. I sat with Lilia who was born in Russia, but is German, Andrea from Germany, Brad from England, his friend Paul from England, and Kurt from AZ. Brad and I had opted out of the pork main course and chose a mushroom omelette instead. The meal included a puréed vegetable soup, hummus and bread, red wine, and cake for dessert. I learned tonight that one glass is all you get issued at a meal, so it’s best to fill it with water first, and drink that down, so you can then keep it filled with red wine for the rest of the meal. 😁🍷Read more