David and Sean’s Camino

juin - juillet 2023

David and Sean will fly to Paris, France on June 2, 2023 to begin their Camino de Santiago adventure--a walking trek of approximately 500 miles. En savoir plus

98empreintes
4pays
52jours
218photos
13vidéos
17,9kmiles
15,1kmiles

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Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 4 juin 2023 à 20:43
- ☁️ 73 °F
- Altitude: 246 p
- France Nouvelle-Aquitaine Orthez 43.486362, -0.77331243°29’11” N 0°46’24” W
Jour 3
Orthez, France 2
4 juin 2023, France ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
Wonderful little town! Just a short walk from the train station to our hotel—and dialysis location smack dab in the middle.

I’ll post some pics. Had a delightful dinner at a creperie—after waiting for an hour because I completely forget that they don’t begin serving dinner until 7pm.

It turns out that Sean had decided last evening that he and French cuisine were NOT going to get along. This evening changed his mind!

He spotted.a menu item, “La Pirate” that appeared to have steak as its primary ingredient. I don’t know what it had, but it was excellent. I miscommunicated when ordering and we only got one. But Nancy will be delighted to know that I ate the entire salad they served, complete with beets!

Then we made up for my misorder by ordering TWO dessert crepes! Ooh la la!

All in all a great evening, even if dinner was a little later than expected. And I totally expect that Sean will be found at La Creperie (down a little alleyway) tomorrow at lunchtime while I am on dialysis.

And note that the table base was an old sewing machine! Quaint and delightful.En savoir plus
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Voyageur Excellent! Hope y’all go into the church. Could be someone famous buried there. Ya never know…
04/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur Great pics & thank you for sharing your adventure 🌻🙂
04/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur Love it! So glad Sean won’t starve!! Ordering in another country is a mystery!! 😆🤣
05/06/2023RépondreTraduire
3 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 5 juin 2023 à 21:39
- ☁️ 68 °F
- Altitude: 581 p
- France Nouvelle-Aquitaine Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port 43.161001, -1.23841543°9’40” N 1°14’18” W
Jour 4
Miracle #2
5 juin 2023, France ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
While on dialysis today in Orthez the very kind and concerned nurses and technicians called ahead and arranged for me to receive dialysis in Pamplona! {Something that the Fresenius International team had been unable to do for months.)

They even offered food, drink, and chocolate during dialysis, invited Sean in to sit with me, and offered him the same.

Communications were a bit difficult, a lot of hand gestures mixed with Google translate. But I could not have been treated better.

If my remaining desired dialysis sessions have not been confirmed as we move along we will try and “daisy chain” appointments.

Praise God!En savoir plus
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Voyageur You usually can count on nurses they can be the best at things out.
05/06/2023RépondreTraduire
3 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 6 juin 2023 à 07:35
- ☁️ 63 °F
- Altitude: 607 p
- France Nouvelle-Aquitaine Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port 43.163564, -1.2368843°9’49” N 1°14’13” W
Jour 5
What a first day!
6 juin 2023, France ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
This morning Sean and I set out from St.Jean Pied de port, after a small but welcome breakfast (first time I drank coffee French style—out of a bowl!) and a brief stop at the Pilgrim office to get Sean’s pilgrim passport. You need the Pilgrim passport to get less expensive accommodations along the Camino (called albergues).

Our goal for the day was Roncesvalles, Spain—a short 16.7 miles. After all the practice walking I had done it seemed like it would be a piece of cake.

Boy was I wrong! The climb just to Orisson (one-third of the walk) was 600 meters. By the time we got in sight of Orisson I was having to step every 10 steps or so to catch my breath. Sean suggested that taking a taxi from Orisson to Roncesvalles might save our Camino. I agreed and so we did.En savoir plus
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Voyageur I bet the elevation change gets to a lot of people! I applaud your wise move! Wow!! Pics are gorgeous!!
06/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur Thank you so much for the updates & pictures. So glad you have Sean with you & heeded input 🥳🌻
06/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur Amen!!
07/06/2023RépondreTraduire
4 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 6 juin 2023 à 16:18
- ☁️ 70 °F
- Altitude: 3 159 p
- Espagne Navarra Auritz/Burguete Orreaga Real Colegiata de Santa María de Roncesvalles 43.01025, -1.319543°0’37” N 1°19’10” W
Jour 5
Roncesvalles Albergue
6 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Last night we stayed in the albergue at Roncesvalles. Not the one pictured in “The Way.” This is it’s modern replacement.

Still, built to house hundreds! They handed each of us a small cloth “packet” about the size of 3 iPhones. Turned out to be a disposable pillow case and fitted sheet!

Slept very well considering.

The picture shows our “bunk pod”—four bunks in one “room”. Sean is in the upper bunk, mine is the one just below his. Thank God I didn’t get the upper bunk! After the climb from St. Jean to Orisson I don’t think I could have climbed those additional four steps!En savoir plus
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Voyageur That looks clean. (Have been in some less wonderful places. 😆) 👍🏽
07/06/2023RépondreTraduire
3 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 6 juin 2023 à 16:33
- ☁️ 68 °F
- Altitude: 3 159 p
- Espagne Navarra Auritz/Burguete Orreaga Real Colegiata de Santa María de Roncesvalles 43.01025, -1.31948643°0’37” N 1°19’10” W
Jour 5
First Day, part 2
6 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
(I appear to still have a character limit.)

I was very disappointed. All that preparation and I wasn’t prepared. First day of walking the Camino and I already had to take a taxi.

Sean was—and is—a great comfort. He reminded me that the first day is generally considered the most difficult on the entire Camino. And he showed me various elevation charts that proved his point. He also pointed out that very few, if any, people with end stage kidney disease would be able to do what we were doing.

I think, hope, and pray that the next days are more like the preparation walking I did and less like yesterday!

The photo is of Sean at Orisson where we had the best ham and cheese sandwiches in a very long time—and the bread was one of the best parts! You can see part of an excellent thunderstorm in the background. A few of its drops fell on us as we approached Orisson and many more while we sat under the red umbrellas you see here.En savoir plus
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Voyageur I hear your disappointment. I’m celebrating that y’all are there at all! This time last year you could only walk from the bedroom to the living room where you had to collapse for the rest of the day. Now you are walking up a mountain pass with a backpack!!! All your hard work brought you to a wondrous place. If a little modern boost helps out…great!!
06/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur Thank you for your love and support. I am truly blessed.
06/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur Just catching up here. I think it is such an act of courage for you to do this at all! You are there! Wow! Yeah! Hope you meet some wonderful people. And also make some amazing memories with Sean 🥰🙏🏽🎉.
07/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur Thank you
07/06/2023RépondreTraduire
2 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 7 juin 2023 à 06:10
- ☁️ 55 °F
- Altitude: 3 150 p
- Espagne Navarra Auritz/Burguete Orreaga Real Colegiata de Santa María de Roncesvalles 43.010246, -1.31929343°0’37” N 1°19’9” W
Jour 6
Je suis, Yo soy, I am…
7 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
I’m having a difficult time keeping my limited languages straight. I learned a bit of French when Nancy and I traveled to Paris and Colmar nearly 23 years ago. And I studied 3 years of Spanish in high school nearly 97 years ago. Lol.

Of course, it doesn’t help that we have “switched” the dominant language so often in the past several days. And then add in to that a number of other languages that I have had no training in whatsoever, but picked up bits and pieces here and there.

I wished my across-the-way German bunk mate “guten tag” this morning and then realized it should be “guten morgen.” And I had a delightful conversation last night with Carlo from northern Italy—but didn’t trust my Italian at all. Fortunately his English was very good.En savoir plus
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Voyageur Buen Camino 🌻
07/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur At least that phrase is consistent from France all the way through Spain.
07/06/2023RépondreTraduire
3 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 7 juin 2023 à 16:48
- ☁️ 75 °F
- Altitude: 1 732 p
- Espagne Navarra Esteribar Zubiri 42.930253, -1.50339742°55’49” N 1°30’12” W
2
Jour 6
Zubiri…
7 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
Yesterday was far more difficult than expected. Think Fitbit exaggerates my mileage.

Today, Pamplona. Same distance as yesterday. Hopefully easier.

Beautiful medieval bridge here.

Keeping this short. Please pray for wisdom, strength, and endurance. Thank you..En savoir plus
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Voyageur Did you get to walk over this bridge? Any graffiti..Charlemagne was here?
08/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur Lol I read "any giraffe 🦒" lol 😆
08/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur We did walk across this bridge, in fact our albergue was right on the river.
08/06/2023RépondreTraduire
3 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 8 juin 2023 à 11:35
- ☁️ 68 °F
- Altitude: 1 614 p
- Espagne Navarra Esteribar Zuriáin 42.878425, -1.56586342°52’42” N 1°33’57” W
Jour 7
A very welcome lunch
8 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F
More than halfway to Pamplona!
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Voyageur Hmmmm. Wisdom, strength and endurance. Sounds exactly what pilgrims through the ages have sought along the Camino. Buen Camino.
08/06/2023RépondreTraduire
4 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 8 juin 2023 à 16:47
- ☁️ 77 °F
- Altitude: 1 332 p
- Espagne Navarra Pamplona Puente de la Magdalena 42.821117, -1.63765542°49’16” N 1°38’16” W
Jour 7
Pamplona
8 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
It may take another miracle to get dialysis tomorrow. I had forgotten to ask Orthez where and when and follow-up has yielded no answers.

The picture is of the bridge we crossed into Pamplona. Very beautiful. Tomorrow we hope to visit the grand cathedral. Hopefully, God willing, we have a dialysis appointment and not too much free tine!En savoir plus
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3 j’aime
Voyageur David and Sean’s Camino
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- 9 juin 2023 à 11:50
- ⛅ 70 °F
- Altitude: 1 437 p
- Espagne Navarra Zizur Mayor/Zizur Nagusia Cizur Mayor 42.778923, -1.68734742°46’44” N 1°41’14” W
1
Jour 8
Beyond Pamplona…
9 juin 2023, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
Dialysis in Pamplona did not work out. A miscommunication on somebody’s part. Sean and I spent most of the morning chasing down possibilities. Long, difficult climb on tomorrow’s schedule so we decided to tackle a portion today.

Each day is difficult. Sometimes each step. Far too many hills that are more like climbing stairs. Several times Sean had me turn around to appreciate how far we had already come. Very wise and encouraging.

Not at all like my practice walks. Lots of loose, uneven gravel or rocks. Several times I have lost my balance but have not fallen. Thank you God.

Sean caught this picture of me, looking down, watching my step. And another, back in Pamplona, standing with the bulls! (Running is out of the question!)En savoir plus
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Voyageur Glad you are safe & great pictures 🌻🙂
09/06/2023RépondreTraduire
Voyageur That terrain and footing looks challenging. Thank you for sharing. Much love to you both. Xoxo
10/06/2023RépondreTraduire
2 j’aime

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