France
Saint-Michel

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    • Day 3

      Etappe 1 - Roncevaux, Teil 2

      September 14, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Nach ca. vier Stunden haben wir die spanische Grenze überschritten. Hier ging es teilweise weiter bergauf, teils durch karge Landschaft, teils durch Eichenwälder. Insgesamt haben wir rund 1200 Höhenmeter bergauf und rund 500 Höhenmeter bergab gemeistert. Dabei bin ich an meine Grenzen gestoßen, Günter ging es gefühlt noch gut, aber.........
      Angekommen in Roncevaux haben wir rund eine Stunde angestanden ein Bett zu " ergattern". Leben heute Nacht mit 12 Weggefährten in einem Raum. Duschen mit anstellen, Abendessen 20.30 Uhr, aber bitte pünktlich!!!
      Morgen ist Frühstück bereits ausgebucht gewesen. Suchen uns unterwegs etwas.
      Ultreia
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    • Day 5

      A Happy Ending!

      September 22, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

      Today was a hard day for me. My pack is 19 lbs and this is the first time I carried it up to the top of the Pyrenees Ridge and then down a very steep descent. Between the rapid descent and "old knees" I was in pain by the end of the day. Thank goodness there were sheep, horses and beautiful views that kept me going. We arrived at Roncevalles at 12:30, took a break, then walked another 3 Km to Burgette. Our BNB in Burgette looked like "heaven." Clean, hot shower, and a clothesline, Never before, did these things mean so much. A hot shower, a place to wash our clothes & charge cell phones changed my attitude. We found a pub a block away, met Camino friends we had barely knew before, enjoyed dinner with them and today turned into a wonderful day. So tomorrow...we're having our packs shipped. It's supposed to rain for the next 4 days. Taking it one day, maybe hour, at a time !Read more

    • Day 5

      For Whom The Bell Tolls

      September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      This morning I woke to the sound of the bells tolling. It's a beautiful deep bell that reverberates through the valley. My bedroom window looks out towards the citadel which glowed in the dark through the night and feels very ancient.

      Today the bell tolls for my brother Cameron, who left us now six years ago. Cam would have loved a Camino and been the life of the trail. He was born a wise pilgrim. Miss you Cam and will carry you in my heart to Santiago.

      For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel by Hemingway, written about Spain. Hemingway loved Pamplona, which is where I'm headed, on the other side of the Pyrenees.

      I wandered around town in the morning drizzle preparing for Day 1 of my Camino. The steep climb up the Pyrenees and down the other side seems to be the most talked about stage of the whole Camino and I've been completely unsure about my ability to do it. Most people break this day into two but with limited accommodation in the mountains I chose to try the walk up the hill then bus back to St Jean for another night.

      After finding out that you can't buy supplies until the shops open at ten, and dumping my pack for the day, I headed off with a rain coat, a jammon baguette and only the occasional drop of rain. I met Texas Jack early on at the first steep hill and we chatted for a while. He's got sixty days to do the trail just like me and also like me, he doesn't know his limits. He had his pack and I was probably at least ten years younger than him so I passed him by (that's right Darryn Crook, I've already passed someone and on a hill) but I think we'll meet again.

      A bit further along a pelegrin (Pilgrim in French) caught up to me and we walked a couple of kilometres together. His Camino name was Manolo, but he is South Korean. This is his sixth Camino Frances, his second this year. He is already my wise Camino sage and he taught me quite a lot in our two kilometres. After walking with him he said that I was walking the right pace and doing fine up the hills and could make it to Santiago no problems. New best friend.

      I climbed the next big hill to Huntto a little slower than Manolo but met him at the rest stop along with a gaggle of other pilgrims that I may meet again. I cancelled my bus down the hill, walked a little higher, then turned around and walked back to town. I was about 2km and an hour or so from the place everyone stays night 1. That two km is the steepest on the Camino. I know now I could have made it there. The five kilometres I did do was much easier than in my head.

      It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect with warm refreshing rain just a little, but not enough to put my raincoat back on. I saw the mountains in the rain and mist and sunshine, heard the cow bells tinkle, saw views for miles my pictures can't capture, met friendly people from all over planet earth, and generally feel content and at peace.

      This is absolutely the place I need to be right now.

      "That is what we are supposed to do when we are at our best — make it all up — but make it up so truly that later it will happen that way" Hemingway
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    • Day 5

      And Over the Pyrenees!

      September 22, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

      Today we continued up and over the Pyrenees and into Spain. Allegedly only 11 km but my fitbit says 11 miles. Could have been the path we took down the final descent…I think it was a longcut rather than a shortcut but so pretty! We were walking with our new friend Linda and there was a fork in the trail. We chose left. About 1/4 down a big rocky hillside we started to figure out that the trail we were on was the one that the nice man in the pilgrims office said NOT to take because it’s steep and dangerous. Oops! It was steep but not nearly as gnarly as about half the trails in our national parks. Plus it went through a beautiful forest!

      Here the people put bells on the collars of all their grazing animals. The sheep have little bells that sound delicate and beautiful and the cows and horses have big bells, about the size of those cans we used to buy tomato juice in back in the day!

      We’re in a tiny village called Roncesvalles with a population of 21! It’s the site of an old monastery that was built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries as a layover for monks making the pilgrimage to Santiago. Apparently too many monks were dying as they tried to go the 40 something km from St-Jean, over the Pyrenees, and to Zubiri, so the church established the town and monastery here. As the monks departed after a night’s rest and a meal, they were given a care package that included essentials such as a bottle of beer, a bottle of wine…and some other stuff.

      David’s doing better with getting into a routine. What a relief! He still has trouble with knowing where we are and remembering where our things are but at least now he seems a bit more settled. (On our first day of this trip he lost his green beanie and his ATM card, but then he let me carry out passports and money). A big relief for me! I’m so glad we can make this trip together!
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    • Day 3

      Stone for Veronica

      May 6, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      A few weeks back I walked from Dad's to Musselburgh where my Mum was from. I picked up a wee heart shaped stone down at the River Esk and brought it with me. I left it at the statue up the Pyrenees today.Read more

    • Day 6

      Day 2: La Vierge to Roncesvalles, part 1

      May 19, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

      Miles: 8.5
      Elevation gain: 1,660 feet
      Elevation loss: 2,110 feet
      Weather: cold and windy at the top

      Today started, as the French woman next to me on the shuttle said, with us “walking into the clouds.” I was glad/grateful many times today, most often that it wasn’t raining or snowing. That said, this Oklahoman was pretty cold, especially at the top; with the wind, the relief was exquisite when the trail went low enough or in the lee of one of the mountains.

      Speaking of the shuttle, the driver started the car, and the first thing on the stereo was the opening was the first movement of Beethoven 9. That’s a little heavy, right?

      Anyway, up into the fog. The trail switched from the asphalt road to dirt trails fairly early on, and periods of flatness/slight descent were most welcome. I crossed the border into Spain without fanfare, and then climbed some more. I was very happy to reach the top, Col Lepoeder!

      1. Into the clouds!
      2. Lots of sheep. Apparently raised for the milk and cheese. Carry on!
      3. The beginning of the dirt trail was particularly steep.
      4. Welcome brief descent into the forest.
      5. The France-Spain border. That was it. No wall!
      6. The best lunch so far. I picked up a sandwich in Saint Jean. Crusty bread, cheese, and some sort of cherry jam. Perfect!
      7. Looking back over the Pyrenees
      8. Huge black slugs on the side of the road. They reminded me of alligators sunning themselves on the side of a trail in the Everglades.
      8. The top!
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    • Day 11

      St Jean Pied de Paul to Roncesvalles

      September 14, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

      So today was our first day actually walking the Camino.
      26 km with a climb of 1400 meters. It was tough hot and amazing! Easy to say that when we now have had a couple of hours to rest in our quaint hotel with a rose and beer under our belts! We were up at 6am and breakfast at 630 consisting of a baguette jam and a coffee. Hard case proprietor who thought we all crazy and wished us luck as he crossed himself!
      It was dark and cool when we we set off and was a steady and steep climb. But in the words of our Jack you just have to walk at your own medium pace! You just climb into the mist with the noise of cow bells and sheep bells and the odd horse! It reminded me of the land around Wanaka where they filmed Lord of the Rings. The border between France and Spain that we walked through is signified by a cattlestop and an overflowing rubbish bin!
      Onward we slogged meeting all sorts of interesting walkers, a whole contingent of Irish from Galway, a lovely Sth Korean man who wanted a photo of Brian and self! An American couple who now live in Equador in a fishing village and a hard case Welshman who was worried he wouldn't get a beer at the monastery he was staying in! Lots of baby boomers walking and although we got in at 3 pm some were still walking in at 6pm! Beautiful day here and off soon for a pilgrim dinner. So so pleased we have the first day under our belt and in the words of Ed we knocked the bastard off! Buen Camino
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    • Day 5

      Push to Roncessvalles

      April 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

      Arguably one of the hardest things I’ve done. We climbed 3 peaks today up to 4700 ft then traversed a decline of about 1600 ft, some parts rocky and slippery and very steep. Todays walk took 5 hours. So proud we made it over the Pyrenees with no injuries!Read more

    • Day 5

      The Pyrennes Mountains

      August 21, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

      Started up From St. Jean on Monday morning in route to Roncevalles Sp. Crossing the Pyrenees was one of the most deliriously scenic ventures I ever had. The mountains were beautiful, but the climb was treacherous. I wanted to stop and go back down the hill several times, but I chose to rub my patch and move on up that hill. Reached Roncevalles with little or no energy left. Well I was able to have dinner with fellow pilgrims before falling into my bunk at the Municipal Albergue. About 5 hundred beds separated by cubicles of 4. 30+ km up hill. Will begin my trek to Zubiri in. the morning.Read more

    • Day 5

      Orisson

      August 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

      Made it to Orisson, what a challenging day. 8km walked and half way up the Pyrenees mountains. Tomorrow we will tackle the rest. Tonight we had an amazing pilgrims dinner. Also meet a nice fellow in St. Jean who gave us directions 😀

      Also every need water while out walking? The camino provides, hahahaha vending machine on the side of the road.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Saint-Michel, Sant Miguel lo Viello, Eiheralarre, Сен-Мишель, Sent Miquèu, Сен-Мішель, سینٹ-مچل، پیرینیث-اٹلانتیقوس, 圣米舍

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