OMG

Orisson, France
A big part of the Camino is the people you meet. Josef, who runs our hostel, is assisted by his son Matthew. At dinner last night he gathered us all around the table and used an imaginary ball to toss among us for introductions followed by brief (4 words) descriptions of our Camino. We have a group from Sweden, as well as Brazil, Germany, Spain, Canada and the USA. Gabriela is from the USA and recently graduated high school. She’s taking a gap year to decide what comes next. Brenda is Canadian and recently lost her husband of almost 50 years. Hers is a journey of grief, though not alone. She’ll be walking with her new friends and fellow pilgrims. Chavie, from Spain is finishing his Camino. He does 30 days every year. The rest of us are starting our first Camino. After a sumptuous 3 course dinner, we all turn in for the night. We were awoken by the angels, or Joseph’s rendition complete with soft music. He sent us off after breakfast with sandwiches like the ones his father used to make for him years ago. Orisson is our destination, a mere 5 miles… all of it UPHILL with a 45+ degree incline. Thank heavens we are only going to Orisson and not all the way to Roncesvalles. We took the Napoleon route, high up into the mountains. Quite a departure from the flat sea level of Florida. Walking is mandatory, breathing optional 😂. It was kind of like being in labor, with your coach whispering “just one more contraction” or in this case “hill” in your ear for hours. We took our time and finally made it. The view is spectacular and hard to believe we climbed up here with our backpacks. I thought Orisson was a village, but it’s only a hostel and restaurant with a magnificent deck overlooking the valley. Tomorrow is more of the same. Nothing like a challenge!Read more