Today’s Data:
The Song in My Head: Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
Today’s Random Craving: Trix Yogurt
Total Steps: 43,907 steps
Total Walking Distance: 16.2 miles / 26.0 kilometers
⏰ Wake Up: 6:59am
💤 Sleep: 10:00pm
Goodmorning squad!
Welcome to the new series.
I woke up at 6:59am in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France. In a hostel dorm with 20 people. And I really should’ve listened to my mom when she told me to bring earplugs because boy do these people snore.
Today we begin the Camino de Santiago with a 24.2km trek to Roncesvalles in Spain. Supposedly the hardest day of the whole Camino de Santiago. I left town to begin at 8am. The weather was extremely overcast but vibes were high.
Until it began to rain.
Vibes were still high though, and I took out my backpack rain cover and just then realized that almost all of my gear is green.
I continued on and made it to Orisson in 1.5hours. It is a small Albergue you can sleep at if you’re too tired to make it to Roncesvalles. I refilled my water and ate a couple bites of the baguette, brie, and ham I bought at the store yesterday for breakfast.
I stretched my legs, and got back on the trail. I then met Julia from Germany, she is doing one week of the Camino.
We walked and talked for a good while, until we realized we were not seeing any signage that we were on the path. No paint, no arrows, no Camino shells. We then realized we made a wrong turn 15 minutes back. Lit. Turned back around, and found the right path.
Once we got back on track, the rain began to stop and the clouds started to clear up. We then get to the peak of the Pyrenees, and start our descent.
Julia’s knee started hurting so we had to slow down pace. I was chilin. No pain at all, no blisters so far. Also been trying to figure out why people are always giving me weird looks when I smile.
We made it into Roncesvalles at 3:17pm. This place is arguably the craziest hostel ever. An 2 floor, massive old building that has been completely renovated inside to house hundreds of Peregrinos.
I showered and did laundry, and ate some more baguette with ham and brie. Then I walked around the town, and met my bunk mate Alfonso from Valencia, Spain. We got a beer and hung out and chatted until it was dinner time.
I went into the restaurant I was scheduled to eat at, and apparently the big communal table was full already. So they sat me at a small table with two French people.
And these were the most disrespectful and judge-mental people I have met in a long time.
Nevertheless, ate pasta, pork and potatoes, and a piece of cake for dessert. Took another walk around town, and went back to the albergue, and packed my bag up and got ready for bed. Going to get up tomorrow and walk to Zubiri.
First day was a lot easier than I expected. Community is growing on the first day already. No blisters, no pain. Ready to conquer tomorrow.
See y’all then,
David