Fancy breakfast this morning. With my grocery shopping of yesterday and a kitchen,I planned an omelette and yogurt for this morning. I got up in time to get it prepared and still get out the door by 7:30am.
Omelet was delicious. So was the fruity yogurt I laced with Muesli. Sally had her pack prepared for transport and i was ready. Becky wanted more time to prepare and was comfortable with us leaving. We dropped Sally’s pack off at the pickup point in the hotel lobby and we’re out the door a little before eight. We had 13.5 miles to cover. The sky was overcast when we started but soon cleared to beautiful blue. We spent a lot of time on dirt backroads walking between fields of cows, sheep and short, stout horses. The route undulates up and down over low ridges and through fields. We also were surrounded by our new friends, passing each other as we randomly stopped to eat or visit a coffee shop. Usually during the day I end up walking next to someone I don’t know and we end up in a deeply personal discussion of philosophy, ethics or family history. Today it was Jay and Beth, a retired Lutheran minister and his wife. We covered about 3 miles while learning about each other and sorting out ideas. It is really quite remarkable how open people are. Everyone feels safe; physically and emotionally. Many that i have talked to are trying to work something out. What will I do in retirement? Now that I have been forced to quit my job of 30 years, what will I redefine myself as? I want to do something to make the world a better place but what will it look like? What will I do when I complete high school and college? It is fun to share and explore ideas with this group of amazing people.
When in the Orisson Alberge, our first night out, we shared our room with 3 other women, Sandra a 55ish yr old clerk from the Netherlands, Judith a 40s something doctor, also from the Netherlands and Melissa, a 58 year old United Airlines pilot. All three impressive people. We have been leapfrogging them daily, getting to know them better as the days progress. It is one of the intangible benefits of walking the Camino-the world wide connections you get to establish and nurture. We need to have Putin, Biden, Zelensky and Xi walk the entire Camino together. Many world problems would instantly disappear.
We walked into Zubiri late, about 4:00pm, by crossing over an arched stone bridge. My confirming email said we were in an Albergue just across the bridge on the right. We found it, our reservation checked out but two things were amiss. First, Becky blew past us hours ago and should have been here-and wasn’t . Second, Sally’s shipped bag wasn't here.
We worked with the receptionist, a young woman getting registered and all when Becky, who were quite worried about walked by on the street. We flagged her in. She wanted to know what we were doing here, she had checked into a different albergue. How could that be? She said they had a reservation from us since January. Had we made this reservation so long ago we forgot we had made it? We cancelled the work the clerk was completing in this albergue and headed down the street to the albergue where Becky had already signed in. We got ourselves registered but the problem of Sally’s pack remained. It wasn’t at this albergue either.
It is Sunday. In Spain nearly everything is closed on Sunday. It was now nearing 5:00pm. Sally called the hotel back in Roncesvallis. They picked up and gave her the baggage shuttle service’s number. No one answered. Now it was after five. No one answered. Not the hotel. Not the shuttle service. Sally started explaining that there wasn’t really anything in the pack that we needed. What?? We have been carting around a pack of useless items? She backed off on that idea. You have to appreciate her positive outlook on a very negative event.
We gave up for the night and went to the only bar/restaurant in town to get something to eat. Outside Warren and Mary Ann, a sprightly 75 yr old couple we have been enjoying told us to try the municipal albergue in town. I hoofed it down the street to the lobby. At first the attendant thought I wanted a room and kept telling me nothing was available. Finally, he understood I was looking for a pack. He said “Sally?” I said yes! He pulled Sally’s pack from behind the counter. Woo hoo!!
Now. Why wasn’t it delivered to our hostel? I checked the tag Sally had attached. All it said was Zubiri. No mention of an albergue. The driver dropped at the municipal albergue rather than drive around with it in his van.
I trotted back to the bar/restaurant. We all had a good laugh about Sally’s mislabeling of her pack, now that it was found.
Sally and Becky had a beer to celebrate. I headed back to our albergue and cooked dinner-curly noodles, melted cheese and broccoli.organizing for an early start in the morning and it was time to sleep.
We are in a room with four bunks. Pat from Australia was our roommate. He had been pounding beers all afternoon, but claimed to be able to hold his alcohol. This proved true as he was pleasant all evening.
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