B woke up and no one else was. She waited until 6:30 before Kat felt a gentle prodding in her shoulder. It was cold, foggy, and rainy. We brushed our teeth and packed up, and headed to a breakfast of orange juice, bowls of coffee, bread, butter, and apricot preserves. Kat, of course, required something stronger and tastier: her morning espresso, which she got on the house on the account of being Irish.
Then off we went up up up through the mist. Words cannot describe the scenery or the feeling. It was cold and misty, and the Pyrenees passed us like a moving picture in the fog. Every now and then, we could hear cow bells. The fog only made the experience almost mystical.
Sheep and horses grazed along the side of the road. Walking is a solitary experience. It is amazing how your mind quiets and all you think about is…well, nothing. You just hear the sound of your feet, your walking poles, and intermittent cowbells.
Before we crossed into Navarra, Spain, a man with a van selling coffee and snacks stamped our passports – our last in France. B bought a hard-boiled egg, a welcome shot of protein. We met more pilgrims along the way, and continued to ascend up up up.
We crossed into Spain, somehow all three of us missed the Virgin Mary on the side of the road. Just as we thought we could no longer climb up, we had crossed the Pyrenees.
It was a steep climb down, and as difficult the climb up, down was almost harder. Without knowing it, we had taken the Roman Way, a tough one. The path was stunning, beautiful trees, black slugs, and butterflies. Soon, the sun started to break through…
And we arrived in Roncesvalles.
This was a special night as we decided to forgo the albergue due to special circumstances and stay at the Hotel La Posada. A gorgeous room with a loft and two skylights…the cleanest bathroom ever and the hottest shower. After a day of cold-hot climbing, the water never felt so good. No wifi though.
We ventured into town…there are about a dozen buildings altogether, no joke. We went to eat at the bustling Casa Sabina and had thhue pilgrim’s menu: an okay bowl of chickpeas in broth, great salted pork and fries, and some great ice cream. Z and B are Americans, and it was such a treat to hear multiple languages being spoken within earshot.