In the morning I pulled myself up and made my way to the pilgrim office in St. Jean Pied de Port. The volunteer, thinking I would not make it in time to Roncesvalles, tried to push me out the door saying in his barely comprehensible French accent “you must hurry up!” “it is obligatory it go now!” “go now young man!” Then he stamped my pilgrim passport which is necessary to stay in the hostels. OK. Thanks.
Off I go.
Most of the first day is uphill crossing the Pyrenees. It goes through Basque Country. Basque people do not consider themselves French or Spanish and believe they should have their own homeland. They speak a language called Euskera which is the only language in the world that cannot be traced to any other language. It is a linguistic and anthropological mystery. It does not sound like any other language I’ve heard before. The language was banned in Spain until the end of the Franco dictatorship in the late 1970s. You can notice a Basque house by the fact that it will be white with red shutters.
The trail follows a winding country road through the mountains. Like most of the country roads I encountered in France, in the USA we would call it a “path” rather than a road. Cars coming in opposite directions need to swerve to the side to avoid hitting each other. Every hour or so you hear animal bells and a huge flock of goats, sheep, or horses come charging down the road, making it necessary to find a place to jump off to the side. Immediately.
On that topic I set a personal lifetime record today. It has only a little to do with walking. I saw more variants of animal feces than I have in one day walk than on any other trail. Ever. Perhaps this may seem of little interest to you but one has to pass the time in an innovative fashion while hiking. I saw at least 8 different kinds! Some of them I could identify as horse, cow, goat, geese, and sheep, and others I am not so sure.
Anyway.
Arriving at Roncesvalles, it was so nice to finally be in Spain!
I made friends quickly with 4 Spanish pilgrims and the next morning we set off together, stopping at every bar on the route. It was nice to be in this great country, meeting great people, and doing a great activity. Great? Great.
Although there is lots more to tell, my eyes are drooping and I need to sleep.
More to come soon!
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