Under the Milky Way 2: From Orisson to Roncesvillas

05/30/2023，Day Two

Today’s destination:  Roncesvillas, a continuous ascent of more than 600 meters，distance: about 17.5km.
(One image below is a picture taken from a flier from the Pilgrim’s Office in SJPDP. The other from Google Images.)

Missed this morning’s sunrise as well as the breakfast. Oh well! It shouldn’t be the end of the world. In spite of all these, life must go on.

I intended to ask my new roommate, Mary, for tips on blister-prevention, since she had just completed her over 800 km of walk, with no blisters! Yet by the time when I woke up, she had already left, way on her way back to her French home.  

Another roommate, Nana from Croatia, saw the blisters on my toe, quickly took her Compeed from her first-aid bag, and gently put it on my toe to cover the blisters. Such skillful moves, had she done this dozens of times? As she got up and left, she pushed a few compeed pads in my hand, in case I needed them later. I heard of Camino angels from multiple sources, Nana must be one of them, a God-sent angel to watch over people like me! I thought everyone left but me. She showed up from nowhere – only to find me working on the blisters, and taking my good old time!

The Cafe staff saw me show up in the cafe in a rush, not quite awake and late, they gave me a cup of black coffee, around 4oz. The strong coffee woke me like magic potion. I felt immense gratitude towards their kind and generous gesture, and yet a little sense of loss about my own circumstances – now what I’m going to do with an empty stomach and no food in sight? I managed to buy a ham sandwich. Got to hit the road soon. 

I was one of the very few stragglers starting the day really late. I’d like to record a small video about the metal box to dispense the shower coins, but had to leave so that the crew could clean up the facility for the next group of pilgrims…

Thus a beautiful day began, a day soaked in morning dew and bathed in bright sunshine. The idyllic beauty and the wilderness along the border between southern France and northern Spain filled me up with awe. For a moment, I stood there steadfast, wishing not to move. 

The little house in the wild must have been built for the pilgrims, a shelter from the elements. 

The elevation here is 1135 meters..

The metal grid here marks the national border of France and Spain in this area. There was no border control here. One can easily stand in two countries, one foot in France, and the other in Spain. How many places in the world can one cross national borders like this one?

This little stone monument is the first marking after entering Spain. On it showed a sign of Camino route. The Spain-portion of the Camino Frances began here, where this insignificant-looking monument stands.

People walk in different paces, at times one would pass a crowd, sometime later, maybe trailing behind the same crowd. No worries. With such a breathtaking view, I must slow down, stop here and there to enjoy the moment, to keep enjoying many moments. Shouldn’t I? It’s not a race, after all, and it shouldn’t matter who is ahead of me, and who is behind me. It is MY Camino. It is each individual’s Camino!

I read about the food-truck before I left home, but totally forgot about it until it showed up in my sight! Surprise! For hungry/thirsty travelers, a food truck along the Way is a life-saver. It provides simple snacks, drinks and fruits. I saw boiled eggs, bananas, a variety of cereal bars and drinks. They were slightly expensive, but very helpful when one truly needs to replenish any of those.

A boiled egg: 1.5euros； a banana: 1 euro. I only remembered the prices for what I purchased. Forgot to check the rest. 

There will be confusing times when one doesn’t know which way to go, in spite of the road signs, with or without a walking partner. I came to a cross road, then had trouble figuring out which way to go next. I checked my ebook, then the App, still had trouble knowing for sure which path to take. Internet was not available here at the moment. I got to wait until an experienced walker passed by, then perhaps I could consult?  

This 24-year-old French fella had already walked for more than a month. Starting from his hometown in France, he covered more than 700 km. By the time he reaches the final destination of Santiago de Compostela in a few weeks, he will have completed 1500 km! That was an unimaginable number!

It rained the previous two nights. Even though I saw puddles here and there, or some wet ground at times, most of the surface was quite walkable and mud-free.  This section was covered with a thick layer of leaves, as if heavily padded. It was super comfortable to walk on. 

On top of a small hill stands a statue of St. Mary. There were numerous items placed in front of the statue, some with names marked, praying/wishing for peace, love and blessings for their loved ones. 

The Camino Frances stretches far, westward only. On a day like this, clear and sunny, there was beautiful scenery as far as the eyes could see. 

I walked a little over 17 km today. I was glad that the backpack was not super heavy.  As the Camino Frances guidebook and some VLoggers had cautioned, there were many ascents and descents, much sunlight and heat (this time of the year), and a great deal of sweat! I followed a group of walkers, no one knew for sure if we were heading for the right direction. What a bunch of risk-takers! To our surprise, we actually managed to get to our destination for the night, although we showed up at the back of the building, through a back/hidden trail, missing all the glory of the front-entry signs and excitement!! We got there safely, missed a thunderstorm and a hail storm that some later-comers went through. How super fortunate I was!

We were asked to leave our hiking shoes and trekking poles downstairs in a designated area before we headed upstairs.

I was led upstairs to a cubby, sharing the space with 3 other pilgrims. I was lucky to have a lower bunk.

What a gigantic dorm room, to accommodate more than 200 walkers! There were no doors, no curtains, all co-ed. It was a mega sleepover!!

We could choose to hand wash our clothes, and to find a place to dry them, or we could spend 7 euros to ask the designated staff crew to wash them for us. There were washers and dryers operated by a staff crew. They were a cheerful group of people who spent hours each day helping the walkers take care of their laundry needs, etc.

When sleeping time came, snoring filled up the space, a “crescendo” here, a “diminuendo” there, and something else in between as slurs to connect everything! What a snoring symphony!! Getting much sleep became a mighty challenge.

The village of Roncesvillas has many facilities related to Catholic denomination, or serving passers/pilgrims. There were bars, hotels and quite a few churches.  

This is one of the churches in the village. After dinner, I went to this church with a few pilgrims to attend the church service, and to ask for blessings (along the Way). Since I knew no Spanish, I had no idea what was spoken during the service. I could only hope that all that was said were for positivity, peace and best wishes!

From where I stayed overnight, I could overlook a decent-sized courtyard. It was well maintained, clean and neat, with a few pebbles lined up along the base of the wall, saying Buen Camino! How heart-warming!  Across from the dorm there was a foyer, a door was created (as if someone made an irregular-shaped hole on a wall, and used the hole for a throughway). Through the hole, one could get to the dining room, a hotel, the church, and could exit the quad to continue their Camino journey!  How interesting and unceremonial this appeared! 

I was exhausted by the time I settled down on my bunk. It rained since we arrived at the place. I spent no time at all exploring this village that evening. 

Fortunately, I got to see more of the village the next morning on my way out.

Here is a picture of the dinner ticket for pilgrims. 12 euros for dinner, and 6 euros for breakfast.

Quite a crowd gathered together for dinner. Not everyone chose to eat like this. Since there were bars and hotels in the same village, some people, for dinner that night, chose to venture elsewhere for food, for socializing, etc. There were also some people who chose to leave before breakfast time, and find their food along the Way.  

Dinner: Appetizer – salad or soup. Entree: Pasta, or pork loin, or fish. Dessert: almond cake. 

Today’s stamps:

Key words:

Uncertain, strange, novel(ty)

Everything is so strange，

Everything is so fresh, 

Everything is so interconnected,  

As if everything is leading towards numerous new beginnings, and countless new hopes.

The road under the Milky Way extends forward, westward…