On Our Way Up in the World

Today was the first official day of the Camino! I set off at 7:30 with a group of people I met last night in my hostel, and we began the trek from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles. Everyone says that the first day is the hardest, and they don't just mean because you're unpracticed with this much walking. The walk gains over 1000 meters in 25 kilometers, with about a third of that happening in under 5 km. I'm generally pretty good with hills, but it was still a workout!
The route was tough, but absolutely beautiful, and I had a lovely time talking with the people I'd met the night before, as well as new folks we met along the route. 


Once we arrived at Roncesvalles, we completed the very efficient check-in system, not coincidentally run entirely by Dutch volunteers. This albergue used to be a monestery, and has around 240 beds, so the logistics are no small feat! Once we got checked in, we combined some loads of laundry, showered, then got ready for dinner. Dinner was a very hearty meal, which was certainly appreciated after the day we'd all had — we got a vegetable soup with half a baguette, macaroni, fish or chicken, some fries, and lemon ice cream for dessert. It was all delicious, and I finished every bit.

(No, I did not eat the head.)

After dinner some of us went to the pilgrim's mass, held on-site, and did our best to combine our group knowledge of Spanish and Catholicism to follow along, but remained lost at many points. Despite that, it was a beautiful service, and it was great to get to take part in this tradition and receive a blessing to start off our journey.

Now it's time for bed, before getting up to do this all again tomorrow, with less elevation gain but more declines. Only time will tell how that goes! (And similarly only time will tell if the man I gave my credit card number to in Spanish really reserved me a room at the somehow almost fully booked next stop.)

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