Roncesvalles was a wonderful albergue located in a monastery that has been serving pilgrims on The Camino for centuries. There are more than 150 beds. I enjoyed dinner and breakfast with friends. I walked yesterday with Luciane from Brazil. I met Christine from Taiwan on the TGV coming from Paris. I met Lisa from Taiwan in Saint Jean. We enjoyed breakfast together before starting out on Day #3. We all knew we would lose contact at some point in this day. I had read that Camino relationships get deep very quickly and each person is there for you to teach you something or help you to understand something. We may or may not see each other again. We started out together but as the day progressed we said our “Hope to see you soon!”s and we drifted apart. I will hold these women in my heart forever.
Coming out of Roncesvalles the path was a mix of dirt and grass for quite a way. The topography was a welcome change! My goal was to be very gentle with myself. I had read so many times about injuries occurring in the first week due to over exertion. I walked with a Canadian named Donna. We talked and laughed and bonded throughout the day. We took breaks at every little stop. While our friends were doing a marathon we were having a stroll. Donna had anticipated a rest day and had previously booked a bed in Viskarret. Viskarret is a gorgeous small 12th century village. Sleepy little dot on the map with two hostels (albergue) and two bars. There was no waiting line for a room. Donna and I were the only lodgers at our albergue. Two people in our room! Bathroom only for us! So clean! The woman did all of our laundry – wash and dry! We had a lovely salad and cerveza while sitting in the sun. Lovely! Donna got a message from Linda (England) who stopped at the other albergue for the night so we hooked up for dinner. Such a lovely day and well deserved relaxation. It is the weekend after all. I had a chance to reflect and realized that for my energetically sensitive body, Roncesvalles had been overwhelming. The sheer number of pilgrims in the monastery was too much of a swirl for me. I’m not certain of the count but I heard rumors or nearly 200. I was a later arrival so I was relegated to the basement. The basement had three rooms and each room had 20 beds. Note to self – stick with the small stops if its possible. Viskarret rejuvenated me. It was like a tonic. What awesome beauty!
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