I woke a little before 7, I tried not to wake the other two but its hard not to rustle etc with the back pack... I said my quick goodbyes..and went down stairs.....the place was full of hikers all eating breakfast.. the hostess of the auberge was really sweet she helped me with directions..I made sure I would find the trail again since I stopped seeing markings and after getting lost yesterday, i was more leery again... But it proved to be straight-forward
..literally... I started walking by 7.40 ...there was a breeze so walking conditions where not too bad in morning.. I had to walk on loose rocky ground, which meant i walked slow and careful.. So the first 8kms took surprisingly long... I am now superstitious..how ever fast I walk the first 8kms determines conditions for the rest of the day...i shared the trail with lots of weekend hikers, I was surprised to see young teenagers in groups hiking.
I apparently have a stereo-type in my mind that teenagers prefer unhealthier lifestyles..... Seeing so many day hikers out, was novel for me..... The towns seemed to appear every five kms..i was hoping to reward myself with food treats and coffee but the first one was still closed up and vendors were getting ready for some medieval fair... the landscape was not quite as breathtaking as yesterday but still attractive... I had expected the bit with the Pyrenese to last longer but the mountains were already growing distant.....the guide book mentioned a romantic bridge ..as I crossed it.... young couple with matching punk hair cuts where sleeping in sleeping bags on it... I tried to pass quietly...i am not sure if that is what was meant by romantic?
Yesterday we had met an english man at dinner who had come in too late and also could not find lodging...so I am sure sleeping out like this here is not unusual........
Finally I got my coffee break in next town..it is here I realize I was walking real slow... as I got out of a Tabac with my supply of licorice and gummy sharks ...some lady said things to me in spanish and then crossed herself..i smiled politely not knowing what was an appropriate return gesture...... i did know she was doing it because she saw i was a pilgrim...
i notice here, peeps speaking a lot of spanish at me and it seems to be quite okay with me not understand 99% of it... I suspect I might understand a wee bit more by the time I am done with this last leg of the journey...in town, i did loose the trail markings.. I ask a man for help, he recruites another they end up discussing how to steer me out... and they do get me on trail again... after yesterday..dont want to get lost again.. as the day progresses, I get hotter and tireder...i definitely see more marker signs and statements about and for pilgrims.. i was told the Spanish towns along the Camino live for pilgrims..perhaps i was seeing the first signs of this...
I saw as well signs saying: Bon Camino..the towns i went through named the streets marked for pilgrims 'camino de santiago'..
I arrive in Jaca, around fivish...i did not have any map or information about this town... first I ask at a bus stand and get waved in a general direction..then I asked a uniformed man on a scooter and he helps me with the final bit... the pilgrim's auberge, is large and has the usual routine.. boots left downstairs... I even get a bed number assignment, I am told where showers and bathrooms are and I see the full rack where I get to scrap for space to hang wet laundry... the pilgrims I see here are shockingly young and mostly Spanish...... the lady there a bit brusk but also helpful, she does not speak anything other than Spanish but gets her business done..... I shower and do laundry..i feel the pressure to do things quickly, since there are others waiting and also only so much clothes racks to share..... I kinda like the dorm partitions..for privacy, they created cubical that hold two beds each, I am at the end and dont get a cube mate so despite the large room, i have a sense of privacy..it does however not buffer sound....I head out to find food..I run into the Norwegians again..again we end up hanging out .. they sit with me and order drinks as I order salad... they seem concerned that this is all I am eating..but the menu was limited and I was getting too tired to find another place to eat...the town in the mean time is coming alive..not only does Spain seem to have the early evening promenade, as the whole town seems to come out for a stroll, like in italy..but also there is an important soccer match this evening .... bars all over town, are setting up for the big game of the century.. Spain has made it to the world cup!... Spain vs Holland...there are red soccer jerseys everywhere.. people are beginning to find places in their favorite bars to sit and watch the game.... I learn from my friends, there is an octopus in Norway that is being utilized to predict the outcome of the game.. and apparently he does have great oracular power since he has not picked wrong yet... and for this game, he is choosing Spain to win... After the restaurant, we walk around a bit, and find a bar for a beer, they plan to find a good spot to watch the game..... I bid farwell to my friends I have to go to sleep....... in a way i feel like I am biggest event in of the year in Spain, and I just want to sleep...i still manage to get to bed kind of late...it's not like I can sleep anyway...there are .street parties and rain and thunder..and around 11pm I get woken by drunk roommates talking in stage whispers as they settle in for the night...... someone had closed the window near my bed in the middle of the night which meant I also got quite hot... I think I got four or so hours of sleep... I have not yet caught up on sleep since Lourdes...
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