Coming down the mountain

I spent some time at the summit of Alto de Perdon admiring the view, recovering from the climb, and chatting with my fellow pilgrims. There seemed to be a batch of pilgrims who had started together from St. Jean at the same time. It was fun to chat about their experience of crossing the Pyrenees. I haven’t really regretted starting in Pamplona rather than St. Jean. It occurred to me that Alto de Perdon is my big opening challenge this time.

There’s another structure at the summit that I hadn’t seen before. It’s just over the other side and it looks like a circle of standing stones, like Stonehenge. But it’s very modern. It’s a memorial to people in Navarra who died in the Spanish Civil War. Each stone represents a town.

I’ve done some reading on Spanish history in the last few years after my first Camino because I realized how little I knew about Spain. I learned that democracy in Spain is very recent, since Franco’s death in 1975 when King Juan Carlos, his hand-picked successor, decided to form a constitutional monarchy ending 30+ years of fascist dictatorship. The Spanish Civil War left deep scars, and people are now asking more questions about what happened. I’m keeping my eyes out for other memorials while I’m here.

Then it was time to head down the mountain. There wasn’t really a trail, but more like a steep ski run of river rock.

I’d found another use for my new trekking poles, it took a lot of concentration to maneuver down without slipping on the loose rocks, and it went on for over an hour. I was grateful to finally walk into Uterga and find my albergue, Casa Baztán. I had booked a bunk bed, but they had a private room open, and I gladly upgraded.

It was a shabby chic kind of albergue in an old stone house, probably from the 18th century. The host and his young family lived upstairs and there was a large bunk room, a dining room, and a big garden out back with chairs snd clotheslines.

Notice the stone floor, river rock set on edge in decorative patterns. Very tough on bare feet!

The private room turned out to be on the second floor and had access to a bath down the hall. When I put my pack down n the bed I realized that the only access to another private room was through my private room.

It was fine, actually. It turned out that I knew the couple in the adjoining room! They had stayed next to me at the hotel in Pamplona, Dick and Sue, from Phoenix.

After a shower and setting up my beloved sleeping bag for the first time, I ventured across the lane for a snack at the other albergue. It was completely opposite in every way, super modern and minimalist with an outdoor terrace.

I went back over and hung out in the backyard for a bit before dinner. I was tired after the big ascent and descent earlier, but I felt pretty good after a rest. Dick and Sue had taken a taxi out of Pamplona, saving them 5k on their first day. That would’ve been the prudent thing to do but I wanted to walk out of Pamplona for the full start of the Camino experience.

Dinner was served in the dining room, and was fresh fried fish or chicken, salad and chips plus vino tinto, and an ice cream bar. It all tasted great after walking that far. It was 12€ on top of the 30€ for the private room. The company was fun, a Dutch guy, Dick and Sue, a couple of Germans.

I could feel myself stiffening up so I went to bed fairly early and read for awhile. I was excited about walking to Eunate in the morning. The twin bed was comfortable and I was enjoying my Camino sleeping bag.

I woke up in the night around 3 am and felt reluctant to get out of bed and find my way down the tile stairs to the bathroom. Just then the door to the adjoining room opened and Sue walked out with a flashlight. Good timing. We walked down to the bathroom together.

In the morning I was going to have breakfast with Dick and Sue but the host directed me into an alcove set for breakfast in another room. It was like a small sitting room with a wood stove and an oversized couch. I asked him in Spanish what it was like in the winter here, and was the house in his family a long time? Yes it’s been in their family over 100 years. He seemed to like engaging with me in Spanish, and he liked running an albergue.

They’re closed in the winter and he said it’s very quiet. It’s different than a city he said. But he can go to Pamplona very easily. (Of course, you don’t need to scale the Alto de Perdón on foot!) I told him about my grandchildren and living in the Bay Area. It was the first time I’d felt fairly confident speaking that much in Spanish. It’s so much fun when it goes well.

I said that I preferred the pueblos on the Camino, and he seemed touched by that. Or maybe he was surprised that I knew the word Pueblo! He said, “it’s a pleasure to meet you,” and kissed my hand! It was sincere, not creepy.

In the entry hall I struck up a conversation with the two guys from Hong Kong as we put boots on, and our packs, and they walked out with me, and we all took pictures with the host (I wish I remembered his name).

I walked with the two nice guys from Hong Kong until it was time for me to peel off to go to Eunate. They said that the host had been super accommodating and let them cook their own dinner in the albergue kitchen. We talked about globalization and China and the US, all sorts of things, very fun. We said, “Buen Camino,” and I took the toad to Eunate. I felt quite blessed.