Arriving in Spain means arriving in a complete different world...This is the land of 'EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO' or 'THE WAY' which surely has to be written with CAPITAL LETTERS!!
Leaving France is leaving a life of 35days walking mostly in complete silence and sleeping some nights alone in refugees or my tent...I must have met some 15 other pelgrims in total during the 1200kms walking in France
Entering Spain is entering a life of 30days to come which I will be walking together with at least 300 other pelgrims bewteen every daily etappe and always ending up sleeping in refugees which are completely filled (40 to 150 sleeping beds)
Since my last etappe in France, I was already meeting more people beceause just before the last city in France (St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port) all the main historical routes come together..but this amount of people is clearly unsignificant compared to the people I meet in Spain
Crossing the border from St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port(FR) to Roncevalles(ESP) means crossing the Pyrenees so a 23km long climb was waiting for me and for some 100 other people who just started in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port(FR)...This last city in France is a main starting point for a lot of people (mostly not Spanish) so I truly discover that from now on 'El Camino' must be one of most international orientated walking path in the world...I spent the whole climbing part walking together with people from Brasil, Canada, New Sealand, Corea, ... All those new starters suffer a lot ofcourse since they all come for walking on the famous route but were quite not prepared on their first day of steep climbing...since I have already 1200kms in my legs I can play the VETERAN and tell all my new compagnons that I started in Vezelay some 35days ago which always results in surprised faces towards me
Ending up the first stop in Spain (Roncevalles) brings me in a very disturbed mental state...Roncevalles is not even a small town, it is just a church with 2 hotels and an older church which has been transformed in a refugee where 120sleeping beds are waiting to be taken in a minimum record time...the friendly dutch hospitaleros tell me to quickly subscribe me because the past days all the beds were taken quickly and the hotels are not cheap...It gets to me almost the impression of an attraction park when some busses with freshly new euforic Espagnols arrive to deliver them to the refugee and the hotels...they are in such an euforic state because doing 'El Camino' appears to be one of the most unlackable things in their life...It is as if they cannot get a job or get married without having the official Compostella document proving they hace completed 'El Camino'.......................I was already walking soooooooo looooooooong already in France in quitness and now this
So the first 2 days in Spain meant a very big change in experiencing my journey to Santiago, but today I feel already totally adapted to this new way of heading towards Santiago...I meet so many people so this means that exchanging many many stories will be probably the main issue from now on...In France the main issue was the long walkings in silence,the communication with the local people and the few other pelgrims
The weather in Spain is already hot and a lot more sunnier beceause of the Pyerenees acting as a barrier for the rainclouds coming from France
Today I had the funny experience of meeting a group of blinded people who are doing also 'El camino' with their guiding dogs..two of them started walking behind me and where even chasing at me and telling to speed up so I have put some gears up...they could still follow me while they were clearly enjoying following this Belgian experienced pelgrim...After some 20minutes I forget there was also a guiding man and woman with them who couldn't follow us and they were lost out of sight...so there was I standing with two of these blinded people with their dogs trying to explain in my best Spanish (I know almost 5 words ) that they have to stop and wait for their guide...Haha that was funny moment!
So far so good in Spain and for sure still enjoying at the maximum this splendid journey!!
and tell all my new compagnons that I started in Vezelay some 35days ago which always results in surprised faces towards me
) that they have to stop and wait for their guide...Haha that was funny moment!
