Thursday, June 14, 2007

06/13/06 PAMPLOMA

As you can see, I am in Spain. I have not had access to a computer in ages obviously, but I will try to recreate what has happened since Navarrenx. Axel took a rest day in Navarrenx to wait for his wife so I took off alone. It rained off and on to Boholeguia which is close to Aroue. There was a gite(the 'i' is supposed to have a ^ over it, but anyway a gite is a communal sleeping arrangement usually with bunk beds and depending on the size of the room many or few beds. I don´t like them!)for 13 people and was run by the perfect momma. This was on a farm and she loved doing this during the season. she seemed to like me and put me in the only single room in the place, BLESS THAT WOMAN! so I was a happy camper. She provided enough calories at dinner for everyone to walk all the way to the ocean and then did the same in the morning along with putting out a platter so we could make ourselves a sandwich for lunch. What a wonderful person! The next day was on to Gaineko Extea close to Ostabat. This was a long one in hot weather. I didn´t take any of the short cuts and ended up going up the equivalent of Camelback with a pack on to look at a little chapel that was built in the beginning of the 19th century. God I was beat especially since I had to go down again. When I got to Ostabat I was really thirsty even though I had already drunk 2 1/2 liters of water so I went into a bar and asked for water. The woman filled up a flask for me and just left. I drank the whole thing and left one euro then went out the door. While trying to find my way out of town I ran into Benoit (from the past) and I asked him how he got past me without me seeing him. He told me that he and almost everyone else took the short cuts. Well, it was good training for the Pyrenees. Benoit was waiting for a replacement part for his backpack which broke under way. The company was shipping a replacement to this little village for him. I got to my Gite and having learned from the night before I asked if they had a single room that I could have (for more money of course) and they did. There was a large (13) group there who walk with just water and lunch on their backs and have a van take every thing to the next stopping place. This is Basque country and I think that this gite makes it´s real money from these tours so at the dinner the husband put on a sing along show during the whole time. Really the first that I have seen since I have been on the road. By this time I was running with the same group most of the time even though everyone walks alone we all end up at the same places as there aren´t many options. The next morning I walked to St. Jean le Vieux which is just 4 km short of the starting place for the crossing of the Pyrenees. Stayed at Hotel-Bar Mendy. Saw the French foreign legoner and his wife´s friend for the last time on the road there. Story: Remember the three people way back there who almost couldn´t sleep in the Gite because of the nurses? Well that was the French Foreign legoner, his wife and his wife´s friend. Since we got things strainghtened out they liked Axel and me. for the next week + we/I would run into them almost every day. Well, it seems that the wife´s friend told the wife that she wanted to learn about the Camino but was concerned to do it alone the first time. So, the wife said something like,´well my husband knows it well and he will go with you.´. Good idea. So they drove to the first Gite, stayed overnight and then the wife provided them a nice lunch at the same place Axel and I stopped to eat our bread and sausage. By the time they got to the Pyrenees where they stopped, they hated each other. Every time he would talk she would role her eyes and every time he had a chance he would tell Axel, in french, that she was a wimp and complained the whole time. It really was interesting to watch. Axel, no shrinking violet he, asked her outright if they were lovers, but she made it very clear she was the friend of the wife only!!! The French f. legoner fought in Algeria and Vietnam for 17 year and then has been on pension for 34 years. I saw him without his shirt on and I can see why he is on pension. His upper chest looks like someone used it for a pin cushon. Anyway, they both looked happy when they shook hands shortly before they got on a bus or train out of there!!!

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