Walk with Sandra: Camino de Santiago: Day 2 - Valcarlos to Roncesvalles (June 15, 2014)

Monday, June 16, 2014

Camino de Santiago: Day 2 - Valcarlos to Roncesvalles (June 15, 2014)

"Every now and again, take a good look at something not made with hands - a mountain, a star, the turn of a stream. There will come to you wisdom and patience and solace, and above all, assurance that you are not alone in the world." - Sydney Lovett.

This was a quote I picked today (from an envelope filled with quotes a friend had given me prior to my departure) which was strikingly relevant. Today, I started my walk at 7 am and arrived at Roncesvalles at 11:20 am. It was a tough day of what seemed like an endless climb up the Pyrenees. A third of the trail was along highway 135 - which meant hard-paved road and dull sights. The other two-third part of the trail was mostly through a shaded, wooded forest, which offered solace and the reminder that I am not alone in the world (per the quote above). From the slow slugs, to birds, to a brown squirrel that caught me by surprise, I was reminded that we all have somewhere to be but we can go at our own pace. Just being is enough.

After I paid for a bed at the Dutch-run albergue at Roncesvalles for 10€, I left my backpack at their door (since check-in time was not until 2 pm) and went to see the city. It's incredibly small - everything (the church and the 2 restaurants) was within 2-5 minutes walk away. There was no market to buy snacks either. After a brief stop at the Tourism Office, I attended the 12 pm Mass at the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria. I was amazed that the elderly Padre ran the service almost single-handedly in this beautiful 13th-C church. The choir was amazing and I loved it when they sang the "Hallelujah" to the "Joy to the World" hymm. Indeed, there's so much to be joyful about in life. I also loved it that a teen-age boy played the saxophone at the closing of the service. I liked the confluence of the old and the young, and the traditional and the contemporary, where oftentimes, the best of ideas and creativity emerged.

I had the pilgrim meal for dinner at 7 pm which cost 9€ - the 3-course meal included a soup and bread for starter, a trout with fries for main, and an ice-cream cone for dessert. I had dinner with 3 German gals who knew each other through karate.