About half of the way was on little used roads and the rest on trails that passed through several open fields with some having sheep and others cows and horses.
Most people stopped at this cafe along the way for some coffee and treats and to use the bathroom.
It was an uphill windy day almost all the way. We went from an elevation of 170 m to the highest point at 1,450 m and then back down for the night at Roncesvalles at 960 m.
Just over half way, we crossed the France-Spain border marked by a water fountain and a cattle guard.
Along the way up the hill I joined up with Haruko from Japan, Micki from Germany, and a couple from Netherlands who were with their teenage daughter, a ballerina.
After climbing all day, it was quite exciting going down the steep rocky end of our journey to the Aubergue Roncesvalles.
Not only was it windy, but cold as well. Most people in guidebooks say that this first stage is the toughest part of the entire Camino. With a start at 7 AM, I finished at Roncesvalles about 4:30PM and I would agree with that assessment.
I checked in with a friendly volunteered, who explained how things worked at the Aubergue Roncesvalles which was huge with four floors containing 183 beds. The only people allowed to check in to aubergues along the Camino are pilgrims i.e. those who are walking along the route and show their credential at each place.
All people staying here had to leave their shoes in a central location so I ended up having to buy flip-flops since I only had one pair of shoes.
We ended up in the basement, the coldest area of the building and after assurances I had a bottom bunk, but it turned out, I did not. Fortunately, Miki swapped with me so I got the bottom bunk.
It turned out that this was one of the places that did not provide blankets, and the sheets were the thin throwaways.
I only brought a sleeping liner so I had a very chilly night of sleep which was made worse because I had to take an elevator or stairs to the second floor bathrooms several times in the night.
The upstairs beds and bathrooms were quite nice and a lot warmer than our basement.
The pilgrim meal was delicious with a serving of vegetable soup, pork loin, vegetables, and roasted potatoes. It was finished off with ice cream. It seems that all pilgrim dinners costing around €12 to €15 are accompanied by a couple bottles of wine, which I no longer drink.
I was surprised to be joined by Dana and two of his friends who I met on the train coming in. He gave me some more advice on how to handle my knees since he was a physical therapist.
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