Orrisson France!

Our stay at the Gite, the Zuharpeta, in St. Jean with Sabina at the helm was a nice way to get our feet wet for the Camino.  We were kicked out at 6:30 am on the morning of our departure like all the other pilgrims. We purchased the breakfast which consisted of a bowl of coffee, the ubiquitous toasted baguette slices and jam and yogurt. We are learning that this is the typical breakfast in these parts.  Had it not been for everyone's example on the coffee I would never have known what to do with the bowl or what it was for.  John said it reminded him of the monks who carry their bowls hoping for the benevolence of others for their subsistence. Coffee is very good in this region.

We left the Gite before it was light and since we were only walking 6 miles today, we had time to go to the church to sit and meditate on a blessing for our journey.  There were a few other pilgrims there and the old man who takes care of the church, lovingly replenishing the candles, was humming what sounded like an old religious chant that resonated so beautifully in that old cavernous church that it brought tears to my eyes.  We sat for a few moments and then headed out in the dark silence up the road that would begin our long pilgrimage to Santiago.

What a feeling it was to walk the bucolic French road with dozens of other pilgrims, up towards who knows what. As the sky turned pink and the sun welcomed the beginning of our ascent over the Pyraneese, there was a strange sound of cowbells chiming like a wind chime, that we would come to know as dozens of sheep and cows grazing in the amazing French basque countryside.  The road was a 35 percent steep grade but we where egged on by the energy of our fellow pilgrims and the surrounding views that were so new to us.  Collin from England who in passing told us that he had twisted his ankle a few weeks ago but must have been given strength by the very same energy, as he passed us by at a good clip.  And the two young women from the Pacific Northwest who were so excited to begin their Camino.

The miles flew by and by 10:00 a.m., we approached what would be our first night on the way, the alburgue called Orisson.  Pronounced in your best French " or-es-sown".  It had become very foggy and quite chilly. That combined with our sweat from the long steep incline, made the warm light of the alburgue feel very welcoming in spite of the fact that physically we felt we could probably have continued on to Roncevalles 17 miles on over the French Pyrannes into Spain with the majority of the others. But since we had made reservations at this popular place months ago (the only reservations we made on the entire pilgrimage) we decided to stay.  The first thing on the agenda was to order two large beers to enjoy while we put on warm clothes.  The place was rockin busy with through pilgrims who stopped for sustanence before traveling on.  When it slowed down a bit, we inquired about our reservation and were asked by the busy young Frenchman if we wanted a big bed.  Thinking that we would be spending the night in our first dormitory situation, we just blurted out yes!

We were pleasantly surprised to be shown a small private room in the back of the property.

We had such a wonderful evening meeting people from all over the world, with the wine flowing and soup and pork and a bean dish and the ever present bread being served up.  The language barrier disappeared as we relied on sincerity, hand gestures and laughter to bridge the gap that seemed non existent after a while.  A palpable common anticipation of the journey ahead flowed through all of us that night.  Buen Camino! It has begun.

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