Day 1 Pamplona 9/25 Pension Sarasete
Walked around the old part of town w/ bars + cafes.
Tapas, red wine. Sleepy exhaustion.
Still jittery about starting trek.
Bus rides phantom reflections of a brown + blue scene
(seen) thru bus windows derecho silver leaves izquierda.
Bags in trees and statues.
Cathedrals brown with age.
Una Rioja y una San Miguel on tap.
“Cana por Favor”
Protest in front of Spanish bank with Policia.
Poorman vs. richman.
Jose!
The following is the first entry in my journal on September 25, 2012:
We arrive safely in the lovely french village of St. Jean Pied-de-Port, the traditional start of the Camino de Santiago. There’s the building we saw Martin Sheen in at the start of the movie “The Way”. This is where you get your pilgrim credentials, photograph your travel companion stamping his or her first official stamp and begin walking. This you will need to get THE Compostela when you get to Santiago.
My favorite sacred object on the whole camino is in St. Jean– the old bell tower next to the church has a recess in the wall way up that has a wooden sculpture of John the Baptist. It looked primitive to my eye. That’s what I like. There he is holding his staff to the sky and looking up with his wooly wrap around clothes. I was transfixed. I couldn’t stop looking at it.
That night Alice and I had our first aubergue experience. Everyone in one room. Lights out. Noises begin. Early I had my first ‘love thy neighbor’ test. The man in the bunk next to mine put his shoes just over onto MY SIDE preventing me from getting completely comfortable in my surroundings. He also had one of those annoying digital watches that announced the hour. Boy, I had a lot to learn.
