Day 1: The only way is up

Day 1. 27km 1600m 7 hours. Done.

Started out walking at 7am with an Italian girl Selena I just randomly met outside our Albergue. It was still dark and the village was all covered in mist, it was quite eerie but beautiful. We didn't get too far before the smell of a boulangerie sucked us in for a pan au raisin and a quiche.

You’re told today is the hardest day, not just cause its the first day but because its 27 bloody kilometers uphill!! But despite all the cursing it was amazing! There are so many other pilgrims walking so everyone's excited and in a great mood and you chat to everyone you pass. The scenery was beautiful, quiet with only the sound of cow and sheep bells in the distance. There were blackberries all along the fence on the road we wandered up so we had a good feed on them. Other than that the walk up into the Pyrenees was tough! But once up in the Pyrenees it was beautiful. Kind of like the Port Hills on a bigger scale. Could see for miles but then the sun disappeared fog rolled in and then it poured down rain for a good couple of hours. It was absolutely freezing! There was a tiny little hut to shelter in so a good dozen of us crammed in there hoping for it to stop but no. So i just braved it and went back out. I ended up meeting a lovely old Irish man, Seamus, in the rain, and ended up walking a few hours with him. And boy did he have a stride on him! We had a great time together chatting, only half of which I really understood from his accent. Spends the winters at their families holiday house in the Canary Islands. Yes my ears pricked up! That and the fact that he has 6 kids, 12 grandkids and wants his 30 year old son to hurry up and get married. Heard that before…. We were staying at different places but he said to come and meet him and his brother in law for a drink later.

We arrived in Roncesvalles at 2pm, my legs were pretty tired at that point. Waited for eternity to get a bed at stunning old monastery. I ended up sharing a pod (2 beds) with a guy Nicholas who id met earlier in the day who has walked here from Belgium! Craziness!

Went out for a celebratory day 1 done beer with a couple of girls id walked with throughout the day, Selena and Manami from Japan who had been living in Blenheim the last couple of years. Who knew knowing Japanese would come in handy in Spain. Oh and Beer – 1.5euro! Yes!

I then ended up having dinner with a Seamus & his brother Donald and a Californian girl Shelly. And boy if I couldn't understand those men on the walk, they certainly didn't get any more coherent after we got through a bottle of red! But what a laugh we had.

Not sure where I'm walking to tomorrow, think its about 20km but we may walk on a bit more so we have more time in Pamplona when we get there. x