california smith
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- (2018)
Hello everyone, I am 24 years old, my name is Eric from Napa Valley California, of Hispanic origin. My parents are from an old Mexican town nestled high in the Sierra of Michoacan, fabled with both Native and Spanish legends and tales. I decided last year that it would be a good time to walk as I am transitioning universities so I walked to Burgos from SJPP this last May. Personally I do not consider myself a very good blogger but I found myself having some free time and thought "Why don't I write something about my camino?" I could have wrote these on the way but I was so immersed in the Camino that my phone was used more as a camera and alarm clock so I think I will recap some daily highlights over a few days. Feel free to input or asks questions. I also have pictures.
May 5th: Arrive to Bayonne from Toulouse by bus. Beginning to get over the slight food poisoning that came over me from an caesar wrap on the plane from Amsterdam. Gross. Made my way to train station on foot. I have a smart phone as a map but took the opportunity to practice a little newly learned french to make it to the train station. Friendly and kind people. As an American I find a simple quirkiness to the way streets are marked here.. arrived at station. I board the bus. There were very few seats left and I would offer them to older people than I and I sat on the floor by chance next to other Americans. I say to myself "the camino is beginning already".
1hour later. Arrive to St. Jean. Explore and take some nice pictures. Go to a bar for wifi to message back home. Walk in circles trying to find Beilari but eventually wander upon it, it was so obvious..curiously hidden though. Greeted by Joselu and his stepson Matthew. Let me tell you that these were the nicest of people. Initially I thought I was the youngest in the hostel but I found another American from Philadelphia upstairs 19 years old on his 2nd night. Tristan. Spanish American, his father born in Spain. Smart fellow who walked at 15 with his father and was now doing it alone. We had a very nice vegetarian dinner with people from France, Germany, Australia, Spain, U.S, Colombia, Belgium and others. After dinner we take a walk around town. By the way they did some magic with thise vegetables..I almost became vegetarian! We decide that we will walk together in the morning and call it a night.
May 6th: We awake and have a light breakfast in the hostel. We walk up to the very true beginning, take pictures and make our way in a light fog. Leaving
SJ I can already feel the imminent physical kicking that is coming my way as the incline begins so I tighten my straps and say this is part of what I came for. Tristan has longer legs than I and makes his way easier. We arrive at Hunto. Here we take a short break, enough to still stay warm and I buy us oranginas to drink at a small "casa". Here we meet an old stocky Asiatic man rummaging through his things. We ask if he's alright and saya he believes he lost his smartphone! On the 1st day what a bummer? He goes inside to ask if theyve seen his phone and comes out and goes back in. As he walks in we hear something ring from his bag!I knew it was his phone so I run in to get him. I say "mister, mister I think your phone is back here!" I'd say he was around 75 it took me a few moments to finally get him to come as he was so fixated on asking for his phone I don't think he could hear me. We dig around in his bag and find his phone in a secret compartment..we have a laugh and he was very grateful. He says his Christan name is John and we depart.
The hike gets heavier. Rather than chatting we both are focusing on the steps we are taking and absorbing the scenery to relieve the burn. I think to myself that the universe brought Tristan and I together to help each other, he's very happy to hear my stories and he tells me of the East coast. Being the older yet less experienced pilgrim I tell him to go on while I slow my pace, I do not tell him my sour stomach is returning. We agree to meet again in Orisson. His long legs soon take him out of my sight. I conditioned and trained for the hike but the food sickness was completely unprecedented. I consider myself a tough guy I played American football and worked in the vineyard from sunrise but I thought that this would get to even the most fit if athletes. 3/4ths of the way up I walk to the side, almost slipping 10 meters and heaved. Nobody saw but if they did I'm sure they would understand but I felt a lot better. Short after I arrive at Orrison and I see Tristan taking his first bites into his "bocadillo".. I want one too so I get one with some fresh O.J. and sit inside Orisson. Halfway through I hear my name being called. "Eric! Eric!" I asked myself what this urgency could be.."I knew we would see you!" It was Angel a 39 year old Asian American woman from New Jersey no taller than 5 feet 0 inches. Seriously. She was the most petite woman I've ever seen. "You forgot your lunch!" Ah yes. The night before Joselu offered a lunch on the go for those interested the night before and I was in. I was just too excited in the morning and forgot. "But its gone!Corrie ate it" she says another pilgrim from Beilari hailing from Rotterdam around 50 years of age. I laugh and say good as it did not waste. Corrie insists on paying me for it but I say no way my treat! Tristan and I soak up the sun for a while but inform him that my night is marked for Orisson. He says he's going to Roncesvalles and wants to interview me on the JVC cassette video recorder for his film class. Yeah seriously. It was like a brick. We trade social media contact info. Anyways we do so and then wish each other goodluck and the best of times. I watch him go up the hill and this would be the last time we walked together. I sit outside by the door on a tall chair and Corrie comes out with a big surprise beer for me.
*more coming*
May 5th: Arrive to Bayonne from Toulouse by bus. Beginning to get over the slight food poisoning that came over me from an caesar wrap on the plane from Amsterdam. Gross. Made my way to train station on foot. I have a smart phone as a map but took the opportunity to practice a little newly learned french to make it to the train station. Friendly and kind people. As an American I find a simple quirkiness to the way streets are marked here.. arrived at station. I board the bus. There were very few seats left and I would offer them to older people than I and I sat on the floor by chance next to other Americans. I say to myself "the camino is beginning already".
1hour later. Arrive to St. Jean. Explore and take some nice pictures. Go to a bar for wifi to message back home. Walk in circles trying to find Beilari but eventually wander upon it, it was so obvious..curiously hidden though. Greeted by Joselu and his stepson Matthew. Let me tell you that these were the nicest of people. Initially I thought I was the youngest in the hostel but I found another American from Philadelphia upstairs 19 years old on his 2nd night. Tristan. Spanish American, his father born in Spain. Smart fellow who walked at 15 with his father and was now doing it alone. We had a very nice vegetarian dinner with people from France, Germany, Australia, Spain, U.S, Colombia, Belgium and others. After dinner we take a walk around town. By the way they did some magic with thise vegetables..I almost became vegetarian! We decide that we will walk together in the morning and call it a night.
May 6th: We awake and have a light breakfast in the hostel. We walk up to the very true beginning, take pictures and make our way in a light fog. Leaving
SJ I can already feel the imminent physical kicking that is coming my way as the incline begins so I tighten my straps and say this is part of what I came for. Tristan has longer legs than I and makes his way easier. We arrive at Hunto. Here we take a short break, enough to still stay warm and I buy us oranginas to drink at a small "casa". Here we meet an old stocky Asiatic man rummaging through his things. We ask if he's alright and saya he believes he lost his smartphone! On the 1st day what a bummer? He goes inside to ask if theyve seen his phone and comes out and goes back in. As he walks in we hear something ring from his bag!I knew it was his phone so I run in to get him. I say "mister, mister I think your phone is back here!" I'd say he was around 75 it took me a few moments to finally get him to come as he was so fixated on asking for his phone I don't think he could hear me. We dig around in his bag and find his phone in a secret compartment..we have a laugh and he was very grateful. He says his Christan name is John and we depart.
The hike gets heavier. Rather than chatting we both are focusing on the steps we are taking and absorbing the scenery to relieve the burn. I think to myself that the universe brought Tristan and I together to help each other, he's very happy to hear my stories and he tells me of the East coast. Being the older yet less experienced pilgrim I tell him to go on while I slow my pace, I do not tell him my sour stomach is returning. We agree to meet again in Orisson. His long legs soon take him out of my sight. I conditioned and trained for the hike but the food sickness was completely unprecedented. I consider myself a tough guy I played American football and worked in the vineyard from sunrise but I thought that this would get to even the most fit if athletes. 3/4ths of the way up I walk to the side, almost slipping 10 meters and heaved. Nobody saw but if they did I'm sure they would understand but I felt a lot better. Short after I arrive at Orrison and I see Tristan taking his first bites into his "bocadillo".. I want one too so I get one with some fresh O.J. and sit inside Orisson. Halfway through I hear my name being called. "Eric! Eric!" I asked myself what this urgency could be.."I knew we would see you!" It was Angel a 39 year old Asian American woman from New Jersey no taller than 5 feet 0 inches. Seriously. She was the most petite woman I've ever seen. "You forgot your lunch!" Ah yes. The night before Joselu offered a lunch on the go for those interested the night before and I was in. I was just too excited in the morning and forgot. "But its gone!Corrie ate it" she says another pilgrim from Beilari hailing from Rotterdam around 50 years of age. I laugh and say good as it did not waste. Corrie insists on paying me for it but I say no way my treat! Tristan and I soak up the sun for a while but inform him that my night is marked for Orisson. He says he's going to Roncesvalles and wants to interview me on the JVC cassette video recorder for his film class. Yeah seriously. It was like a brick. We trade social media contact info. Anyways we do so and then wish each other goodluck and the best of times. I watch him go up the hill and this would be the last time we walked together. I sit outside by the door on a tall chair and Corrie comes out with a big surprise beer for me.
*more coming*
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