2017-10-09 Roncevalles - Larrasoaña (28/855 km)

Even Hemingway was fishing in Roncevalles (Burguete)

Burguete street view

Early up not least the Koreans that were everywhere - a number of younger people of both sexes. The other 3 persons in my sleeping compartment were Koreans.

Very shortly after Roncevalles (Orreaga) you come to Burguete (Auritz). Eveything has double name here and one is always in Basque.

But it was the friendly face of Ernest Hemingway that met me in Burguete. Before the civil war he was much up here and fished in the streams and maybe hunted when he did not watch the bullfights in Pamplona. I have even written a paper in Spanish about that and his involvement in the civil war.

Did the Roman road start here - NO!

Navarra is a green country and and initially the trail had almost too good standard that almost reminded me about Roman roads but here using cement.

If you are 8 years old you can bike the Caminao

Pilgrim on the way

Some never got further

A bit later I met what I could hardly believe. A family of four people walking. One mom, one dad and two kids. One maybe 12+ the other perhaps 8. And the kids were biking!! I saw the dad take a turn on the biggest boy while he walked a bit. I saw them off and on during the day and they were staying at the same albergue as I in Larrasoaña. What an adventure!!!!

And of course the sign of a dead Asian  (Japan?) that I actually remembered from my first walk.

Larrasoaña is not the biggest place on earth. The restaurant that was there on my first walk had closed, but I found a shop to buy some food and another restaurant so I did not have to starve that night either. And met and talked to a number of people around the table. From USA (Vermont), Romania, Hungary, Italy etc, etc.

I really felt the Camino spirit growing. I had been missing that in France due to my limited French.

Creo que el acontecimiento del día era la familia con dos adultos y dos jóvenes. Y los dos jóvenes en bicicletas los adultos con mochilas caminaban a pie. Y todos estos en la ruta hasta Santiago. ¡Qué aventura! Durmieron en el mismo albergue que yo. Descubrí que este pueblo estaba un sitio para encontrar amigos para el resto del Camino o para solo un día. ¡El espíritu del Camino!