Day 5 Estella New Years Eve

A special day. The parochial albergue I stayed at had a very nice volunteer hospitalero named monserrat and her son Anton, who is quite gregarious. By chance, the albergue was a full house. Everyone filled up the table at dinner. Everyone made sure new years eve dinner was special. We went to the supermarket and bought something special to add to the meal, whether it was sparkling wine, truffles, cakes or really tasty chicken wrapped around a hard boiled egg. Funny thing about the supermarket trip-pati noticed a gang of kids and an older mother/daughter duo stealing food from the market.

A taekwondo master living in Estella randomly met the koreans then invited them and myself to his family'shouse where they treated us to desserts. He also plays saxophone in the band we heard on the street playing Christmas songs. He also explained the tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight came from the marketing of a surplus of grapes in early 1900s

Day 4 a puente la reina

Met carmen and she and Kari walked in the afternoon along the straightest path. I Took detour to Eunate. Feet still good, if a little swollen.

Day 3 Pamplona and Cizur Menor

Weather: cloudy, light rain, muddy
body condition: all good; no blisters still, knees don.t hurt, but the soles of my feet are still killing me! <i thought my feet were good until mid-afternoon when I was walking on asphalt and concrete for the rest of the way. Should I wait out the pain hoping to adjust, or should I lighten my pack?

We walked at least 35 km today from Zubiri to Cizur Menor. left at 9am. arrived at 6pm.

Pati told me of the dream she had of me-apparently I was taking gold out of my backpack to lighten the load. Up to you, me and time on the Camino to really tell me what that means or what it´s a metaphor of.

Worries of bedbugs and other paranoias (like washing hands with soap before eating) don´t really grip me as much anymore since getting to the next point and the pain is more front of mind than slowing down.

As we walked from Trinidad del Arre to Pamplona, seeing the medieval town up on the hill was such a beautiful sight to behold. Pictures wouldn´t do it justice. We didn´t realize it was Pamplona until we were right in the city and had walked a few hundred meters.

CULTURE and IDENTITY

As we walked the Camino today, Pati (who´s from Guadalajara, Mexico) and I shared stories about our family history and I told her a little about the history of Japan, Korea, China and their relationships with one another. The reason I started talking about this was because of the numerous occasions where people would mistake me for Chinese, and how I didn´t really like that.

I am Korean-American; not Korean, not Chinese. I wanted to be in my Camino bubble and avoid talking to people unless I really had to. But I realized yesterday and today that I shouldn´t avoid chances to educate people about different cultures (ie when I hear people saying and assuming I´m Chinese I will now say, "no, no soy chino, soy coreano-americano. originalmente, mi familia es de corea, pero yo naci en los estados unidos y soy americano". Patti confirmed this thought with me. I guess I can think of it as a service for the world and individuals who would be otherwise ignorant that there are other East Asian-looking people besides Chinese people out there.  the issue of identity is is very important to me. You can´t call me Korean because I´m not from Korea and I don´t belong there (believe me, I know, I´ve spent many months over the years there)

JAMON

My love affair with jamon iberico continues. today, i believe i had the best tasting jamon iberico in my life. gracias a pamplona.

Cizur Menor: albergue maribel roncal is run by a very very nice lady. highly recommend staying here. the restaurant to the right as you walk down the hill in front of the albergue also had a wonderful menu del dia for only 10 euros! really tasty macarone with a tomato red wine garlic olive oil sauce, some fish and helado!

Puerta Francia leading into Pamplona old town

Pamplona Cathedral and prob one of the streets where they do the Running of the Bulls during San Fermin

trees at the University of Navarre

the best jamon iberico bellota I´ve ever had in my life,  hand carved with just the right amounts of fat in each delicious bite

Day 2 Roncesvalles to Zubiri

<p>clear morning, cloudy afternoon and very light rain. Muddy, frosty, very little leftover snow. The clouds moved in quickly. Walked with Patti from Roncesvalles to Zubiri. This industrial town doesn't seem friendly at all to pilgrims- I can see why the guides recommend pushing on to Larrasoana. Don't stay here if you can help it. No albergues are open right now. We stopped by the bar on your left after u cross the roman bridge and go to the church. The locals saw us and complained "oh no they're here to use the bathroom" like we were pests (this perception probably arises because previous pilgrims were not respectful and because of the speaker's own prejudices and blanket generalization ). No, we didn't use the bathroom, just asked a question on open albergues. Even the girl behind the counter gave us the wrong info. We had to walk all the way across town for a room at the bar for 50 euros for a double. Room is nice but Highway robbery when compared to a bed for 5-10 euros. I think I could have pushed on to Larrasoana, especially at my normal pace, but I went my companion's speed and didn't want to leave her alone her first day walking. Knees were also prob happy. No coincidence that she and I are both headed to Santiago and are flying out the same morning as well. She had to decide whether to start from sjpp or roncesvalles, but took my rec into consideration of starting by 9 in sjpp. She couldn't find any taxis from roncesvalles that early so started with me. I think I gave her a sound rec</p>

This is where stage 2 begins in the Codex Calixtinus

Camino Frances Day 1 St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles

DAY 1 December 27
weather and roads clear. I think today is an auspicious day to start the Camino- feast of st. John, brother of st. James who I'm heading towards. Man at pilgrims office in St Jean said only to take the Valcarlos route through the Pyrenees, not the Napoleon- he wouldn't even confirm the weather up there with me and said he wouldn't be responsible if I took that route. I think he meant well since he saw that I was solo. Family friends don't call me "mountain girl" for nothing...at least I hoped so.
6 others at the albergue, including a sweet Dutch family with 2 kids, 10&13, doing the Camino for 2 weeks. The father let me know the weather would be good today. I decide to walk the Napoeon route to Roncesvalles.
30 min. after I started the Camino at 8am stopping by the church st jean to say a quick prayer, I see 2 Valencian ladies that left the albergue before me, on the same route. Reassuring. Steep climb and this pack of 20-something pounds feels like a sack of sand. I'm making good time. It is beautiful! Blue blue skies. If I do get stuck in the mountains, looks like it will be clear for the night. Feeling some hot spots and moleskin the areas at Pic D'Orisson.
Near Cruceiro, take a turn off that I thought the guidebook had said was the shortcut. It's not. I actually end up using my compass because the winter sun is a little funny. Throughout the detour, I go with what I FEEL is right. Right on the paths I take I encounter full skeletons of a horse and sheep, with, fortunately, very little flesh left on them. Looks like winter caught them. Maybe I should turn back to where I came from, but it feels right to continue on. Long story short, I find my way to Cruceiro after a long detour circling another mountain and following a thin cattle? path not meant for humans. Not much ground gained. Sun is fortunately still high in the sky and looks like I could make it to RONCESVALLES before dark.
I make it to Col de Lepoeder and walk through some snow and ice, then go down through the woods of Irati. My feet are starting to hurt a lot and a thick layer of dry beech leaves obscure the path so I try to walk in areas where the trees seem a little more spaced out than the surroundings. When will it end??
I walk up to town as it gets dark and a group of policemen are just staring at me from the top of the hill. I say hello and they say buona sera. They continue to stare as I turn the corner and head for the pilgrims office.
Pilgrims mass in Roncesvalles presided over by 4 very in tune and musical priests. Seriously, they sing in harmony and in rounds! Their voices filled the church in a way that only the best acoustics could produce. Mass is in a mix of Castellano and Latin. It truly was a beautiful mass and we pilgrims got our blessing. Santa Maria church is small but gorgeous ma
Bleh menu del peregrin. Not worth the 9 euros, but the fellow pilgrim company was good! Met Patti and David, among others. David was curious about my emergency bivy sack. I wouldn't recommend it-collects way too much condensation. 13 at albergue in Roncesvalles. Most are Spaniards doing 3 day treks. Longest length 2 weeks.

Paris>Bayonne>St Jean

Train ride from Bayonne to St Jean Pied de Port very scenic and highly recommended. Sit on right side of train to be next to the river scenes. Guy across from me tried to get on the train with an invalid ticket. He ended up paying. Asked me if I was Chinese. One of many times. Don't peeps know the Chinese don't really walk the Camino, at least not for now?  Maybe I just really look Chinese. Another larger man a few seats away slapped his thighs loudly in rhythm to a song he was humming. Hilarious ride. Also saw grandpas playing bocce and 2 boys playing in the golden field
TVG ride to Bayonne not worth the time if you're already familiar with the French or similar countryside - it was a little monotonous except for the family of five that sat next to me. 2 year olds scream and cry a lot - corporal punishment was applied to them often. I generally love children so much I like to spend my weekends with them, but, I would rather fly next time.

A Paris Christmas

Christmas Eve
21:35 CDG- get bag off conveyor belt
21:45 take CD VAL shuttle from t1 to t2
22:30 hop off RER B at Notre Dame and see long queue already forming for midnight mass. Thankfully staying right on the same square as the cathedral. Throw bags into room and queue up for mass.
24:00 Midnight mass! The choir singing was a great precursor
Christmas DAY
01:50 Notre Dame's bells are ringing like crazy! Joy tremendously fills my heart. Legs hurt from standing at mass b/c there was no space to sit (also barely made into cathedral)
02:00 see three handcuffed  men guarded by police in the ER
02:30 sleep
09:00 cathedral bells wake me up
09:30 Laud morning prayer
10:00 Gregorian mass - choir is amazing
14:00 meet 2 nice Mormon missionaries from Idaho Falls and Park City who steer me away from pickpockets (not that I had anything valuable)
15:45 run to get in line for organ concert. Yay this time I get a seat. Sit with kind folks from Canton and Charleston. Organist and organ are top class-a must hear in Paris
17:45 Vespers evening prayer