From Roncesvalles / Orreaga to Zubiri (736.3 km to Santiago)
In the morning at 6:15, a security guard wakes us up – he turns on the light and reminds us that it’s time to pack up the beds. By half past six, a loud voice is already urging us on. We get up, tidy up, change clothes, and pack.
V kuhinji avtomatu za kavo rečeva naj samo mleko – dodava domačo kavo iz nahrbtnika. Okus po domu.
Yesterday, along with magnesium, we also took some painkillers – I think it was a good decision. Our legs don’t hurt today.
We hit the road. We took a photo of the stone marked 755 km to Santiago, then posed by the road sign showing 790 km. A kind Korean woman took our picture.
The view of freshly washed nature after the rain is breathtaking. The path is muddy, and it’s a bit harder to find our rhythm, but better this than rain while walking. The memory of yesterday’s rain and wind is still vivid.
Today we don’t have a set destination – we want to let our bodies recover and shorten the walk to regain strength. The step counter isn’t very accurate, and the distances don’t match the guidebook. It feels like a kilometer is a bit longer here.
We walk to the first store and stock up on food. We have a snack in the park in the town of Auritz. Then we rejoin the Camino, which leads through the forest to the village of Aurizberri, with an interesting modern church dedicated to St. Bartholomew.
The path then climbs toward the Mezkiriz pass. It starts as a soft forest trail, then suddenly turns into rough, rocky pavement. Our legs start to hurt – relentlessly. At the hilltop Alto de Erro, the terrain alternates again between rocky ground and gravel.
Next comes the descent – long, rocky, exhausting – all the way to the town of Zubiri. This place is known for the Puente de la Rabia – the Rabies Bridge. It was once believed that an animal that crosses the bridge three times would be cured of rabies.
Pensión Ezubirata is our home for the night. I do the laundry, then we take a walk around town, have dinner, and now… good night.
Talk to you tomorrow,
Martina 🌙✨
