Roncesvalles to Akerreta – Day 2 – 8kms

I started the day with a brainwave….as shoes were still soaking from night before…

Some previous guest had kindly left their hair dryer!

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any colder…I woke up this morning, with a sore knee…donned all my walking woolies, strapped the sore bits…fully anticipating a 27km walk through more mountains, looked out the windows and it was snowing….heavily!

So sub zero temperatures! Before breakfast I went for a walk outside to get the feel of chill and slipperyness and gauge whether my knee would handle it!

Yes it was cold and yes it was slippery, but

Kind of beautiful too…this is Roncevalles at its picturesque prettiness! Last night when I arrived it was kind of run down and just grey!

One more snow photo for the road…. Or not…I joined a table for breakfast with an American couple, who informed me a man died on the route I took yesterday and another had a nasty fall and smashed his face, to be rescued off the track by police and paramedics! These people took the low road yesterday (I didn’t know there was another one) and thought I had done very well to complete the mountains in those conditions!

My next decision was easy…I have hundreds of miles ahead of me and today’s route posed a very long slippery downhill before the town of Zubiri…and a bus came through at 9.30…to take me over the mountains….then a gentle 8km (undulating) walk from there to my next destination!

The difficult bit was finding out where the bus left from! Running around in the snow for about an hour I finally found an old Spanish woman who had a friend who could translate for me, that it left from the carpark! (around there!)

Off I trudged, to wait in the carpark…and get very wet and cold by the time 9.30 rolled around!

There was an American man, named John, whose destination was Zubiri, from where I was walking who also figured a bus ride this morning was a good option!

We arrived in Zubiri around 10.30 and went and grabbed a hot coffee…he headed off to his hostel around midday and I hit my Camino for the day (8kms) from here to Akerreta!

Leaving Zubiri to join the Camino trail (rather than follow the (busy) main road,

The sun was peeping out from time to time, however the waters were high …. As I hit the track….

I felt I was walking in a rain forest…as so much water has come down from the mountains…

The paths were rivers and at the lower points there was a bit of fording to do!

This was a little precarious and calf deep and fast running…so it was no haste all care…but saturated shoes again!

A few ups and downs…

And waterfalls on the side! …

An ancient 18th century abbey on my travels…looking rather empty and forlorn.

A bit of street art on the back of someone’s garage!

And roses and arrows showing me “The Way”, possibly not in the biblical sense just yet…it was more like get to my next hotel before the next rain shower swept through!

Too wet for snails…but this big fat slug escaped being trodden on by this kiwi pilgrim!…he was lucky as due to the wet nature of the path I did spend most of today’s walk looking down!

More beautiful Spanish country gardens on my final ascent to my abode for the night…arriving an hour before check in…I donned my Poncho and enjoyed a rest…

Waiting till I saw some life at my hotel, which once again is great (although I am on the 2nd floor and my transferred bag is heavy)

I’m in a very cute rustic room with lots of exposed beams that look like a hundred years old! And yay…I have a bath…albeit a shortish one, so had had a nice hot soak, going to take a beer and order my dinner…I may meet my breakfast companions from Florida, who I think they said they are heading here tonight! I can’t remember their names, oops, I wish every man was called John – that seems to stick on this trail!

St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles – day 1 – 25kms – The Camino Frances….day one of walking!

If I had written this story at 4pm when I arrived in Roncesvalles (Spain) from St Jean pied de Port (the start of my 800km trek), it may have been vastly different….now I have hot showered and filled my tummy (with the only thing that made sense on the menu) a hamburger…I am finally, warm, dry, breathing and not hungry! All I can say is you never get what you signed up for!! So my story begins…

Breakfast at my hotel did not start until 7.30am, and I was ready to go at 7am with an hour before the rain came in to get up the first hill at least, I forewent breakfast knowing I had a pastry, two apricots, nuts and a chocolate bar to snack on before the only eating place on this leg (8 kms away and all uphill)

This guy was watching the idiots clim out of his town, as he probably does every morning. I have to say there were a few of us getting an early start!

Then these guys settling in under a tree for the day, smart move in light of what rolled in around 9am!

The photos I have are from this morning only as after the rain came in …. My phone was buried deep inside the five layers of clothing I had put on this morning – in hope of keeping some warmth going on!

So we just kept going up and up and….

Up more as the sealed road ended and the real tramping deal kicked in….this was about the time the rain came in…and there was another two hours of Up before reaching the Orisson refuge…

The only building in this town…supplying hot drinks (first coffee of the day at 10.20am) soup, sandwiches and hearty food for cold drowned trampers! I took a loo stop here(the only one of the day weather I needed it or not)….they had one loo!

For a moment, while I was waiting for the loo…the rain stopped and it was clear enough to see where we were in the Pyrenees. When I arrived there I was engulfed in rain and cloud so had no idea where I was!

I was only 8kms in to the days 24.5kms…and as I left here…still going up….one foot after the other….this is where the predicted weather rolled in! The next three hours were going up, in howling 100knot winds (almost blowing my walking poles out of my hands!) the fingerless gloves, now wet in the driving hail (which was pricking my face skin) and rain, meant the ends of my fingers were numb with the cold! Luckily inside a thick black sack, in my now wet backpack, were Mums possum gloves! Which saved the day, or at least my fingers from getting frostbite!

I battled on to the sound of flapping ponchos, on other people…a waste if time today as they were almost launching the wearers into the clouds (and everything underneath was wet anyway!) I was just wet, without the threat of becoming Mary Poppins!

We peaked at 1450metres above sea level – at which point I saw the most exciting thing of the day…couldn’t retrieve my camera quickly enough…so I’ll have to paint a word picture….

Just as I was about to hit the 14km mark and nearing the peak of my climb…to my right a flock of Latxa black faced sheep, native to the Spanish Pyrenees, was wandering beside the track…down into a valley….then from above,on the left, a herd of wild Pyrenees horses came thundering down the last ascent, within 50 meters of where I was standing…circling and bucking around for a bit, then ran off down the side of the mountain! There were about 6-8 wonderful looking beasts, obviously trying to keep warm like the rest of us!

The last climb, or so I thought, stopping at the only other refreshment place on this day, a tatty old food truck, selling hot (sachet) drinks, cold boiled eggs and bananas….the food of athletes?? I grabbed a hot coffee…it was terrible but it was hot!!!

So a couple more 1km ups, then the terrain plateaued out for about 5kms followed by a steep 5km decent into Roncevalles…my destination for the day! I was starting to feel the knees by this stage!

Leaving this morning at 7am arriving at 4pm! A nine hour day…possibly due to my fitness level, but definitely weather restricted tentative walking…with at times zero visibility, lots of mud slides, and the super chill factor coupled with soggy clothing!

Nothing a very hot, long shower, full set of dry woolies, a cold beer and food…

The beef burger, which was delicious. I am now lying flat relaxing before another early start. Breakfast here at this hotel is 7am, so I will definitely grab a bite before I head off into another mountainous wet day! (Longer distance but less altitude!)

Besides the jail like cell last night I had a great sleep after the day of train travel! And escaped in search of a coffee around 7am…all very well to prove a coffee cup, sachet of instant coffee, but without any means of boiling water or milk it wasn’t going to give me my morning wake up call I needed!

The sky was overcast…the air was damp…the expected rain only moments away! and no cafes open as yet! So I scuttled back into my “room” to google where I might need to head and grab my raincoat! I ran into a man who was also on the hunt for some refreshments and we walked to a bar that the internet had suggested may be alive! He managed to get an omelette and I got my coffee…we then parted ways as he was off to set up his bike to ride over the mountains and I had a day to fill in!

I walked to tonight’s accommodation to see if I could transfer my bags and was very warmly met with a most helpful lady…

From the outside this looks like a much nicer hotel for tonight’s sojourn!

I transferred my bag and collected my Camino passport, registering myself for the journey starting tomorrow!

Scoping out my starting point and ….

Following the way of St James around the town. I found a supermarket and stocked up on snacks and water…and dived in and out of the tourist shops to avoid the incessant downpours!

Roosters are a thing here but no room to cart these in my small bag for the next five weeks!

The river looking very grey but as the clouds spread for a moment the mirror images reflected in the water….

Not being able to check in until 3.30pm by early afternoon and 10000 steps under my belt I stopped at a pub and ordered a beer so I could get out of the rain! This filled in an hour or so…and having explored the cobbled streets enough for one day I am ready to unload into my room and prepare all my wet weather gear ready for an early start over the mountains tomorrow

St Jean Pied de Port is a very pretty mountain village…full of tramping people filling in time until their walk begins, sticking up on ponchos and raincoats to brave the next few days!

I think I have got my head around a first wet walking day, but depending on what the morning brings (forecast is saying 100% chance of rain all day) I may start my journey with a €5 bus ride to my first destination!!!

The view from my balcony, a bed large enough to fit 10 of me and a bath! Luxury!! For tonight at least!

After three days in Paris I have, today, arrived in St Jean Pied de Port – the starting point of the Camino Frances!

Paris provided me with a Sunny Saturday – then two days of Rain (I thought I was leaving this behind) and freezing cold temperatures – down to 6 degrees and up to 13!

On Sunday before the inclement weather kicked in Sally and I walked from her place to the Place de Clichy… a small 5k walk but enough to earn a beer at the Irish pub!

Very shortly after our arrival the rain came in… so it was a bus ride home!

Monday morning it was still torrential rain and didn’t ease off until midday when we ventured out for a few errands and lunch…. A bag repack for me, a load of washing and the first shop of winter pyjamas …. Which I have already worn! Spring in Paris is preparing me for my walk! Which is predicted to be a couple of cold rainy days….this wonderful weather pattern seems to be following me south!

However my day of travel from Paris to the Pyrenees was a sunny(but chilly) one today.

Sally came with me (on the first train ride) to Montparnasse, where I caught the long haul to Bayonne in the south west of France…a three and a half hour ride….and as luck would have it I had a (single) facing backwards seat! Then it was a transfer to the regional train to my destination…full to the gunnels of (slightly smelly) trampers all psyching up for their big walk!

So it was goodbye to Clichy (Paris) and hello to……..

St Jean Pied de Port! I am still in France (just) My 15 year old bag is failing in the wheel area and a slight climb up the gravel path almost broke its back! However from here on in, she will be travelling by taxi while I travel on foot!

I had booked an extra night here so tomorrow I can prepare myself (mentally) for first day which is 27kms over the mountains…heading towards Spain!

I arrived at my hotel at 6.30pm…the exact time pre arranged and no one was here! Finally a man arrived (after a few what’s app messages) …. To give me a key to my cell unit – no windows, and no air! A small bathroom, which I am grateful for, and a bed!

I have to be out by 10.30am , no breakfast included and the wifi doesn’t connect as I am in a concrete cell! Hopefully my tour booking hotels provide a little more comfort!, and less isolation!!! Although this is a pilgrimage, one does not need to feel like they are in Jail!

So it’s Netflix on my phone! A chocolate bar for dinner and hopefully a good nights sleep to battle through the next week of (predicted) rain!

Jaxon Dropped me to the airport around 11am for the first leg of my journey from Auckland to Singapore!

I shouted myself a Mother’s Day pressie…a possum beanie and this knockoff necklace (just felt I needed to keep telling myself these words!)…. the Beanie has been well worn in on freezing flights! The easy flight first…10.5 hours, two dinners and a great full leg length emergency row seat! So far so good…,

Three and a half hours in Singapore…one of which was used up navigating the geography to the departure gate! By the time we boarded it was 3am NZ time – definitely ready for a nap!

You can’t win them all, window seat but jammed in cattle class rows with the person in front reclining onto my knee! A 13 hour flight , five hours of sleep, missing the first round of refreshments, I realised how thirsty I was after 10 hours in the air! My neighbours weren’t budging, so I rang the bell and asked for both water and coffee! Both a token gesture in little paper cups!

From one extreme to another…however I did get an aeroplane breakky before landing at 7.40am Saturday (evening 6.40pm NZ time)

The next challenge was to wait for a bag and find a taxi from the airport who did not rip me off….a few thousand steps in the airport and finally arrived at my home for the next couple of days…..

Clichy Paris, and a beautiful sunny 25 degrees…. Perfect for a wander around the market, fresh strawberries and apricots! And a salad for lunch at a local cafe!

Sally’s terrace garden looking very spring like and colourful!

And Bert the resident pet doing his very best to ignore this stranger in his home!

After a couple of beers, cheese, baguette and pate for supper, a refreshing shower – I have hit a wall….time to lie flat and catch up on the last two lost days of my life!!!

Another one opens….my life for the last month

Jaxon sold my house so it was all go for the packing and cleaning….certainly five weeks of “one day at a time”

While trying to maintain my yoga and walking training for my big adventure ahead!!!

A few hikes over the hill…

Beach walks before Yoga classes…

Babysitting! this exercise didn’t end well as I stepped in a hole, rolled my ankle and sent the gran baby flying!!

Family time….cousins enjoying some Gran’ma house time before there was nothing to sit on!

Packing container, which is now full to the roof and doors with all my worldly possessions – far too many but no time to cull, just all packed up and ready to sort when I return to my new abode at the end of September!

Another couple of storms – that brought this tree and a slip down over the road, closing it for two days….making our journey south a little limited!

The final push a week ago, when I hired a truck and my two youngest offspring emptied the house! Leaving behind a plethora of wildlife hiding behind the heavy furniture – and an clear space ready for its exit clean!

Pots and plants all deposited in their respective homes for the winter…. Mary Rose (with mums ashes) planted in a wine barrel was the last to leave! The bottom of the pot came off the barrel and Mary(ashes) decided to stay in the garden! Was she telling me something? She didn’t really want to leave Waiwera? Well after a couple of days I decided she is coming with me and dug her into a snaplock bag ready to replant with her Rose at the new house!

The babies turn 2 next week, and I will be somewhere in the Pyrenees in the south of France, so we celebrated last night with fish and chips …..

And star wars cupcakes! With some very aggressive food colouring!

So as I prepare for my last yoga class this morning…do a final clear at my house (no longer mine), and pack my bag for my 6 week walking adventure on the Camino trail in France and Spain…I say a final goodbye to my home in the sleepy little village of Waiwera…

Taking in a quiet drink (a few days ago) with friends as the sun sets over the Riverhaven wharf and the chill factor of winter starts to seep into our bones!

A week after I leave (tomorrow) the new owner takes possession of my house and Dan and I move into our new one’s (well my cortina will move in, followed by my container “stuff” when the boys get a chance) and I will spend the kiwi winter in Europe returning via Texas!

Fun times for all!

February and March have flown by, with many milestones and changes in our southern hemisphere kiwi hometown of Waiwera.

Dane, my nephew (and the boys cousin) got married at Piha, so we all donned our gladrags!

And the girls brightened up the summer day with floral frocks and expresso martini’s!

Hot on the tail of this event, number one grandson turned 5!

With cake and chaos! Embarking on his school life at the beginning of February!

Mid February, Trudi and I set off on a roadie to Wanganui to visit with Brenda and Graeme (Russell’s brother) for a week, they had had a few health challenges and we spent a week of walking, shopping and eating!

Taking in an afternoon concert with “The Hogsnort Rupert bulldogs” iconic kiwi band from the early seventies! Belting out our childhood tunes!

At the end of February, Dan and I made a life changing decision to sell our two homes and invest in a lifestyle block with more garages to house our plethora of vehicles!

Dans house sold within a week! And mine is only a month on and generating some warm interest now! The month of March has been an exercise of investigating our next move! We have secured one to settle on the same day as Dans …. So it’s all go with packing and planning as I will be out of the country on settlement date!

Which brings me to the next adventure!

I have been hitting the hills (on foot), though not enough I’m sure, to prepare myself for my first adventure in Europe this year. Locked and loaded for the Camino Frances hiking trail, 800kms over 35 days! Watch this space… I’m hoping my hours in the hot yoga studio have strengthened this old girl enough to avoid any major injuries!

Meanwhile I have been enjoying my younger granbabies who will turn 2 a week after I leave NZ on the 8th of May!

So as daylight saving ends, jeans and sweaters come out, Easter bunny hops into our lives, and I prepare to vacate my Waiwera home for good, life is busy as usual !

After a whirlwind 4 days of sunshine, Tennis, friend time and lots of wandering, I sit at the Melbourne airport with a moment to catch my breath before heading home to NZ! Hopefully the storm there is passing and the sun will come out!

After a long day of out of town adventures on the Mornington Peninsula on Tuesday, I was ready to hit the crowds again at the AO Tennis yesterday …… especially when I realised who I could watch!

Finally found the AO banner for a quick snap!

And Corienne and I headed to the John Cain arena…. Getting in on my ground pass ….

And snapping up padded seats….four rows from the court!

A real opportunity to watch my favourite women’s player up close and almost personal!

Yes Elina Svitlina – the winner of the Auckland ASB tournament this year!

She is a very focused player…and saves her smiles for her wins…which she did and is now into the 3rd round…and of course just behind her coaches box…

Was her tennis legend Hubby always in support – the Frenchman Gael Monfils! Always an entertainment to watch!

The 2nd game of the day featured Daniel Medvedev …. Another player I have followed with interest over the last few years….

He provided a good show….dropping first set and winning the next three…

To also progress to the 3rd round! I then met Corienne, who took the evening off work…and we wandered in search of a cool drink…on another very warm afternoon!

The first stop in Federation Square…near Flinders station, with everything tennis, a big screen….and a nice cold Pina Colada!

We then wandered alone the riverside to the huge bar houseboat….found a comfy chair in front of a big screen, poolside (yes on a boat) for a regular drink…as the sun went down and the (patrons) noise levels went up!

As it was impossible to have a conversation (surrounded by exuberant patrons) we carried on along the river towards our quiet abode…

Spying another (tennis ball adorned) riverboat restaurant on the other side…. It certainly is all about Tennis in Melbourne at this time of the year…and lots of people having fun!

So the mini break ends….as I fly home this morning….to see if my house and garden have survived the storm!

Literally – today we were booked into a tour from Melbourne city to Mornington Peninsula and everything in between! A new experience for me . as tours are not usually my thing! But we had the best day in our small group of 6..,two from Belgium, two Romanians, a kiwi and an Australian (English) with our Aussie driver(guide) Jenny!

The day began with a walk along the Yarra river..,

Watching rowing action and strolling with the early risers heading towards the tennis! We, however, were heading towards our rendezvous at the Melbourne arts centre!

Enjoying a coffee while waiting for our tour!

After a little confusion as to the actual meeting point and a bit of pacing up and down St kilda road, our little bus arrived and we joined our fellow tour buddies (total 6 including us) for the day.. first leg an hour and a half of highway driving to arrive at ….

Arthur’s seat… elevated views over Port Phillip Bay…

We could have taken the cable car, but as Jenny was driving to the top there was no need!

We then loaded back into the van and headed towards the next stop – cape Schanck lighthouse built in 1859…

Which guided ships around cape schanck for over 100 years….

The gals soaking up the sunshine at the lookout point! From here, on the way to Sorrento, Jenny dropped us off on a coastal bush walk along the edge of White beach …

Where the knarled branches met in overhead arches…

And foreshore (privately owned) beach huts in bright colours dotted along the coast

The beach sparkling in the midday sunshine! We then headed towards Portsea for lunch and the first refreshments of the day!

A group photo of the tour group and Jenny ( our team leader!)

The Portsea Hotel…providing good food, cold drinks and a sea view from our terrace dining area!

One more hot spot to visit …. The final stop at point Nepean national park …the furtherest peninsula point on our tour, with glorious white sandy beaches…,

Blue blue seas…

Driftwood sculptures

And remnants of the old wharf …. Of course with glamorous models enhancing the relics!

And a reminder of the first European inhabitants of the area…still relatively untouched!

A final stop on our homeward journey at the Sorrento waterfront pub…with our free beverage at the end of the tour! Before a 90 minute drive (with a quick loo stop) back to the city! And….

An expresso Martini…to finish the day before heading back to relax into some TV Tennis!

Once again leaving New Zealand to its stormy week, I leapt on a plane at 7am on Sunday to head to Melbourne to join my friends at the Melbourne open!

Arriving around mid morning to a sunny day…my friend Corienne met me at the train station and we had a bit of time before she had to head to work at the Tennis for the evening session… I took the trams with her and walked back through the Sunday tennis festivities!

Along the Yarra River…

The city bathed in sunshine…

Old pub… full of handovers … not ideal if one needs a drink!

Flinders station, I could have caught a tram here, but decided to walk through the town to fill in the afternoon. I got back to the hotel late afternoon and settled in to watch TV tennis… popping out briefly to grab a kebab for dinner..we are in an area littered with kebab and Korean BBQ eating places! So spoiled for choice if you like Turkish or Korean food!

Yesterday was tennis day, I had purchased a ground pass for the day, Corienne was starting work in the afternoon and with the knowledge of the experts (Corienne) you can get into some of the stadiums…

But first the gate…the day promised to be full of people with a 30 minute queue to get in …. Then it was off to surprise another Brisbane friend who was also visiting the tennis yesterday!

It was a great reunion …Corienne, Kim and my kids all grew up together in their early school years!

We got a pass into the John Cain Arena…and spent the day session there watching a men’s and women’s singles first round game…Kim and her Hubby had to leave at 3pm to head for their flight home and Corienne was off to work for the evening session… I managed to get a wristband to return for the evening session … but in the interim took a stroll around the outside courts…

Leaving the comfort of my stadium seat..

I joined the throngs of people all going somewhere! I managed to find a seat in an outside court with some unknown players and thousands of others!!! My claustrophobia kicked in … was getting a bit hungry and thirsty so headed back to the arena, with a full water bottle at least!

Two night games were scheduled a women’s open and a men’s open!

It got to a third set in the women’s game and I hit the wall…crowded out …,

Headed home to hotel by foot and tram collecting some food and TV Tennis for the evening! Slept well, now for another day of adventures, non tennis as Corienne has day off!