Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Wednesday 4th June 2014....Camino day 1!!!!

Before i tell you about my day I want to just inform you that for the Camino I shall be referring to my walks in km and you will have to work it out for yourself in miles but one km is about.6 of a mile. The same goes for costs i will be telling what things cost in Euros and here is the break down for that.. 1 Euro = 17 pesos 1 Euro = 1.48 Canadian dollar 1 Euro = .8 pound Had a great sleep and my small down travel pillow is very comfy I woke up around 7am to rain...something about the rain in Spain comes to mind!!!!! Estitxu showed me where things were in the kitchen and i fixed myself breakfast and left around 9m for the tram station.....Estitxu who teaches Portuguese was still sleeping so I left her a kind note thanking her and looking forward to being back here in a few days the Camino trail goes almost by her apartment. The tram station was maybe a 4 minute walk and a 5 minute wait and it cost me 1.5 Euro About 10 minutes on the tram and it dropped me off right outside the bus station and I got in line and paid for a ticket 8 Euros and had to wait about 40 minutes before we boarded and a pleasant and uneventful journey to Irun. 5minute walk from the bus station to the hostel and I got there around 1.30pm my travel book told me that it did not open till 4pm and that was correct so I went walking and found the bridge on the border of Spain and France where my Camino began so this is the first step of thousands to come!!!!! A couple of shots of the town did not do too much exploring but found a nice bakery cafe and had a bite to eat and relaxed before I went back to the hostel at 3.45pm. My book tells me it is best to arrive early as sometimes the beds can be taken quickly and I was fourth in line and I signed in and received my Camino Passport this gets stamped at every stop and is needed to be shown finally in Santiago....the cost of the hostel is by donation so i put in the can 5 Euros...the place is clean but busy about 7 rooms with six beds in each room bunk style and I did manage to find a room with just two beds and as I was there second I have the top bunk the guy down below is what I would kindly call very unfriendly and I was surprised!!!! The first thing on my agenda was a cup of tea then i also learned really quickly that you take the shower room when you can so i had a great long hot shower and then went out for a walk to find Internet and I am in a Tapas bar, not eating Tapas, writing this blog. So I have walked my first 5 km of the Camino and what I know so far.......not sure if I will adapt to hostel life will see this is the start and it is very busy and again a surprise mainly men. Many Spanish women are stunningly beautiful but they love to smoke!!!!!!! My pack is full and I have re sorted yet again but even though it weighs about 18 pounds my pack feels great. I feel relaxed and am not stressed about the route or finding it or where it may lead.... I need to eat and drink lots and regularly..... I am blessed.... There is a small supermarket across the street from the hostel so I am going to buy something easy to cook and then the lights have to be off by 10pm. Did you enjoy the first day??? Yashi Kochi!!!!

5 comments:

Jean and Skip said...


Good luck to you Les, in your travels and in your hostel room mates.

Esther said...

I suppose the women are looking for a bit more comfort and/or security in their lodgings. It will be interesting to see how conditions evolve as you travel to the more remote locations of the walk. Happy trails!!

Carol said...

So excited to start! Hahaha I've always wanted to go to Spain! :)

Kevin Read said...

I think I also would have a hard time with the hostel life. I learned a long time ago that I can't sleep in the same room as a snorer...and I can't do earplugs either.

Looking forward to your adventure!

mexicokid said...

thanks for all the comments todays hostel is a private one and i see a good night's sleep coming sorry I have to go the grgeous beach in San Sabastion will blog later cheers L

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