Crossing Over

Day1 Spain...Roncesvalles to Arre de Trinidad 40km

So, after such exertions yesterday climbing the Pyrenees and all, word on the camino was to take it easy today and not overdo things so early on. This i translated into thinking a 40km day was quite a reasonable undertaking. Still no monks when the lights went on at 6......kindly they had them on a dimmer switch system so you had about 10minutes before the full 150watt solar blast hit you.Even being the last to leave at 7.30am it was still dark and i was not so enthralled with this keeness to leave while the stars were still out. Apart from anything else it was nigh on impossible to find the bloody way and semi asleep pilgrims were walking round in circles in all directions. Saw small french lady, Francoise, this morning in a small town called Burguete. Given my random sightings of her in places she should not be i was beginning to think she kept hopping on the bus, which of course is highly frowned upon in pilgrim circles. Pushing on i passed two german girls who were making about 4 miles a day with plentiful ice cream stops, they were very sweet but i doubted i would see them again. Arriving in Arre, a few miles from Pamplona i was welcomed into another monastery building with chapel inside and beds upstairs. Brother Jacob signed me in, stamped my credencial and showed me around with unfaltering enthusiasm for pilgrims and the camino. I was so pleased to have gone the distance today as this was such a gem of a place to spend the night. Drank tea endlessly for the remainder of the day.