Pictures form 88 day of my Camino, 37 km to Saint-Palais (y 2015). I started very early. There was an unusual bridge in Orthes and the gate on it – you may see it on a picture in album below.
After 88 days of constant walking from Poland, I almost got lost in days, paths, fields, villages, everything started appear to me as an endless space, through it I had to walk, and walk and walk. But that day, suddenly I saw something on the horizon. I saw it and I stopped. And I stood there for a long while.
On the very edge of the view something new showed up. Big, massive, maybe majestic. Yep – Pyrenees. The first time. It’s quite different thing to know something and to experience it. I knew that they are there. But when I suddenly saw them – wow! All my journey started to have shape. There is Poland with it’s flat green planes, an ocean of green color. There Germany with hilly terrain. France with all the beauties of flowers and different flora, and now – Pyrenees – Europe stated to emerge from my journey.
Not all my friends arrived to Saint-Palais. Christophe went to a doctor with some kind of blisters. Willeke and Aurora managed to get to albergue after 37 km, brave girls!
I still hesitated which Camino route to take in Spain. Since Argenton in France I had my one foot a little destroyed, and every day was a challenge for me: “Will it go worse, and I’ll be completely done or do I survive another day with a little pain, and some strange impressions?”
The most important thing to me was to get to Santiago. Everything else was meaningless. But I longed for an ocean and Camino del Norte which is more difficult than Frances.
I sat down with a Canadian from Quebec and ask him what should I choose. – “Take Frances” – he said. “95% people take for the first time take Camino Frances. Later You may choose a different path”.
He was wrong. Fundamentally wrong. First: maybe there would never be this “later”. We much to often put off things for latter and that way miss something even we love or long for. Second: he was completely unaware of my and most polish people character. If I am told that 95% ppl do something in some way, that’s decisive argument to do exactly opposite! I know, I know… it’s kinda strange 🙂
But due to medical concern about my foot, I decided to go next day do Saint Jean Pied de Port and then ultimately decide about the route.
