This motivated both of us enough to speed up and keep going, even uphill for a long-long time.
The next thing I remember is that we are standing on a mountain top, the highest point we`ve been so far, with an exquisite view.
Wherever we looked, only lower peaks around us, some of them already covered in sparkling snow.
Finally we saw other people ahead of us, two German girls with a little boy. The girls told me they brought the boy on this pilgrimage as part of his therapy because he had done “something bad”. We didn’t ask what exactly, though. But later, when it got darker and we were wandering in the dark woods we began guessing, between the two of us (they were far ahead of us by then), so creepy thoughts made my skin crawl.
And that’s when we crossed the Spanish border.
This gave me hope that we cannot be that far.
Soon after this encounter we found ourselves lost, deep in the woods, slick mud beneath our feet.
No Camino signs anywhere, the path is not even a real path, at least I doubted it, but it’s very steep.
We were sliding and slipping down the mountain, we even fell in the mud, at least one of us.
I started to wonder: is this that dangerous road the French ladies warned us about?
The one we shouldn’t be taking under any circumstances, especially when it’s wet and slick?
I bet it was.
This realization didn’t cheer me up much, but we couldn’t do anything about it. It was too late to turn back.
And just as dangerous as going forward.
I kept praying quietly, and then out loud – this one doesn’t understand a word I’m saying anyway, and was focusing very hard not to fall again.
I was traversing carefully, trying to get a grip in the slick, wet mud, how I learnt from my mother at an early age.
She used to go on hikes a lot when she was a geography student in college and by the age of 2 I was already hiking with her and my dad with my own little jean backpack when we were on vacation in Dresden Germany.
Maybe this series of primitive movements that became an instinct saved my life now.
I was always focusing only on the next step and didn’t even notice the village at the foot of the mountain: Roncesvalles! Finally!
Roncesvalles
It was really late when Jeremy and I literally fell through the albergue’s door.
Sweaty, exhausted, gasping for air, we collapsed onto a bench by the entrance.
A kind-looking middle-aged gentleman welcomed us and seemingly found it very amusing that we were obviously in bad shape and were barely alive.
‘Haha, Americans…’I didn’t even have the energy to object.
Somehow, we climbed the stairs and got into our room.
It was a big coed room, so long I couldn’t see where it ended, divided into a lot of 4 person cubicles.
I dropped my bag on my bed and went to take a shower.
At least men and women had separate showers here.
After I got all cleaned up we walked downstairs to the restaurant where they served a special pilgrim’s menu.
Later we realized it was a rip off, outrageously expensive, but we didn’t know it back then.
Here we met Mauricio again, the three of us dined together.
I took my chance and asked for both of the boy’s email addresses, in case we never see each other again.
And there was a high chance of that!
After dinner I climbed in my sleeping bag and would have fallen asleep immediately if one of the other 3 pilgrims wouldn’t have snored that unbearably loud.
I blamed Jeremy.
It wasn’t him though. (He didn’t snore – back then…)
Finally my exhaustion had won and I fell asleep, or more like, into an unconscious state.
Noises of packing woke me up.
Some of the pilgrims were already up and getting ready to leave.
I quickly packed my stuff, woke myself up with an ice cold face wash and when I got to the entrance I ran into Jeremy again.
We found Mauricio in the nearby café where we sat to have breakfast.
We had coffee and orange juice, and it just felt so natural to share a sandwich with Jeremy.
It was wise to eat when we could, who knows what and when we’ll find on the way.
For me personally the breakfasts and warm showers meant the highest level of luxury on the Camino.
After we were done eating all three of us walked outside, getting ready for that day’s walk, checking which way to go.
That’s when we met Kath and Todd, a lovely couple from North-Carolina, where Jeremy came from, too.
In Munay,
Emese
