Zubiri

Well I am  definitely on the real Camino de Santiago! Some two hundred pilgrims piled out of Roncesvalles this morning all heading down the trail toward Santiago. The hostel had people up and going by 6:30 (they require everyone out by 8am), I tried to delay until almost 8 o'clock to allow the sun to get a little higher. It has been another gorgeous day! (About the fifth in  a row!) Not a cloud in the sky. Though there is always a wind blowing, and it can be cold, I still sought out the sunshine for warmth, rather than the shade for cool. So walking was great, and I'm feeling pretty good, though the trail was like a highway sometimes, with people running into one another, or having to wait to pass up a slow walker. So many people are on this trail that they've paved a great part of it - an eight foot wide sidewalk going through the forest. All I talked to said they were heading to Zuribi, the first place with pilgrim's hostels, about a 5 hour walk, so not exactly a short day is even possible.  And of course no other place is set up like Roncesvalles able to handle 200 pilgrims a night, so I was worried where all these pilgrims were going to sleep. But it seems that many of the early starters - fast walkers went on ahead to the next place, and us slower walkers, are stopping here at Zubiri, and while this place seems full, there aren't people at the door looking for places, so I guess we'll all get strung out, everyone doing their own thing.
An interesting event took place last night at Roncesvalles, a young cellist from Juilliard, Dana Johansen, gave a concert in the old church (amazing acoustics! ) playing a couple of Bach's cello suites. So besides a free concert, he is walking the Camino carrying his cello, giving concerts along the way, and making a film about the Camino and music. I even ran into him along the trail, with cello on his back, and we talked a bit about those things which lift the human spirit like music, or gothic cathedrals, or nature. So he wants to experience the beauty of the Camino and see how that effects his music. It will be interesting if I actually see the film someday. Www.walktofisterra.com
I joined  with the local parish for Mass this evening. I did understand that in the Gospel Jesus said, "I am the Camino", so that was nice and will make a nice meditation (because I didn't understand the homily). The altarpiece featured the Blessed Mother with the Latin words: Maria Purissima. Mary Most Pure. I prayed especially for all at MPH in Chamois.
May the Lord bless you all tonight.