11 For Dinner

It reminded me of boot camp; lights out at 2200, common bathrooms, scrambling to organize yourself before going to sleep. Did I sign up for this again? The short answer, Yes. I slipped in my ear plugs, closed my eyes, and was out.

I woke up at 0445-my usual wake-up time. Rising before dawn called to me but I opted to stay in the rack. No one was stirring and I refused to be the first to make noise. I was quite cosy so I drifted in and out of sleep until 0600. Josef found me around 0700 and said we had to walk two kilometers for breakfast. We departed shortly thereafter for Zubiri. 

"Speed good?" Josef asks.

"Ya." I reply.

Silence.
Josef and I have little exchange while we walk together. He knows more English than I know German. Our attempts to communicate are comical mostly. We point to objects and say them aloud in our native tongues like school children. So far I've learned more German than French and Spanish combined! We keep a good pace together and the lack of conversation allows my mind to wander freely; alone but not alone. Josef catches me daydreaming from time to time and has to get my attention. It's easy to meander from the Camino in the villages where intrigue and mystery lead me astray. "What would I do without You, Josef?" He cannot reply.
We arrived in Zubiri, 25 kilometers from Roncevalles and stopped at the Cafe de Camino for coffee and a snack. We logged 15 miles and I'm ready to be done. I asked Josef where he is going to stay. 

"Here?" I ask.

"Nein."

We attempted another comical conversation. It went virtually nowhere but he gave me a sad face when I told him "Zubiri." Finally, I grabbed my Camino book and looked at the map. He pointed to another town, Larrasoana, the next village, another 5 miles. I looked at my watch; it was only 1300. I considered it. Josef looked at me and said, "Tomorrow rain. Today, no rain." "Let's go!" I said. What's another five miles?

A few others continued past Zubiri as well including a trio of thirty-somethings who speak German...and English...and Spanish. We kept pace on and off with them. I was happy Josef finally had someone to talk to. We arrived together in Larrasoana and selected an albergue to stay in. We checked in and end up in the same room; the last five beds of twelve. We showered, washed clothes, and made our way to the backyard where we basked in the warmth and let our feet rest. 19 miles today.

Gregor, from Berlin, is a cheerful, gregarious bloke who has a great sense of humor. Ina, from Munich, is incredibly sweet, open and friendly.  Aleix from Spain is slightly more reserved, very polite with kind, brown eyes and has a fondness for cats. Angelo, an Italian-Sweed who speaks German, Spanish, French, Italian, and very little English offers to make us all dinner. He loves to cook so how could we say no? Conversation flows easily between all of us, occasional interpreting required. It's an eclectic bunch at dinner; five French, two Germans, one Spaniard, one Italian-Sweed, one Austrian, and one American. Angelo prepared an incredible meal for all of us. It was brilliant!

After dinner we headed to the pub for coffee. Aleix and I talked about our purpose for doing the Camino. Like me, he is searching for some direction; to find the courage to let go of his fears and follow his heart, perhaps as an artist. I know this crossroad. I hope the road to Santiago speaks to us and gives us the courage we need to follow our dreams.