accelerated post

I have like, 8 minutes on this computer (they charge you for it...) so I am going to give a fast-paced account of my last three days.

Got into St. Jean on Friday evening and stayed the night at a hostel in this crazy great ladies home, it was full of incense and cigarette smoke, cats and rabbits and her 12 year old son.

Hiked out late the next day and got myself stuck up in the Pyrenees in some insane wind. My walker family can relate to this wind, it was definitely like the wind in the desert, remember Desert Rock? It was like that, only a couple of degrees more, I had to use my walking stick on more than one occasion to keep from getting blown over. I took shelter in this little cinder block three-sided structure the shepherds use. At one point I went to find a better spot to maybe camp in and, I swear to God, the wind picked me up and knocked me on my ass. I decided I would try to sleep in the little structure anyway, got my bag unfolded...and it started to rain.

Had a bit of a panic, packed up, hoofed it back onto the road and saw a shepherd in his little truck. I motioned towards the farm and asked if I could stay in the barn. As it turns out, I happened to ask the guy who´s barn it is and he said it was fine.
It was a little sheepy, but it was dry and Dominique, the Basque shepherd (!!!) made me a cup of coffee. He didn´t speak any English, and I didn´t speak any French, but it was all good.

Tonight I am in Ronscevalles. I was going to camp, but it´s cold out, my bones are sore from hiking with a pack, so I´m gonna stay inside, I´m pretty wet and need to dry out. The church here is amazing.

The walk goes through some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. It´s exactly what I had hoped for.

So far, so good.

Lots of love to everyone...hey Kataleen-san, sorry to hear about your wing there. Hope it´s feeling better.