Over the Pyrenees and into Roncesvalles, no rain!

A wonderful morning, again. We started with breakfast at the casa rural and then hit the road about 8:30. The sun shone on us as we climbed, and climbed, and climbed. We climbed about a half mile in about 7 miles. At the top reaching the point where Roland failed to sound his oliphant and recall the army to save him before he was mortally wounded.



By the time we got there we were pretty tired, but the vistas were spectacular and we loved it all. At the top it was windy and we donned our jackets for the descent into Roncesvalles...only about a mile and 300 ft less elevation.

We are staying in a renovated monastery...monks never had it so good.os at mass at 8:00. This is totally cool.

This town has 20 inhabitants and hundreds of peregrinos...especially on bike here for some reason.

All is well for today...about 14 miles to hike tomorrow.


The photos (not in order because I cannot make them stay in the order I put them in) show:

• a foggy morning in the Pyrenees
• a clear view of a craggy mountain top
• a hazy view back down to a town we climbed past
• a couple of views along our dry! trail today
• cold, tired, wind-blown hiker at Roland's Pass
• kids building a monastery out of styrofoam rocks on a field trip in Roncesvalles
• the hallway in our 'monastery' and a corner of our living room
• the old hospital, turned gite d'etape, where the ward had bunks for about 100 pilgrims