# 4: Day 2, Camino Frances - Espinal to Larrasoaña 22km

There were some really lovely parts of the trail skirting farmland

I went to bed with Voltarin last night which was a big thing for someone who generally doesn’t do pain relief, but it was a little tender to sleep on that strained backside (!) and the pill certainly helped. A little sore but happy after yesterday’s effort and today was always gonna be about “backing up” which felt a lot unknown when I had gone to bed!

I’m still generally only doing 5-6 hours of sleep and not sure if that’s the excitement, the expectation, or the fear. Maybe it’s simply the time difference adjustment? I was pleasantly surprised how good the body felt, and I got away around 8am. The forecast was for 28degs so any hours walked early would be worth so much more later in the day and this proved true when the forecast turned out correct.

Because I’d stayed at a location 7km in front of the “pack”, I started the day with fairly lite company and proceeded with the turtle philosophy I’ve adopted right from the get-go - slow and steady, it’s not a race, right?

Today was a day of coming down out of the foothills of the Pyrenees and as I’ve explained earlier, the downhills are almost harder than the opposite and we had some steady ones today with a mix of properly formed concrete paths and then some rougher stony and shist type escarpments which required a little more consideration with each step.

Then through beech forests very typical of New Zealand bush

On arriving at St Jean Pied de Port on Friday, I had randomly asked a passing stranger if he could take a pic of me in front of the starting arch…just in case there was no one to do similar the next day (which there wasn’t except my self-timer!). The fella obliged, even offered some different angles, and upon returning my phone and hearing my “thanks”, enquired if I was an “Aussie”. Being a pilgrim, I excused his blasphemy haha but we shared some encouraging words and wished each other the best for the trail.

I briefly saw him yesterday at Roncesvalles before I moved on down the Camino but this morning, he caught up to me early and was thankful for some communication in English, it was great to share “the way” for an hour or two.

He’s a former Australian soldier, so fit and with some really interesting chat and although I’m sure I slowed him down considerably, it made the first leg of my stage go slightly faster than I think it otherwise would have and it was great to listen to some “better work stories”.

My first stop was Zuberri, where most were scheduled to finish for the day but after a cold beer and a disappointing burger (kicking myself later when I walked into the little store and saw fresh bread and sliced ham), I punched on 6km to my final resting village of Larrasoana.

The temperature soared back on the trail in the early afternoon and 6km felt like 10 as the body lied to the brain which was trying its best to “embrace and enjoy the difficult moments”!

Aussie Kriss. On the bridge at Zuberri Kiwi flag at a small bar in Larrasoana

With a couple of kilometers to go it was kind of encouraging to hear another Australian accent behind me when contemplating an unclear junction and they say, “The way will provide” and this fun Aussie provided not only the reassurance of direction but just the perfect level of banter to wile away the remaining distance left in the day.

I’ve spoken about the Camino family and maybe I just expected it to happen on day 1 but by day 2 there are more familiar faces, people are finding their feet (literally) and maybe just a little bit of connection is starting to develop which is nice.

This Albergue is really good and modern with amazing facilities, the beer was cold and could be purchased onsite, conversation was flowing, I lucked in with some leftovers offered by the two Germans I stayed with last night who unexpectedly stayed at the same

place tonight by chance, admin got completed…and oh, the top bunk awaits…I didn’t snore on my own last night in my private room so should be good tonight, right?

The bulls await in Pamplona tomorrow.

Buen Camino

I'm sure I've earned this! San Nicolas Alburgue

Yup, the anxiety of the top bunk in a room of six got the better of me and I grabbed a swab off an outside seat and nestled in the reception. Crap sleep but peace of mind for now!