LOURDES
The Camino this time is still continuing to be very nice with me, which is most encouraging !!
The hitch-hike from Saint-Gilles to Lourdes was lightning quick (well, apart from the bit where I managed to head the wrong way on foot LOL), and Oscar, who took me most of the way, to within 10 miles of Lourdes, is an Italian bike pilgrim who will have done his first Camino stage today.
I arrived in Lourdes at about 6 PM last night, then immediately found a place selling Chimay gold top, a beer I had been wishing to taste for roughly 20 years, but even that pleasure was unable to lessen the beautiful joy of the Lourdes Pilgrim Hostel, as it is simply, and hands down, the BEST I have ever stayed in.
The internal wooden architecture instantly tells you that this isn’t just any old Refugio — while you’re here, it’s Home. The wonderful Jean-Louis is keeping it mostly single-handed, on a Donativo basis, and he provides not just a wonderful breakfast and a superb home-cooking supper — but also his fatherly kindness and warmth, so that his stuff is your stuff, his kitchen your kitchen, and your Camino is his joy.
Last night I was the only Pilgrim in the main dormitory, and there was only one other pilgrim in the Hostel — tonight though there is a mix, seven of us, four starting still Lourdes, two having walked in from beyond, and the last being a foot pilgrim to Lourdes who has therefore just finished his hike.
Five of us are walking on out tomorrow, so I’ll see which I’ll be bumping into along the Way …
I attended a Traditional Latin Mass this evening, just down the road, which naturally turned out to be the Mass of the Transfiguration, which is one of the most important Saint James Masses of the year (among many other aspects of course hehehe).
Looking terribly forward to start the Camino in the morning.
PGS the Way 
Julian
It sounds like you are embarking on a most meaningful and glorious Camino. How are your knees doing? Have a safe trip.
Buen Camino
Lynda
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Slowly getting back into the Camino way of life. Got a little stuck at a village festival in Ogeu, and while I ended up not making it to Oloron, I had a wonderful night’s sleep in the porch of a small village church, and the experience has reminded me a few days earlier than it may otherwise have taken that one should keep oneself free of being dictated to by the way markers and by the daily stages suggested by various documents and Camino associations.
I’ll simply skip Oloron entirely, which will shorten the way by about 5 km, as I’m only a few K from the Camino down towards Somport.
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Julian, it sounds like you’re doing this pilgrimage in the manner in which you’ve approached it in the past – eschewing the niceties of the guidebooks, and doing what feels true and right to you.
Bill
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strangely enough, my knees aren’t really bothering me — think I have a longer comment stuck in the spam filter
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That’s so good to hear Julian.:) Really looking forward to reading about your Pilgrimage.
Lynda
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Bill
I know today is already tomorrow I believe but isn’t today your birthday if you were in the USA? HAPPY BIRTHDAY if it’s today and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY if it was actually yesterday!!!
Last year you got the shell ring for your birthday. Did you get anything Camino related this year.?
Lynda
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Hi Lynda – thank you so much! I had a lovely birthday – and no, didn’t get anything Camino related – got a kettle and a toaster – and a beautiful card from Jennifer. My children though have chipped in to get me a Pono, which is a new high fidelity recorder/player developed by Neil Young on Kickstarter. It plays music in the full dynamic range, not compressed the way iTunes plays it on your iPod. It’s coming in October, and should be amazing. Aren’t I a lucky fella?
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Long and tiring slog yesterday, and the pack is pretty heavy, as I need to carry Autumn gear as well, instead of just having a light Summer load.
So I’m walking slower than I ever have on the Camino, which itself is not helped by the terrible muggy heat that is slowing everyone down, Pilgrim or otherwise, as soon as it starts raging towards lunchtime.
But yesterday I did my entire day’s walking without the knee braces, and despite a couple of quite tough bits — the off-piste cuts through a woodland slope and the fields in order to remove 4 km from the day’s hike, the horrid post-thunderstorm mud corridors of the sections of GR trail I ended up needing to take a couple of times — the knee only started squealing a bit during the very final couple hundred yards, and then stopped as soon as I got the pack off my back upon entering the Cloister of the small monastery here which is gaining some new life, as the last remaining monks have made a super Pilgrims Hostel for the great benefit of the footsore and weary travellers along this ancient Way.
Though it cannot be said that my feet and shoulders are unhappy with the painkillers that I’m carrying with me supposedly for the knees …
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Julian – that’s fabulous about not needing the braces. Do you think it’s those injections into your knees which is helping? Mid August is going to be pretty much the hottest time of the year there, no? (bloody freezing here in Mudgee!!) – but it sounds like you’re handling it ok. But again, great news about not needing the braces. Congratulations!
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Oh, I definitely need them — but it does seem to be not every day
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Bill,
Had to look twice at what your children are getting you for your birthday. At first I thought it said PORNO, then looked a little closer and saw it was a PONO .Never heard of it before. Is it something you can listen to music on while on the Camino or does it have to be plugged in.
Glad you had a good birthday. One year ago tomorrow Aug 13th, we left for our Camino.
Hugs X2
Lynda
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haha – it’s funny – just mentioning the word “porno” put your comment into my spam folder!
Not sure if it’s portable or not – but I love the whole idea of it.
And happy anniversary for your Camino walk! Next one is Italy!!
best
Bill
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