Roncevalles

Sunshine peeked through mist covered valleys as we left Orisson. Basque pilgrim Ignacio serenaded walkers before the departure. He had walked various stretches of the Camino 16 times and offered suggestions on where to stay in Finisterre.

 Ignacio singing -- it was a special moment.

Walkers getting ready to go

Paulina and Brook all set

Au Revoir to Jean Jacques

The Vierge in early morning light

More horses grazing by the path

A rest stop van was perched on top the peak with nothing else in sight except horses and sheep. The wind blew fiercely, and we had to tighten our hats to keep them from blowing away.

We're still in France at this point on the pass.

A walker from Holland joined us on the way. Dad is walking with just our food bag as we sent a pack ahead to the monastery albergue in Roncevalles where we'll stay.

A marker in Spanish & Basque indicates the border of Navarra, the first region of Spain on Camino Frances. Hola Espana!

Crossroads at the peak, Col Lepoeder, which is at around 4,600 ft.

A leafy stretch felt good on the feet.

"Lil" (Mom) in stones by pretty periwinkle flowers

Misty fingers spread through the valleys.

The monastery complex in Roncevalles was in sight on the descent. The building is now a major albergue, Albergue de Peregrinos, and where we also stayed in 2011. It has 4 floors with 183 beds for walkers.

The chapel above is near Puerta de Ibaneta on the way down into Roncevalles. The structure was built over a smaller chapel once occupied by a monk who rang a bell to guide pilgrims to this spot in bad weather. Mosaic glass covers the side walls.

The stained glass inside could be seen through an opening 

on the building's locked door.

Later, fog surrounded the albergue. The forecast 

for tomorrow is rain. 

We waited in the monastery's cobblestone entryway for the albergue to open. There are many hospitaleros, or albergue volunteers, working here -- they even offer laundry service delivered to your bunk!

The building's floors are divided into cubicles with 2 bunkbeds per 4 walkers. Dad was in the top bunk checking our guidebook. The other walkers sharing our space were from France and Albania.

La Posada is a hotel in Roncevalles where a scene from The Way was filmed and also where we ate a peregrinos' meal.

Tomorrow we bus to Burgos where we'll begin the second segment of our journey on the Meseta. Before leaving Roncevalles, we posed by the sign on the outskirt of town that indicates the kilometers to Santiago, 790k (491 miles). Many walkers stop to have their picture taken here.