Cow Intestines?? (5/31/2016)

*** NOTE: For the more entertaining version of our Camino, follow Rachel’s blog at RAMills03.wordpress.com. For a more reflective version, follow Eric’s blog at sabbathcamino.weebly.com. Keep reading mine if you can stand the length and the details…or maybe skim it? ;)

It’s hard to know where to start in describing today, but it is well worth describing!

A good night’s sleep in a good bed does wonders for the soul. And we stayed in a wonderful hotel on the French side of the Pyrenees. If was a funny little place with floors that changed elevation from room to room, and where rolling a marble down the hallway could be a fun adventure. Rachel had a view to the mountains and we had a view to the city—both equally inviting. 

Camino Passports

We began our day by finding the place to get our official Camino passports that must be stamped along the way in order to get a certificate of completion at the end of the journey. And we picked up shells to add to our backpacks so that we are no longer incognito. We wandered the city of St Jean for a while, trying out our fully loaded backpacks, our walking legs, and our map skills. Mine are lacking, and I am no longer allowed to voice my opinion about our route! ;)

We hired a taxi to drive us over the Pyrenees and got a lovely, twisty, winding drive through the mountains that allowed us to enjoy the view and congratulate ourselves on our decision NOT to walk that leg.

We arrived in the city of Roncesvalles shortly after noon. And, when I say “city”, I grossly exaggerate! When I asked our taxi driver for a recommendation for a restaurant, we said, “I only know one there.” Turns out there might have been three… but the one he recommended was good…at least it ENDED good.

I love to travel, but we are picky eaters at best! Now, one of the MAJOR blessings of this journey is that Rachel (who is gluten intolerant) has discovered that she can eat bread here. (Something to do with the difference in the way Europeans process their wheat. We had been told this, but Rachel was hesitant to get her hopes up.) So, we’ve had several “risky” meals (but all with EXCELLENT bread!)

An appetizer of cow intestines

We come to the restaurant at Roncesvalles, and we want to have food, but we aren’t sure we understand the menu. Rachel speaks a bit of Spanish, but I miss her warning when the waiter suggests a shared appetizer. He highly recommends, so I accept. He walks away and Rachel says, “Mom, I think that’s cow intestines!” It was a soup, sort of thing that was rich in grease, and the pieces of meat were very strange in texture. And even though I wanted to be a good pilgrim and appreciate the food set before me, I just couldn’t. None of us could. But I was really hungry for something that would satisfy. 

Now, you have to have something good to drink with a meal, and I had recently discovered Sangria before our trip. Since that was on the menu, Rachel and I had to order some. Imagine our surprise when Alejandro pulled out a pitcher and began to mix our Sangria—a bottle of wine, sliced lemon, squeeze an orange, a shot of something from at least 3 bottles :0. And then he delivers it to us in a tumbler, like you’d serve a big iced tea or lemonade in! Delicious!

Alejandro was visibly saddened when we couldn’t eat the appetizer. We asked about the pilgrim menu, but he came back to tell us there was no grilled chicken, only pork. He brought out a full menu and began to offer ideas.

When all was said and done, we had a table full of food! First he brought 2 pasta plates (Eric and I shared one and couldn’t eat it all), then came two plates of chicken wings (delicious, but we are already stuffed!) and THEN comes the largest plate I’ve ever seen, piled high with potatoes topped with pork pieces and some sort of cream sauce. Fully embarrassed, not to mentioned stuffed, we did our best to eat all we could. And, of course, asked to take it to go. Which was enough to feed us dinner! And all the time, Alejandro is our patient, friendly and funny waiter.

As we end our meal, we do some quick math and figure that even if he charged us at the pilgrim menu price (which he shouldn’t) our bill should be at least 40 Euros. When I go to the bar to pay, he insists that Eric (the husband) must pay! And I ask to take his picture. He turns to the computer to ring our bill and quietly says to Eric: “20 Euro”. Eric tries to argue, but Alejandro insists, and won’t even accept a tip.

Alejandro and the fan (and the leftovers!)

He brings us BAGS of leftovers and asks to take a picture of all of us. Even turns to the nearby table to hand them the phone. :) He and Rachel exchange Facebook info and then he insists on coming outside to hug the Papa.

Blessings abound! And the Camino is just beginning! Tomorrow the challenge of walking begins with a 16 mile leg. Woo Hoo!