Hi all! Today we walked 15km through the Pyrenees mountains to finish off the section and made our way in Roncesvalles, Spain! 

We walked in winds up to 40km/h, quite literally being blown off the trail, walking like a drunker sailor trying not to fall over. Although it was intense winds, I had so much fun. Call me crazy, but things like this are so enjoyable to me. The winds made it more exciting than perfect weather would have. The only downside – my hood didn’t fully protect my face from the wind so I got some wind burn which is unpleasant but manageable. We walked past a food truck (conveniently located for snack and coffee mid route by a local shepherd), as well as multiple bunkers that were used during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. The route also had plenty of shelters to protect from the weather since it’s an extremely dangerous route at certain times of the year. Just last week there was a sudden snow storm and pilgrims had to be rescued. 

Once in Roncesvalles we got to our hostel, an old monastery and that is beautiful! A church on the grounds is the first ever completely gothic Catholic Church in Spain, built in 1200! My Dad and I went to Mass there and got a tour of the crypt underground, along with a history lesson of the church, which I accidentally ended up helping with. My lack of understanding Spanish led me to volunteer to read the English explanations of everything while the priest spoke in Spanish hahah. 

The hostel has a proper washer and drier so we were blessed to really clean our clothes, rather than the usual hand wash. It’s the little things in life haha. Dinner was served at the hostel, and it was amazing! When I ordered fish I wasn’t expecting a FULL fish, head and all, on my plate, but that’s what I got and it was delicious. 

Otherwise, it wasn’t an overly busy or exciting day. We are excited to be continuing on. Tomorrow we will be walking 22km. Please continue to pray for us. You are all in our prayers as we take each step. 

Buen Camino, 

Hannah + Tony