In November 2008 Jack walked the Camino Aragonés from Jaca to Puente la Reina and then to Roncesvalles and Pamplona. At least, that was the plan: checking out the details one more time before the Handbook would be published. At the refuge of Artieda he met Juanito, a guy from Barcelona. Juanito told him that he was on his way from Barcelona to Santiago in honor of his deceased brother. The man had died recently in a hotel room in Palma de Mallorca. Juanito had been there to see the spot where it all happened. Now he was on his way to SDC. The next morning Jack had fallen ill, so Juanito and his companion, an (adventurous!) Italian woman named Clelia, disappeared in the direction of Sangüesa. Jack went there as well, in a car with one of the hospitaleras of the Artieda Albergue, to look for a medical centre. Coming out of that centre he went to the busstop to take a bus to Pamplona, city with affordable hotels. At that moment Juanito passed in the rain. "Don't sit alone and sick in a stupid hotel room in Pamplona", he said. "Come with me to the albergue!" That sounded like a good idea. The albergue of Sangüesa is good and the caretaker, Juan Pedro, is friendly. "Stay as long as you like", he said. That evening Juanito came back drunk as a skunk to the refuge (lots of sadness!) He left the next morning with Clelia and a final farewell: "I will not shave anymore until I reach Santiago!" Jack went by bus to Roncesvalles, to find comfort with his guardian angel in the Colegiata Church: Santa María de Roncesvalles. The next morning all sickness was gone.
Juanito in Artieda
and the Medical Centre in Sangüesa (Thank you ...)
Top: Clelia & Dining Room Albergue de Sangüesa
Bottom: Albergue de Artieda & Albergue de Sangüesa
In January 2009 Jack walked from Burgos to Santiago, a distance of 500 kilometers, with a lot of snow but safe and healthy. After an eighteen-day struggle he reached Santiago where he received his Compostela. Now it was time to go to the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos to receive a free pilgrim meal. Hopefully there would be more pilgrims; Jack had not seen many since Burgos. Just before 7 pm, while standing in the parking garage underneath the Hostal to receive his "ticket", there was a yell: "¡Jacobo!!!!!!!!!! ¡Amigo mío !!!!!" Jack did not recognize the man. Anyway, he was more interested in a cute South Corean pilgrim (Inéz) who he had not met yet. Cristian was there as well, a madman from Riga (Latvia) who walked without a backpack and also without money. Jack had given him € 10= a few days earlier in Triacastela. Cristian did not even carry a Credencial (Pilgrim Pass). All his stamps were placed in his Latvian passport! Then there was an Italian pilgrim, a nice man named Mapu. All went to the dining room and sat down. Who is he, the bearded man? Then suddenly it dawned: "I know you from Artieda and Sangüesa!!! You have got a beard now Juanito!" (Juanito had also interrupted his pilgrimage for some reason.)
We had a marvelous meal the five of us. We stayed from 7 pm until they kicked us out at 10. Cristian stole a bottle of cheap wine from the nearby staff-room. Life as a vagabond isn't easy! To illustrate the story here are some more pictures.
(Read more about the hospitality of the "Hostal de los Reyes Católicos" in the Camino Handbook.)
Inéz, Juanito, Pamu, Cristian.
St. Mary of Roncesvalles
Colegiata Church Roncesvalles