Auberge Borda- my second albergue

After lunch at Orisson, I headed up the road to my overnight stop, Auberge Borda, just 2 km away. I arrived about 2:30 pm, having left St Jean Pied-de-Port about 8:30 am. Total distance is 8.6 km, but all extremely uphill,  plus stops for coffee, stretching, breath-catching, sheep-gazing, and lunch.  Was feeling pretty proud of myself for doing this and started thinking I should have gone the extra kms into Roncesvalles.
 
 
I was greeted by this:
 
  
 
I had hoped for this:
 
 
I'm an early riser and really wanted to start from St Jean so that I could see the sunrise and sunset over the Pyrenees:
 
 
Sunrise
I

Sunset

Instead, I could barely see the cows.


Auberge Borda (https://www.aubergeborda.com/en) is a refurbished sheep herders hut and barn and is beautifully renovated and set up for pilgrims. I was early as opening time was 3:30 pm but I could get out of the rain and fog and take off my boots and get a coffee.

 

Another pilgrim arrived soon after me, also an American, Jack -  and he was from Mebane, NC, about 30 minutes from my home!  And with his arrival, I was not the oldest pilgrim.

Others arrived, along Laurent, our host who explained where our bags and boots and poles were to go. Again, we had a plastic bin to carry items up to our room.  Upstairs, Laurent assigned bunks and handed out shower tokens- which controlled how long we'd have hot water.  He also offered to do laundry for a small fee.

 

 


There were 4 rooms of 4 bunks, each with privacy curtains, pillows, blankets, hooks, power outlets and reading lights.  Bunks were very comfy and the privacy was great. 

My bunk below with my bin and my stuff spread out. Each bunk room had a bathroom to be shared, with a hairdryer.

 

After getting settled, we all gathered in the other building that housed the kitchen and dining room. Laurent prepared dinner and we all help setting the table while enjoying wine and beer and getting to know each other. This is the best part of the Camino, I think.  And I was thrilled to see that my New Zealander friend from my first day in Biarritz was also for the night. My Camino family...





In only 2 days, I had met about 40 people and learned a bit of their stories. Amazing. Although I had only planned to stay in albergues when necessary, thinking I needed the privacy of my own room. I was beginning to reconsider.

 

Laurent had a collection of books about the Camino and the Basque country. This is a book he received from a Korean pilgrim, Changhyun Kim. Each page is an image from his Camino, and is marked with location and distance from Santiago. Its a beautiful record of one's journey across the landscape.



With Laurent's help, when I returned home, I was able to reach Mr.Kim on Facebook and purchased my own copy as the best memento of the Camino.  Mr Kim inscribed the book with "ultreia",a common greeting on the Camino.
 
Ultreia
 is an ancient Latin-derived cry of encouragement for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago  in Spain, meaning "Onward!", "Go further!", or "Beyond!". Often paired with "et Suseia" (and upward/higher), it served as a rallying call for pilgrims to keep going, overcome challenges, and reach their destination, symbolizing both physical and spiritual perseverance. 
 
Below is an example of the luggage pick up package. Local companies shuttle pilgrim bags across the border between St Jean, Orisson, Borda, and Roncesvalles. Once in Spain, local Spanish companies pick up the task. Its easy and inexpensive.


Once again, relaxed, well-fed,and tired, we all retired;tomorrow would be another ambitious day.





































 

 

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