So, off to Jaca we go! We took a bus to Zaragosa, which was a very strange place and the first stop on our trip. It was a giant city, just covered in graffiti. The terminal was HUGE! It was just completely void of people, it had a very gritty feel. Strange noises would also resound through the station, they sounded like the beginning part of Pink Floyd’s song, “welcome to the machine.” While waiting for our next train, we walked around a bit. We saw an elderly women throwing meat to alley cats that just kept coming out of pipes in the ground; it was a strange contrast to elderly people in the United States who feed pigeons with bird seed. I also had my first miracle while in Zaragosa! The train stall machine ate my ticket, declined it, and the train was just about to leave. Amazingly, on the opposite side of the row of stalls a door opened, allowing me to get on the train just in time!
The train in Zaragosa!
The train brought us to a city called Huesco, where we got the last bus to Jaca. We stayed the night here, in Jaca. Then, we began our Camino the next morning.
When we started, it was raining of course, and we got lost! It was okay though, the whole city was unreal and without a doubt the best place to start a Camino, plus it had a castle!
Just a part of the castle, it was huge! The fortress was honestly almost a quarter of the town and also had a draw bridge!
Soon after, we where hopelessly lost! We were saved though, by a kindly resident who basically walked us out of town. We found our first Camino sign as well.
We walked 26 km that day and saw all sorts of amazing things, like stone rock sculptures, and the giant Aragon river!
These stone piles went on for a surprisingly long time!
Finally, we arrived in Arres, which was absolutely incredible, words cannot describe. The alburgue was beautiful, in the mountains, and kind of smelled like my grandmas house, which was cool. We had a great dinner, and a tour of the village. There is just so much life in this place and the air is so sweet. This alburgue was also just donation based, which was great!
The town of Arres ^
Today, we took kind of an easier day and only walked 18 kilometers. It was a beautiful day and we walked among valleys, mountains, forests, and rivers. We explored abandoned stone huts, wrote and drew. We moved with the sun at our backs and the wind with our feet, an amazing day.
Also, after arriving at the hostile, I washed my clothes by hand, for the first time! I’m having such an amazing time here, one I’ll remember for the rest of my life, I’ve never felt as much peace as I do now. I’m always thinking about you guys and I love you all so much!
Jackson and I, Look at them beards!(day 7)