manana espana . . .

. . . or demain espagne . . . and a change of plan . . . after an early start in the dark of Lourdes, I followed the road signs for Pau, took the bypass and after an hour or so ended up more or less where I started . . . there is a poem on this theme I think . . . anyway it was met with equanimity, since I am not in a hurry and the training is necessary . . .

. . . hitching from the outskirts of Lourdes wasn't working, so I set off again along the quiet road in the direction of St Jean Pied de Port, though the route is not direct . . . the camino from Lourdes is marked most of the way, but I wasn't planning to walk it all . . . at St Pe de something or other, the first coffee of the day . . . perhaps my last addiction . . . I was craving it . . . in Stanhope I would drink a glass or two of red wine each evening; since starting the trip I haven't drunk alcohol at all . . . so far . . . at the tourist info I explained about the hitching difficulty . . . that's Lourdes, she said . . . I didn't seek clarification . . . outside the village, the first lift, and good conversation . . . a builder, spent most of his life as a chef, changed direction . . . a short ride to Bruges and another coffee . . . four layers leaving Lourdes, now, at 11 am, it's t-shirt again . . . nothing moving in Bruges, so walk to the next village, pick up a lift, another friendly chat . . . a short wait . . . Oloron? . . . just before . . . he doesn't talk, though friendly enough . . . drops me at a junction 5km before Oloron, halfway to St Jean . . . I walk it . . . hot, hungry . . . find a restaurant before lunch is finished . . . salad chevre and a plate of chips . . . realised I had skipped meals . . . 3pm now and late to make the still awkward second half of the trip before dark . . . see from the map there is a direct route to Spain and a Camino trail too . . . voie d'arles . . . check options at the tourist info . . . hotels here are dear, the Auberge closed . . . three buses to St Jean . . . one to Urdos and the Auberge open . . . she books my bed, arranges for the local organiser of the association of Chemin de St Jacques to meet me, sort out my pilgrim passport (so I can use the Auberges along the way) . . . not sure I want the pilgrim label . . . or that I will walk all the way to Santiago . . . let's see . . . at Urdos a 12 bed Pilgrim Gite . . . only me here . . . tomorrow up to Somport, down to Canfranc . . . and Spain . . .