There are no strangers on the Camino and everyone on the Camino has a story to tell.
Last night as we prepared for our last day in Saint Jean Pied De Port, and made some final preparations to depart on Thursday, we sorted through our backpacks ensuring that we weren’t carrying anything we didn’t need and the items we were carrying we’re in proper order for the trip ahead.
With those preparations behind us, we took another stroll through the beautiful streets of Saint Jean Pied De Port and then on to the transport to check some luggage forward .
while in line at the transport office, we struck up a conversation with Maura, a wonderful Australian traveler who was inspired by a dream years ago from which she awoke and drew a sketch of herself; Years later, seeing a photo from the Camino, she realized that her dream, unbeknownst to her, was an exact representation of her entrée to the Camino; In her case, more than any other that we have met, the Camino was truly the fulfillment of a dream.
Maura shared with us some of the trials and tribulations she had dealt with during her first days on the Camino; an amazing story of accepting the things that happen and simply moving forward.
it seems that in getting to the Camino, her luggage was lost and she got to the hostel with literally nothing but the shirt on her back and a small travel bag with a few personal items in it!
In true Camino spirit, she refused to be deterred by her circumstances, bought a bandanna and some trekking poles, put a smile on her face and headed for the 17 mile hike up and down the Pyrenees from Saint Jean Pied De Port to Roncesvalles; 16 miles 11 or more of which is straight uphill (and when I say straight uphill, I mean straight uphill, the road is so steep that it seems as though as you’re walking up, your nose is gonna scrape the road in front of you).
She finished the toughest portion of the Camino, with a smile in her face and an attitude that said “if I could do that I can do anything ”!
in the true spirit of the Camino, she took to heart a popular saying “the Camino will provide“; According to Maura, the Camino gave her a feeling of exhilaration and success that simply buried, gone and forgotten the frustration of her days of travel, lost luggage and more.
we made a friend and equally important were inspired by her fortitude and commitment and her pride for having done without the luxuries she had packed and “trekking on“ in the spirit of the Camino.
Our new friend Maura
Buen Camino
