Starting point: Urdaniz, España
After a breakfast of toast, yogurt, and tea provided by our host, I set out with my pilgrim friends, who made for excellent company. They started out speaking English to each other in consideration of me, but I soon encouraged them to speak in German–the original language of their friendship–promising I could follow along well enough and ask for clarification if needed. However, having worked so diligently on resuscitating my Spanish in the weeks before my departure, it felt somewhat bizarre and disorienting to be thrust back into German immersion.