Getting to St Jean-Pied-de-Port

To St Jean-Pied-de-Port where the real journey begins.  Click here to see map

I know that, in many ways, the journey began that day, several months back, when I made the decision to walk the Camino but now that I was actually heading for St Jean-Pied-de-Port I felt a new sense of excitement and anticipation about the unknown that would inevitably arise along the way. 

There's not a lot to report about this phase of the journey. The flight left on time, arrive on time. The bus to Bayonne arrived almost immediately I exited the airport and for the first time I now noticed I was not alone on my quest. The bus was full with backpackers including several from Ireland. I hoped the heavy rainfall was not a bad omen for the journey. The rain cleared before we reached the train station. What I saw of Biarritz was truly beautiful but maybe the bus takes the scenic route. 

Broken recall button:
Arriving at the train station I purchased my ticket to St. Jean (there are several so you need to be specific) The train was not due for a couple of hours so I went to a small pub in the station and sat over a few coffees to kill the time. I also began to record the first entries in my diary. I  should mention at this time that my recall button is broken. That's the bit in your head that helps you remember your past when someone says ' do you remember when we ....' or something along those lines. I rely on photographs and notes to help me recall everything. Once I have those triggers the rest falls into place. So, my diary and my camera are constant companions while travelling. Sometimes, on short trips or a day out the camera will suffice. For a long trip I cannot rely on photos and memory, I need to have notes too. My recall button is not completely broken, just malfunctioning.

A view of St Jean-Pied-de-Port from the Citadel above the town

The rains came again as the train made slow progress towards St Jean. Most people travelling on the train were either in pairs or groups. I did not notice any other lone travellers but it could be that they only met their travelling companion since arriving in France. Most were walkers but there were some who brought their bikes along for the journey. There were people from Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and others I could not be sure about. 

A short ten minute walk from the train station took me into the centre of St Jean where I easily located my hotel for the night. The last booking I planned for the next 800 kms. From now on it would be a case of arriving into a town and taking whatever was available. I would use John Brierley's Camino guide to try and narrow down the options. 

After checking in I took a stroll around the town, took some photos and purchased a poncho. I went back to my room to shower before setting off again for something to eat. I had a beer and dinner and then decided I needed to sort out my backpack for the morning. 

Well, I could not get everything into my backpack so I attached a waterproof bag to the outside of my pack. This would contain everything I should need for the day while the items in my backpack should remain untouched until I get to the Albergue. That was the plan anyway. 

I was not sure that I would be able to complete the first day, a 27 km hike across the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles, without an overnight along the way. I knew there was an Albergue after about 10 km so I decided I would see how I felt at that stage and  stop over if I thought I would not be able for the remaining 17 km before nightfall. I had not purchased any food or water for the journey, I really was being very relaxed about this trip or is that naive?.