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?. 

1: St Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles

Camino Frances - Day 1 - August 27th 2013:  St Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles

Contour Map: Copyright John Brierley click here to see notes

Click here for Google Map and my starting point today

Despite waking early after a  very poor night's sleep I could hear many people outside, already on their way. I took my time getting ready because I knew I would have to wait for the shops to open so I could at least have some water for the journey ahead. I set off at about 9am immediately after purchasing a couple of litres of water. My backpack was stuffed to capacity, I had an extra bag strapped to that and now I had to use all the pockets in my trousers to carry Notebook, Guide Book, Water etc. My camera was strapped to my chest for easy access and to stop it bouncing around.  The weight of everything in my trouser pockets was pulling them down so I had to tighten the belt almost to the point of strangulation. Five minutes into the walk I knew I would have to revisit the packing arrangements. 

 I set off at a reasonable pace full of enthusiasm and energy. Well, this first stage is truly a baptism of fire as you are immediately faced with a steep incline. This should not have been a surprise because over the course of today's stage you start out at 170mtrs, rising to 1,450Mtrs and finally descending to Roncesvalles at 1000Mtrs.  I passed many people who were taking it really easy at first and I decided I too should slow down If I was going to make it all the way today. 

I passed a middle aged women from the US who was struggling. She had a massive backpack and wore very heavy clothing. I spoke with her for a few minutes and she assured me she was fine because she had booked her place in Alberge Orisson, about 10Kms into this stage. I thought that perhaps I too should have booked ahead but that's not how I wanted to make this journey. 

I sat on a rock at the side of the trail to take a short break, write some notes and have a drink of water. A Canadian family, Mum, Dad and two daughters came by. The father had arrived first and we had spoken about our intentions and he planned to walk with his family all the way to Santiago. When they joined us he said to his wife and girls, 'Hey look, this guy sitting on the rock taking notes is Irish, just like in the movie, how cool is that' ............

I reached Alberge Orisson at about 11am. It was too early to stop walking for the day but it had been a difficult start to my journey and I was already questioning why I did not do a bit of serious training for this trek. However, I was still hoping that my fitness would improve over the coming days

Outside Alberge Orisson. Some of pilgrims looked like they were settling down for a relaxing day

I ordered a ham and cheese roll and an fresh orange juice and enquired about accommodation for the night. I was advised that they only had a small tent with an airbag left if I was interested. I declined, sat outside with my brunch, took a few photos and considered my options. Already tired I was looking at another 18kms across the Pyrenees to the next available place to put my head down. I decided to push ahead and put this first challenge behind me today. 

The weather was cloudy and cool but perfect for walking with 30lbs (13.6kgs) on your back. The scenery was spectacular but as I climbed higher a heavy mist swept across the mountains. The 18klms was even more difficult than the first part of the ascent to Orisson. It just seemed to be going up forever and just when I thought I could go no further I came to the descent. This too is steep and in many ways even more difficult to manage that when going up. 

I met a lot of people today and chatted with them whenever I stopped, or they stopped. I met English, Irish, French, Canadians and a guy from Turkey. We had been overlapping until we both stopped at a water font and got to know a little bit about each other. He worked for a bank in Turkey until 2010 when the bank closed down and he found himself out of work. He then set about forming his own training company and quickly made a great success of it so much so that he could now take time out to walk the Camino.  

I was totally exhausted by the time I reached Roncesvalles and could not imaging trying to sleep in a crowded room. So I checked into the Roncevalles Hotel, my last treat I told myself and one I deserved after surviving this first, difficult, challenge. A small bit of me felt guilty because I was determined to use the Albergues as often as possible and here I was spoiling myself on the first night. I asked for a room with a bath and was assured that all the rooms had baths. Nice as the room was it only had a shower (language issue?)but it was big enough for me to sit down in and run a cool spray over the base of my two feet until they felt almost normal again.

I decided that I would not shave over the course of the next couple of weeks although I must confess that I love that clean shaved feeling each morning.

My head is still full of everyday stuff. I had little hope of clearing it out while struggling through this first stage, Maybe tomorrow? 

I think I need to be less wordy about my day if I am ever to get this blog finished.

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Other Links, relating to this section of the Camino, you may wish to follow 

St Jean-Pied-de-Port:

Images of St-Jean-Pied-De-Port available on the internet

Wikipedia on St-Jean-Pied-De-Port

Roncesvalles:

Images of Roncesvalles available on the internet

Wikipedia on Roncesvalles

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Topic: Who walks the Camino.

I gave little thought to the other people I might encounter on the Camino before I set off on this trip. I was focused on my journey and still unclear about my motivation but with a creeping suspicion that it was more spiritual than it was a physical challenge. 

So, in the course of my Camino trek, and bear in mind that I was not walking in the peak time, I met people from all over the world, each with a common goal albeit with different reasons for undertaking this personal pilgrimage. Boys and girls, men and women, young and old and every shape and size you can imagine. They came from countries near and far, many with unlimited time to complete their personal pilgrimage and others with only a short break from their 'normal' routine to take this precious time out to meet their own objectives. 

Somehow, our different ages, nationalities and drive to undertake this journey becomes as one common experience. You no longer see any difference, just, like minded individuals sharing a common purpose. Perhaps this is one of the great gifts of the Camino experience. I spoke with many young pilgrims who admitted to never having spent time speaking with older people. There are many reasons why this is so common but I believe some of them will go back home with a new outlook and maybe share some of their precious time with their older family members. 

The group who I found to be the most inspirational walkers on the Camino were the older women, those around my own age and even older. They just got on with the journey despite injuries, aches and pains. They didn't complain choosing instead to get out there every day and walk.