Camino a Santiago Day 0: Arriving in St. Jean Pied de Port

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been so focused on the fact that I’m sitting on a fully booked flight, that for a minute there I lost sight of the big picture. Until I didn’t.

As we took off from O’Hare, on a non-stop flight to Paris, I opened the window for a moment and then it dawned on me. I’m leaving the U.S for the longest consecutive period of time since I first moved here 22 years ago. Wow.

No matter what happens, the next six weeks are going to be as much an exercise in managing that as in taking care of my feet. As obsessed as I’ve been the last week with every ache and pain that my over-anxious brain has been manifesting onto my body, that little fact didn’t seem to figure in my thoughts until now.

I mean, it’s not like I’m going to some totally foreign culture, where I can’t speak the language. I thrive on international travel, exploration, and on meeting people from all over the world. That is my thing, so to speak. There is also, not a single logistical aspect of this trip that has not been taken care of. By me. Exactly tailored to meet my wants. I am not, to be clear, a traditional pilgrim on the Camino, so I’m definitely not worried about that.

But as many of you know I am seriously considering an eventual move to Europe, Spain specifically, at some point down the line. This time away, is in a sense, is the beginning of a process that should clarify whether such a move is realistic, or just an idealization of a lifestyle that sounds great in theory, but that I may not be able to adjust to, coming from where I do. There is lots to ponder…500 miles worth….and maybe 500 more. 😉

FRANCE

Arriving in Biarritz after my connection from Paris, something doesn’t feel quite right. A popular beach town, known for being the playground of the rich and famous, I thought I’d enjoy a day here before going on to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, the starting town for the French Way along the Camino a Santiago. Ordinarily I think I would have loved it. As it turns out, I feel a bit lost. Like this is not the right time for me to be here.

The next day I’m on to SJPP via a train ride from Bayonne. Just riding in the cab to the station, I can immediately tell, this is where I should have spent the night, rather than Biarritz. Ah well. You live and you learn.

St. Jean itself is a lovely town. I took a brief walk around, had some lunch facing the Nive River, and went to the Pilgrim Office to pick up my pilgrim passport. This is the document I will use to essentially prove the distance I’ve completed on my pilgrimage to Santiago. I simply need to get it stamped at each place I stop for the night over the next five weeks.

It’s funny, but I’m already meeting people, fellow pilgrims. The first one, on the train here.*

For now, and since I’m still quite jet-lagged, my goal is to take it easy, and spend some time playing with my new gimbal and the video editing software I’ll be using to put together the vlogs. Having never done this before it’s going to be a bit of a learning curve, but one I’m looking forward to.

It’s time to get to bed. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow, going up and over the Pyrenees.

*I don’t know it at the time, but Linda, who I met on the train, and Bill & Eloise, who I met outside the Pilgrim office will become important parts of my journey nearly to the end.

Accommodation: Gite Bidean. I arrived in St. Jean before the official opening time for Gite Bidean. I had alerted one of the owners in advance this would be the case and he was kind enough to take my lugagge and hold it. Kindness and helpfulness is what defines both Pascal and Joe, who will walk every arriving pilgrim through what to expect on their very first day, maps and all, then prepare pancakes and an assortment of homemade breads the next day for breakfast. My room, one of only two private rooms in what is primarily an auberge, was spacious, comfortable and a perfect place to unwind just before embarking on this grand adventure of the Camino a Santiago.

Lunch: Cafe Ttipia I picked out this restaurant before even arriving in France. Mostly because they had good reviews, I knew that unlike many here, they served food all day and I’d be too hungry to wait until dinner time to eat, and it had a patio facing the river. I wouldn’t say the food was anything special, but I enjoyed my croquettes, my Basque cake and of course, my Rosé.