At Last, I Walk

Two weeks in Saint Jean Pied de Port, and now my time has come to cross the Pyrenees. I arrived in a fog on 31 August. I mean that quite literally: the Pyrenees mountains were obscurred by fog and I could see no farther than the end of the street. Then the fog cleared and I had my first glimpse of that mighty mountain range. Uh oh.

When I walked the Camino in April 2007 I began in Saint Jean. The "high road" over the mountain was covered in snow, and the people at the pilgrim's office advised against taking that route. Too great a chance of missing the trail markers in the snow. Just the week before, a 50-year old British man had died after becoming lost. The low road for me! To be honest, I was relieved. The high road requires a 3600 ft elevation change - up and down - in 18 miles. No.

Tomorrow I take the high road, but in two stages. First I will go to the not-even-a-town of Orisson (9 km/5.5 miles) and stay at the refuge there. The next day, Monday, I will cross into Spain. I have been anticipating the start of this journey for almost a year, and now it is here. To say I am excited is such an understatement.

I have very much enjoyed my time at the Pilgrim's Office, but for the past five days I have been "extra", meaning the office is fully staffed and I have been allowed to stay on to...well, I'm not sure why, really. I have punched holes in and inserted strings into more than 500 pilgrim's shells, the official symbol of the Camino de Santiago. I have personally stamped more than 350 credentials and wished scores of people "Buen Camino." I have eaten French cheese, drunk French wine, and have discovered a new favorite French cake, chamantais. I think now I need some exercise, so over the mighty Pyrenees I go.

About the French

The French get a bad rap in the US. You might understand this if you have traveled to Paris as an American tourist. Even the French say Parisians are a different breed.

But saying Parisians represent all of France is like saying that New Yorkers represent all Americans. It simply is not true. And now I have some evidence to confirm that. I have been in the small town of Saint Jean Pied de Port for nearly two weeks and I can tell you first-hand that the French people are lovely.

Each day I share two meals with the volunteer team at the pilgrim's office. I'm an insider now. Have you ever wondered why Europeans insist on closing shop in the middle of the day? I can now tell you that meals are very important here. It's not just the food. It's the company. Of course we must eat, but there seems to be a cultural drive to be together. The fifteen-minute-lunch-at-your-desk practiced by Americans simply won't do.

Meals here are in French - I mean the language, not the food. But the style is also disctinctly French. We eat one thing at a time, never a plateload of food all at once. First is the salad. Then the main item, meat for most people. These courses are accompanied by wine and bread. Next comes the cheese. And finally, something sweet. There is no rush. We are not in a hurry. And if the queue of pilgrims is growing out front, so be it; we have a meal to eat and stories to tell. As for me, I don't understand French, but I am beginning to pick up the meaning of the conversations and many words. A few more months here and I would happily say I'm French. But for now, I'm here for the cheese.

Photos from Saint Jean Pied De Port

How's this for picturesque!




The view out my window:


Symbols of the Camino


Pilgrim's Crendential and Elevation Map over the Pyrenees


The Pilgrim's Office after the train arrives


Market Day in Saint Jean Pied de Port


Sangria with Chantelle

Europe on $40...a Week!

Hello from beautiful this-is-what-they-mean-by-picturesque Saint Jean Pied de Port, France. I have just finished my week of turning people into pilgrims and I am exhausted, but happy. This week more than 1600 people came through the pilgrim's office in Saint Jean Pied de Port to collect credentials and/or stamps. I think this was the busiest week of the year, save a week or two in May.

Some of you heard of my pre-de-jetlag plan...I got up one hour earlier each day for a week before I left for Europe and in a way changed seven time zones before I left CA. You laugh, but it worked. I arrived in France at 11:00a on the 31st, tired from little sleep on the plane, but my body clock had already been set to this time zone. I changed planes and airports in Paris, made my connecting flight by just two minutes, and after an additional bus/train combo arrived in this beautiful town at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains.

My first ATM withdrawal was for 200 euros, roughly $287. Today, I have 174 euros left (26 euros spent). Now I am no math wiz (more of a people person), but I think that's quite an extraordinary budget for a week in France. Each person on the pilgrim's office team kicked in 20 euros to the food kitty upon arrival, and we had money left over - seven euros each. For some reason - maybe they believe in my dream to live in Europe for a year - two team members handed me their leftover euros today, which means I spent...no wait, I got money back. I actually made money eating in France for my first week! I did spend $9 for four AA batteries, but the wine I bought at the same time cost $4, so I just switched the costs in my mind. My room is free - one of the benefits of volunteering. All of this is just a long way to say I LOVE IT HERE!!!

I like it here so much I have asked to stay on until it is time to cross the Pyrenees into Spain (on the 13th). I guess I did a good enough job that the fine people at the office are letting me stay. Then I will meet travelmate Lisa in Pamplona (home of the running of the bulls in July) on the 17th and we will walk, eat berries, and drink Spanish wine together for a couple of weeks. Last stop before Lisa leaves will be Madrid (first few days in October). If you are hankering for a trip to Europe, come meet us and help celebrate Lisa's birthday in this beautiful, vibrant Spanish city.

I am One Year Older and Quite Happy in France

It's the end of my third full day at the pilgrim's office in Saint Jean Pied de Port, and the end of my 44th birthday. I am the happiest person around.

A few months ago I was thinking of what I wanted to do to celebrate my birthday this year. I knew I wanted it to involve Europe and the Camino, but I couldn't picture myself wandering around Spain or some European city alone for that day. Then I remembered the offer I received in April 2007 to come back to France to volunteer at the pilgrim's office.

So here I am. The pilgrim's office provides credentials and stamps for people who are on or beginning their pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela, 800 kms away. My job is to issue credentials, stamp them, collect euros, sell beds in the pilgrim's hostel, and dispense information about the town and the hike over the hill into Spain. I am one of five people volunteering here this week. Three of us speak English, four speak French, one speaks Spanish (me!!!), and one speaks both German and Dutch.

The train arrives four times a day and each time it is madness. Twenty to 40 people arrive to become pilgrims and the queue stretches down the street. Usually the five of us are serving 2 - 3 people at a time and speaking four different languages as we do. The craziest time is when the 7:35p train arrives - the last one of the day and when there are very few beds left in the town. Most people have not reserved ahead - because they can't. At 9:30p we are still finding beds for the last few people. Correction: the French speakers are still finding beds...I am translating the updates into English and Spanish as needed. On Friday and Sunday there will be one additional train that arrives after 10pm. Can't wait to see what that will bring!

On Monday when I arrived (with a trainload of 30+ people), neither I nor the train were expected. I immediately plopped down next to Chantelle from Quebec, went through the see-it-two-times-and-then-do-it training, and voila!, I was turning people into pilgrims.

We have welcomed more than 200 people each day since I arrived - 256 today, our biggest day yet. That means the towns along the Camino will be bursting at the seams with pilgrims. This far exceeds that capacity of the accommodations I know about. I plan to start walking into Spain in just over a week...I hope things slow down a bit by then.

I am having a blast. Every time I point to the spot on the credential where the stamp in Santiago goes, and I tell the person in front of me to expect it, I almost start crying. Just to think about what is to come for these people, I am so happy. They are about to start the most amazing journey of their lives, and anything can happen from here.

Have your best day possible today.