Camino 2023 - The Beginning

Time to post about our Camino.  On May eleventh the Wife and I started to make our way to the start of the Camino.   We flew from Omaha to Chicago where we hit our first delay.  Our flight from Chicago to Paris was delayed just over an hour due to a technical  issue in the cockpit (a bad screen of some sort).  This was when I really started to worry.  The time we had in Paris to get our checked bag, get through customs and passport control, and to get to the train station was a bit tight before you took the delay into account.

We arrived in Paris.  We collected our bag (the bag with all the liquids and pointy things that irritate security people - we'd carried our backpacks on the plane), breezed through customs and passport control, and headed for the taxi station.  As we got in the taxi we told our driver we needed to get to the train station in an hour before our train left.  His English and our French were not that great but I'd printed out the name of the station so I could just show it to the driver without me mangling the pronunciation. When he heard we needed to get there in an hour he made this 'are you crazy' face.

The taxi took off and he drove like a madman until we hit the late morning traffic.  Along the way we saw the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower in the distance.  Despite the traffic he got us to the station with about ten minutes to spare.  He even followed us into the station to make sure we knew where to catch our train.  When we say that our train was delayed we all had a laugh.

Our train to Bayonne was over an hour late - the second delay of the journey.  It was a relaxing ride through the French countryside and we ate some lunch along the way.

When we got to Bayonne our connection was still there.  Bayonne is a small train station so walking over to our connecting train was easy.  The train to St Jean Pied de Port is a small, two car train.  The cars are newer and bigger than the ones I rode in twelve years ago on my first Camino.

View from our hotel room.
(Taken by the Wife)

An hour later our travels were done.  It started raining just before we arrive at the station.  The Wife and I broke out our rain gear and we started walking to our hotel. 

We had to wait for someone to open the door and check us into our hotel located in an old building (the year 1720 marked over the door) in the historic area of the city.  Our room was nice and the location was ideal.

The next morning (Saturday) the wife discovered that her backpack sternum strap had pulled loose sometimes during transit.  I tried to get it back on but couldn't do it.  Fortunately there was an outfitter next door to our hotel and when the man who worked there couldn't fix it, the woman who worked with him, after whispering that she was better than him, fixed it for the Wife.

I want to say something here.  Back in 2011 on my first Camino there were precious few services geared towards pilgrims.  No outfitters.  Most bakeries, bars, and restaurants didn't open until 9:00am.  I have to say that in the last twelve years that has changed.  St Jean Pied de Port has two outfitters on the same street.  Bakeries open with breakfast services as early as 6:30am.  Food trucks have appeared along the road in the Pyrenees.  This makes things a lot easier for the pilgrims.

Bridge over the Nive river in St Jean Pied de Port.

We spent a day buying snacks for our first and second walking days, a little sightseeing around this nice French city, and eating good meals in preparation for our walk.  We'd beat the rush and had gotten our pilgrim's passport and Camino shells at the pilgrim's office the day we'd arrived.

Sunday, 14 May was the official start of our Camino.  We had a very short day to the Orisson Albergue (pilgrim's hostel) so we were not in a hurry to leave.  We had a reservation at Orisson so we were not in a race.  The Wife went to Mass at a small church not far from our hotel.  When she returned it was drizzling so we geared up, put on our rain gear, and headed into the Pyrenees mountains.

Despite the on and off rain there were some views to be had in the Pyrenees mountains.

A lot of what I saw along the way didn't match my memory of my first Camino which is understandable.  Memory fades and landscapes and civilization changes as well.

We met a couple of women as we were resting and admiring the cloudy view.  One was from England (E_l) and the other Australian (T_r).  We would run into them over the next week or so.  Ar least one of them is still walking the Camino as of this post.

The view from the Orisson Albergue ... The blue sky made an appearance.

After 4.9 miles (7.9 km) with 2,200 ft (670 m) of elevation climb we reached Orisson where we checked in, did our chores, and made ourselves comfortable at the bar/restaurant.  That evening there was a communal meal with everyone at the Albergue.  We all got up and introduced ourselves.  There were people from all over the world on the Camino for many diverse reasons. Here, along with E_l and T_r, we met S_a and her mother L_e.  We would see them many times over the next two weeks. 

The view down the mountain from the trail.
The hazy rain made the forest look ethereal.
(Photo taken by the Wife)

The next day, Monday, we left Orisson with a to-go sandwich packed in our backpacks and headed out into the rain.  Today would be the hardest day of our entire Camino, not because it was the longest day but because of the elevation change.  Over the next 11 miles (18 km) we could climb up 2,600 ft (793 m) and down 2,040 ft (622 m).  After walking into Spain we stopped at a small shelter where a bunch of us crowded in out of the rain.  The Wife and I ate our to-go ham and cheese sandwiches before going back out in the rain.

The last part going into Roncesvalles, Spain is a very steep drop down the mountain.  It was slow, wet, and a bit hazardous.  We were already tired by the time we started down this section.  By the time we arrived at the Roncesvalles Albergue we were exhausted.

We checked into the Albergue and did our chores.  The rain came and went as we explored the area around the albergue.  The main things in the area are a church, a few hotels, and restaurants that all cater to the pilgrims.  The Wife and I had a few drinks with pilgrims we'd met at Orisson before going to pilgrim's mass and having a communal meal at one of the restaurants (where we met more pilgrims).

It was colder this time compared to my first Camino.  It was a bit chilly sleeping in the albergue despite the building being full of people.  I still slept well if I recall correctly.

I took only a few photos this Camino.  The Wife took more and I will supplement the ones I took with hers.  Photos can be found in my 2023 Camino de Santiago (The Wife's Camino) Google Photos album.

Camino 2023 - Onward To Santiago De Compostella ... And Happy Mother's Day!

We're off!  Today the Wife and I left St Jean Pied de Port, France hiking up the Pyrenees on the Camino de Santiago.  The plan is for me to walk behind the Wife so that she can set the pace.  By this afternoon we will arrive at the Refuge of Orisson where we have our one and only reservation on the Camino (most pilgrim hostels do not accept reservations and are first come first served).

The refuge is the first pilgrim's hostel - referred to as albergues in Spain - you reach in the mountains.  We are stopping here to break up the crossing of the Pyrenees which is considered one of the hardest parts of the Camino due to the elevation climb and it being at the beginning of Camino when most people haven't had time to develop their trail legs.

On my first Camino I stopped at Orisson for a snack (a ham sandwich and a soda) and to sit out the light rain that had started just as I arrived.  It's located in a place with mountain views ... assuming the weather cooperates.

P.S. Happy Mother's Day!!!

Camino 2013: Epilogue

I ended my Camino posts back in 2011 with a review of the numbers.  I'm going to do that again but there are fewer numbers this time.  Not carrying a real GPS limits my data collection fetish ability.  Here we go:

• Total distance was 991 kilometers (615.78 miles) walked in 42 days.  This does not include any miles walked in the cities and towns.
• My average daily walking distance was 23.59 kilometers (14.66 miles).  This is slightly more than what I did in 2011.
• The longest stage was 33 kilometers (20.51 miles) from Negreira to Olveiroa.
• The shortest stage was 8.7 kilometers (14 miles) from Borce to Canfranc Estación.  This was a short stage since we bypassed a portion of the Arles Way due to landslides.
• I have no real elevation data for the trip but it was generally the same as the Frances.
• I stopped in 29 places that I hadn't stopped at last time including San Bol, La Faba, and Samos.
• The food this time was awesome.  Last time I could count the good meals on one hand.  This time I could count the bad meals on one hand.  A complete reversal.  I credit the smaller towns and albergues for this.
• We took a one day break along the Camino in León.
• We took the bus or alternate transportation twice.  Once to skip the landslide area after Borce and once from Jaca to the San Juan de la Peña Monastery.
• I ate four tubes of Principes and one tube of double stuff Principes - a significant drop from last time.
• I ate an ice cream nearly everyday starting in Borce.  There were a few days where none was available but I still think I easily ate 42 ice cream servings this Camino.
• I bought two rosaries and an earring/bracelet/necklace set for the Wife.  I bought a small statuette of a Santiago Pilgrim for myself.  I bought fifteen magnets to commemorate my trip.

My 2013 Camino route.

[Click on map for a larger version.]

The Camino had changed a lot since my first time.  It felt more crowded.  Parts of the Frances felt like a race to get to beds ... though G_v and I always got to our destinations earlier than the crowds.  Staying in smaller towns and smaller albergues often countered this racing feeling as most of the crowd went to the larger, Brierley stops.  Last time you could always see pilgrims in front or behind you as you walked but they were always at a distance.  This time around they were closer.  I guess you could say the pilgrim density or pilgrims per mile was higher.  The number of pilgrims doing the Camino has been increasing but the number has jumped since the movie "The Way" came out in late 2011.  I think the movie brought a lot more English speaking people to the Camino this time - mostly Canadian, Aussie, Kiwi, and American.  In 2011, when I walked my first time, 183,504 pilgrims received Compostela certificates of completion.  In 2013 the number increased to 215,929.  There was a rumor going around on the Camino ... I helped pass it along ... that Oprah Winfrey was thinking about walking the Camino.  If this is real, the Camino, as a pilgrimage of solitary contemplation and introspection, will come to an end.

The increasing numbers are also changing the attitudes of people.  There seemed to be more people unhappy with what they were doing.  Their attitude was one of "I can't wait til this is over."  I never thought this my first time.  I had tough days, no doubt, but I never wanted it to 'just be over'.  In 2011 when I met someone doing the Camino for a second ... or third ... time I always asked them what they could tell me to help with my Camino.  I looked at them with respect and a little reverence.  This time around I was the Pilgrim doing it for a second time.  When people found out they would look at me like I was nuts and ask with an incredulous tone "Why?!?"  As N_r said (she was a second time pilgrim as well) she felt she was often defending her decision to walk a second time.  This was a reflection of the attitudes of many pilgrims - they were not having a good time and couldn't understand why you would do it again.  I think a lot of people, especially the English speakers who had seen "The Way", had underestimated the difficulty of the Camino.  I think they thought it looked fun, easy, and thought it would be a cheap vacation - a walk in the park.  Combine the unexpected difficulty and the uncooperative weather and I think I know the source of the general bad attitudes I encountered this time on the Camino.

With the increasing number you would think there would be a lot of Camino Families forming but that isn't what I experienced.  Most groups walking together were groups of two to four people.  In 2011 my group was over a dozen strong at its peak.  We didn't walk together but we often coordinated where we would end the day.  This time around it seemed that people were walking at such disparate rates and distances that groups would merge and then separate continuously along the Camino making it hard for larger groups to form.  I lost track of all the time I would meet someone and then not see them at all for a week at a time before we came together once again.  Was my 2011 Camino Family an aberration or has the dynamic changed on the Camino?  Hard to say.

My attitude towards the Camino changed as well and it was to be expected.  It felt very "been there done that".  I really enjoyed the new parts along the Aragones and the alternate routes we took along the Frances.  The crowds took away somewhat from the experience adding a little bit of stress.  The attitudes of the pilgrims was draining and a bit demoralizing at times.  The weather - be it rain or dreary overcast - really affected my mood.  Most of all the fear of the unknown that was there last time ... the fear that turned my pilgrimage into an adventure ... was not there.  Despite stopping in different places, staying in different albergues, and meeting new people, the sense of adventure was greatly diminished.

Despite all of this, I still enjoyed my Camino.  Once I overcame the blister issues and my surprising lack of stamina early on, the Camino was quite enjoyable.  Walking with G_v meant I was never lonely - something that wore on me last time after I got separated from my Camino Family.  I saw new things and met new people.  While there were a lot of people who seemed not to 'get it' I met several who did.  These people were the ones I would say hi to when I saw them and who would share stories.  They were the ones who really appreciated what they were doing.  They were the ones who made my Camino worth while.

I was proud to complete the Camino without skipping ahead on a bus like last time.  This changed how I felt at the end of my Camino.  When I returned from the Camino last time I felt like I'd taken a test and had come up incomplete.  This time the feeling was quite different.  When I sat on the rocky cape overlooking the Atlantic ocean and watched the sun set over the waters I felt a wave of completion.  This was what I missed the last time.  It took a second Camino to walk the whole thing and to enjoy the sunset and the end in Fisterra.

My Camino experience lasted a little it past Fisterra.  There was the issue of the shells.  As I've mentioned before, I lost or destroyed three shells along the Camino.  The last one I'd left by accident at Hotel Larry in Cee.  On my last day in Spain I'd sent an email to the hotel asking if they'd found it.  A few days after I got home I got a reply.  I am happy to say that the necklace, with the shell from J-M and the yellow Bhutanese cord with its traveler's blessing, is now hanging from my desk lamp in my den.

One last thing.  When I left for France to start this Camino I knew this would be my last Camino.  When I saw the sun setting in Fisterra, I was absolutely sure that it would be the last time.  Then I sat in the bar listening to N_r talk about the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo.  The absoluteness began to waver a bit.  In hindsight G_v and I should have followed N_r to the Camino del Norte.  It would have changed our whole experience to the better I think.  And now I have a tiny hankering to do the Camino del Norte or the Primitivo.  It won't be any time soon though.  RAGBRAI and the Appalachian Trail will come first.  After that, after 2017, who knows.  I may return to the Camino.

You may leave the Camino but the Camino never leaves you ...

Camino 2013 - Day 3: Borce To Canfranc Estación, Spain

I woke up with my mind made up.  I would join G_v on the bus.  I wasn't very fond of the traffic I'd walked along the day before and the idea of busier Monday morning traffic, traffic with lots of trucks, was not my idea of good hiking conditions.

Cross at dawn.

The day turned out to be a gorgeous and sunny.  I can't remember when the bus was scheduled for but I think it was sometime between 8:00AM and 9:00AM.  We walked to the next town, Etsaut, which was literally on the other side of the highway from Borce.  It took a couple tries to figure out where the bus was supposed to stop but we finally asked a utility guy who directed us to the town square.

Morning sun on the Pyrenees mountains.

We waited around for what seemed like a long time but was probably only twenty minutes or so and the bus didn't come.  The utility guy, who had stopped in a cafe for his morning coffee, saw us waiting and offered to give us a ride.  G_v and I, along with a few of the Germans who were not feeling well, piled into the guy's van and off we went.  We wanted him to drop us off in Urdos 5km (3.1 miles) ahead but he said the trail was damaged passed Urdos as well and he knew where we could be safely dropped off.  I have to admit that I felt a bit irritated when we passed Urdos.  I couldn't shake the feeling that we were cheating.  I've since rationalized it by saying that the Camino was not safe here and none of the important parts, the Aragones and French ways, would be skipped (We were still on the Arles Way and I never said I would walk the entire Arles way).

View from the trail.

He dropped us off about 5 km past Urdos.  As he dropped us off he said his name was Christoff and that he was named after the patron saint of travellers, Saint Christopher.  We all smiled at this.  He also dropped us off by J-M who had stayed in Urdos the night before and had walked the bad parts.  The bus, running a bit late, pulled up a minute later and dropped off more pilgrims.

The wild dirt trail up the mountain to Somport.

From this point the trail climbed steadily up along a very nice dirt trail. With the sun out and the blue skies the view of the Pyrenees were incredible.  Autumn flowers poked up here and there.  At one point I thought that blossoms had fallen from some flowering tree but then I realized the flowers were poking out of the ground and had very short stems.  These turned out to be autumn crocuses (Thank you G_v for identifying them).  The trail passed through forest and lush green fields with cattle and sheep.  You could hear the cow and sheep bells from quite a distance.  I felt pretty good as I climbed the mountain trail.  G_v was slower but she kept a steady pace behind me.

Colchicum, also known as autumn crocus, covered in morning dew.

This part of the trail climbs up to the Col du Somport where you officially cross into Spain.  The elevation you climb from Oloron-Ste Marie to Col du Somport (1,420 m, 4,659 ft) is higher than the mountains you climb between St Jean Pied de Port and Roncesvalles (1,304 m, 4,278 ft) but you climb it over three days instead of just one.  Most of that elevation climb (880 m, 2,887 ft) is on the third day.

At the Col du Somport we stopped at an albergue to buy lunch (un bocadillo de tortilla francesa con jamon, i.e. a scrambled egg and ham sandwich).  J-M and another french man we'd met before were there as well.  I bought a shell for my pack, the first magnet of the Camino ... and an ice cream.  Col du Somport is also the official start of the Camino Aragones.

About the shell.  I was not sure where I would get my shell.  I'd hope to get one in Oloron-Ste Marie but that didn't happen.  As a backup I'd brought a small shell that I'd picked up in Fisterra on my last Camino.  The Matron of Honor, who works for a jewelry designer, had added a ring to the shell allowing me to wear it as a necklace.  I attached it to a yellow cord that had been blessed by a monk in Bhutan.  Now I had both the necklace which I wore and the regular pilgrim's shell that was hanging from my pack.

The rest of the day was downhill mostly.  The rain from the days before resulted in a lot of runoff along the trail.  The Camino followed both dirt trails and roads along this section and was very well marked - The Camino is better marked on the Spanish side of the border.  As we neared our goal we were escorted by a cloud of butterflies - it was quite lovely - so much better than the day before.

The train station in Canfranc Estación.

Our goal was Canfranc Estación and we found a nice albergue near the beginning of town.  After doing our chores we headed out to walk around the town.  The highlight of the town is the old train station (estación is Spanish for station).  The building is gorgeous.  When we passed by it a tour had just started.  Everyone was wearing hairnets and hard hats.  I planned to go to a later tour.  The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around the long, thin town before returning to the albergue.  We rested there and enjoyed the sun in the albergue's lawn.

I left the albergue at 6:00PM for the station.  I was sure the last tour was at 6:30PM.  I was wrong.  It was at 6:00PM.  I ended up missing it by ten minutes.  This really sucked.  I'd misread the tour sign. I would have to be satisfied with pictures of the outside ... through the fence.  *sigh*

We ate dinner at a bar at the other end of the town.  I had the first of many hamburgers.  I don't remember them being on the menus last time I was in Spain ... at least not until after Santiago de Compostela.  Either they were new or I'd been blind to them.  I think I was just blind to them last time.

It had been a good day despite missing the tour.  It might have been the fact that it was a very short walking day.  The sun also made things so much better.  Some day I will take the Wife to Canfranc Estación and we will tour the station together.

Pictures can be found in my 2013 Camino de Santiago Google Photos album.

Total Distance on Day 3: 14 km (8.70 Miles)* Total Distance Walked:  58 km (36.04 Miles)

Approximate Track of the day's hike.

[Click on map for a larger version]

* Note: This distance does not include the van ride we took out of Borce.  It includes only what was walked.

Camino 2013 - Day 2: Sarrance To Borce

We left the albergue just before 8:00AM.  There was plenty of light to walk by but the sun was hidden behind thick clouds.  It was drizzly, spitty, and generally misty this morning.

After Sarrance the Camino follows dirt tracks similar to the ones we followed the day before.  With all the rain we had over night we made the decision to skip the dirt mud trails and follow the road instead.  The decision was made on sound reasoning.  The narrow trails have had some landslide and erosion issues and would be hazardous wet - doubly so if it were raining ... which it was.

The low clouds over the highway we followed out of Borce.

Things went well between Serrance and Bedous, the first sizable town on today's leg.  The clouds and drizzle didn't help much with the vistas but the clouds did add some interest and I saw my first sample of fall colors in the pyrenees.  I was hoping for more fall color but northern Spain (and western France) are not New England and would have to be satisfied with a small number of tiny splashes of color along the way.  I was surprised just how green everything was this time of year.  Even in October there was green and blooming flowers.

A little bit of fall color in the Pyrenees.

In Bedous we found a bakery open and bought some breakfast (chocolate napoleons and orange juice).  After leaving the bakery the drizzle turned into a more steady rain.  We stopped briefly at a covered bus stop to eat our breakfast.

After leaving Bedous we followed the highway as the drizzle became pouring rain.  We stopped at a filling station briefly to confirm our path and waited a little to see if the rain would let up.  It didn't.  We walked on through the rain.  The traffic whizzed by.  I started wondering if our decision to walk the highway was any less hazardous than the muddy trail.  The highway was not really made to be walked along.  In some places the shoulder was very narrow and in others you walked along a vertical rock mountainside so you couldn't even jump out of the way if a car or truck got too close.  Fortunately it was Sunday and traffic was light.  You just had to trudge on and hope the drivers saw you as they rounded corners going way too fast.

One thing about the rain, it sure made things green.

I was a bit relieved when we got to our stopping point of the day, Borce.  The last two days of rain and overcast was taking its toll on me.  I was tired of being wet and, even though the rain had stopped by the time we reached the town, I was still soaked all the way through.  Even my underwear was wet ... yes, I was that wet.  My shoes are GoreTex.  The good thing about Gore Tex is that it makes the shoes waterproof.  The bad thing about Gore Tex is that the shoes hold water.  Once water gets in the shoes it doesn't drain out.  A pair of gaiters would have been helpful but I didn't have any.  My pants got soaked.  The water then soaked into the socks.  The socks, acting like wicks, sucked the water into my shoes.  My socks felt very squishy by the time I got to Borce.

We passed up the municipal albergue since it seemed a bit spartan and, instead, found a nice private albergue above the town bar/cafe.  A warm shower and some dry clothes later and I felt a bit human again.  The sun came out and the clothes we wore that day, along with the still wet clothes from the day before, went up on the clothes line.  It was nice to actually have dry clothes for the next day.

The albergue was prepared for the weather by having stacks of newspaper.  To dry out soggy shoes you wad up newspaper and stuff it in your shoes.  Let them set for a time and swap out the paper for dry paper.  By the next morning the shoes were dry enough to wear comfortably.

Finding open services in France was turning into a challenge.  Concerned that we would not find any open stores in Borce on a Sunday we'd bought cans of ravioli in Sarrance and had carried them all day.  Turned out the cafe/bar was actually a cafe/bar/store and they had plenty of food available.  We bought supplies for the next day and ate warmed up ravioli for dinner.  I ate my first ice cream here.

I was able to send my first email from the bar.  Internet along the Camino is one of the things that has changed since last time.  Just two years ago you found computers with internet access at nearly every albergue.  In the last two years most of those computers have either broken, unplugged, or have been removed and replaced with wifi access.  Not having a wifi enabled device meant that accessing the internet was harder. A cheap, small tablet/phone might be necessary on any future Caminos if you want to send email.

A nice American family was staying at the albergue.  The family was visiting their Grandfather who lived in France.  They were nice people and were interested in the Camino.  They were doing day hikes using Borce as a base.  The Germans from Sarrance showed up too.  Being better fed and rested, they were in better moods than the night before and were quite pleasant to talk to.  Proves you can't always judge people by first impressions.

The weather forecast for the next day sounded much better as the rain was moving out and we would be crossing over the mountains.  We had a decision to make about the next section of Camino.  Landslides had severely damaged a part of the trail and a short section of road where pilgrims were detoured to was not very hiker friendly.  G_v had promised her mom that she would bus around this hazardous section.  I was still debating walking it as I fell asleep.

Despite having a waterproof camera, the dreary, rainy day deterred me from taking a lot of pictures.  The few I did take have been added to my 2013 Camino de Santiago Google Photos album (newer pictures are at the bottom).

Total Distance on Day 2: 22 km (13.67 Miles) Total Distance Walked:  44 km (27.34 Miles)

Approximate Track of the day's hike.

[Click on map for a larger version]

Camino 2013 - Day 1: Oloron-Ste Marie To Sarrance

We got up late the first day. At least it was late by my standards. Last Camino I routinely got up between 6:00AM and 6:30AM and was out the door twenty minutes later. This time around that was not possible. I do not like to walk in the dark. Many sad Camino stories start with "I left before dawn and I missed an arrow ...". The stories usually end with someone walking some ungodly distance in the wrong direction.  In early September, dawn (when there is enough light to see by, roughly a half hour before sunrise) was around 7:20AM so rising anytime before 7:00AM would be a waste of good sleep. Even by this standard we got out late - 8:30AM.

Oloron-Ste Marie in the drizzle along the Aspe river.

It was drizzling when we left the hostel. I wanted to stop at the tourism office to buy a French pilgrim's credential and a pilgrim's shell. The French credentials is bigger than the American one I'd brought with me. The tourism office didn't open until 9:00AM (the reason we left so late). To kill some time we stopped at a bakery and bought a croissant and orange juice for breakfast. I'm not much of a pastry guy but I have to admit that the genuine French stuff was pretty good. This was my first French croissant and it would be the first of many ... croissants and chocolate Napoleons mostly.

We found the tourism office but they did not sell credentials or shells despite being on the Arles Way. The Arles Way is the portion of the Camino in France between Arles and Somport. They directed us to a bar/cafe across from Saint Mary's church. The church was on the Camino and would be our official starting point.  There was even a distance market outside it.

The interior of the Saint Mary's Cathedral in Oloron-Ste Marie.

The bar had credentials but they did not have a stamp or shells. The church also did not have a stamp or at least there wasn't anyone there who knew about it. We left Oloron without a stamp which for me was a little disappointing. It turns out there was a stamp at our hostel. We didn't think of going back there.

The Camino leaves the church and takes you to the nearest flight of stairs. The stairs take you up a hill that gave you a great view of Oloron. We passed another smaller church before following a road out of town.

Oloron-Ste Marie seen from the top of the stairs.

The Camino takes you south through the French countryside. The Camino doesn't turn west until you leave Jaca, Spain, several days away.  As we left town we passed groups of hunters and their excited dogs - they were ready to chase down wild boar. The trail left the road and headed up a dirt trail. A lot of the Camino in France is dirt path and feels more wild than most places along the Camino Frances in Spain. The path is marked with shell markers or, more commonly, the red and white GR marker.  The GR - Grande Randonnée - are long distance walking trails in parts of Europe.

A couple of GR markers in Oloron-Ste Marie.

We stopped in the first village and ordered some sandwiches to go. Turns out we were lucky as the bar closed shortly after we left so that the owner could attend a culinary festival in Oloron. Other pilgrims would not be so lucky and would go hungry.

The more wild trails of the French Arles Way.

The views along the trail were beautiful and the villages and towns we passed had that old European charm. The only thing was the light rain and drizzle that came and went during the walk. One charming town had cutouts from fairy tales. Jean de la Fontaine was a noted fabulist/poet and the town of Escot remembers him with the colorful cutouts of his storybook characters.

The Tortoise and the Hare.

The last section before arriving in Sarrance is a very narrow dirt trail following a hillside along a river (sadly the dreary day and the shade from the trees prevented me from taking a good clear picture of the trail here). The drop from the trail to the river was a bit steep and made me a bit nervous. The fact the rain had made the trail a bit muddy and slippery didn't help.  Having hiking poles did help a lot here by helping me steady myself on the uneven and slippery surface of the trail.  While I was a little nervous along this stretch, these are the types of trails I like the most - a bit wild.

I was happy to reach Sarrance. I was tired and wet.  I wasn't really feeling jetlagged but the relatively short first day seemed very long to me.  We followed markers to the albergue - an active monastery. There are still three or four monks in residence.

The monastery where we spent the night in Sarrance.

We got beds and took a hot shower which felt very nice after being somewhat damp most of the day. This was followed by washing the clothes we wore that day. Last Camino I would go two or three days between washings. This time laundry was done nearly everyday. We hung the clothes in a furnace room where we hoped it would dry. It did not. It took a few days, and the sun coming out, for the clothes to finally dry.

We spent some of the afternoon wandering around the tiny village and buying food supplies for the next day in a small store attached to a hotel/restaurant.  I played ball with a dog - he brought his ball to a hole in the fence so I could throw it.  We also visited the church attached to the monastery.  Like last time, we visited lots of churches along the Camino.

The church attached to the monastery.

There were twelve pilgrims at the albergue.  This would be one of the largest groups we would encounter on the Arles/Aragones way.  This number would be dwarfed most days on the French Way.

The evening meal was a communal meal and was really good. I think I've never had a bad communal meal on the Camino. The group was a mix of different countries.  We met a very nice French man (J-M) who we would see along the way for the next two weeks.  Most of the pilgrims that night were German. One group, three women and a man, had done many Caminos and had written books about it. We would meet the man, N_B, later along the Camino. One of the women, the only one who spoke good English, came in giving off bad vibes. She was a bit ... unpleasant. The bad mood on arrival was probably due to hard rain they walked through (and we missed) and not being able to get anything to eat along the walk (the bar we ate at was closed when they came through). I wondered if we would be stuck walking with this unpleasant person.  Everyone else was pleasant to chat with, often with G_v translating for me.

I went to sleep to the sound of rain and a little thunder.  I slept well but I started my Camino sleeping pattern.  I would fall asleep fast but I would wake two or three times during the night - usually around 1:00AM and 4:00AM.  4:00AM was when I would wake up and pull on the blanket.  This pattern would repeat itself along the entire Camino.  It became a comforting habit on my adventure.

Pictures can be found in my 2013 Camino de Santiago Google Photos album.  More pictures will be added as I add more posts.

Total Distance on Day 1: 22 km (13.67 Miles)* Total Distance Walked:  22 km (13.67 Miles)

Approximate Track of the day's hike.¤
[Click on map for a larger version]

* Note: Since I didn't take my GPS and the camera GPS tracks are unreliable, I am using the distances listed on the awesome Caminoguide.net website unless otherwise noted.

¤ Note: The tracks were made using my Nikon AW100 camera's GPS.  In most cases I have had to edit the tracks to removed obvious tracking errors.  When the track is heavily edited, the elevation plots become unreliable and are not included.  The start of the day's hike is on the right and ends on the left - North to South.

Camino 2013 - Getting To The Beginning

Getting to the start on my last Camino was a rather stress filled affair.  This time was a bit more boring and full of tedium.

Mom picked me up and dropped me at the airport like she did last time.  I was carrying two bags: my pack and a small carry-on with my camera, documents, and other important things.  My poles and pocket knife were not on me.  I'd been wondering how to safely get them to France.  After the lost luggage incident I was a bit lot paranoid.  The solution was to ship the poles and other sharp TSA unfriendly items to Gv.  She combined them with her pointy things and checked them when she flew to Paris.  We figured, since her flight was direct with no connecting flights, the chance of them getting lost were minimal.  We were right in the sense that they got there without issues.  Of course if I'd just checked my own poles they probably would've gotten there.

Security went smoothly despite me being worried about the safety pins and laundry bars in my bag - I was sure they would be confiscated.  They weren't.  I worry too much.

My flights to Chicago and Madrid were on time and I had no problem fitting my pack in the overhead bins. My pack was actually a bit smaller than the one I had last time and appeared tiny next to some of the roll on carry-ons other people had.  I met a pilgrim from Minnesota in Chicago that was doing the last 100 km.  I recognized her from the Camino guide book sticking out of her pack.  We talked about the Camino until our Madrid flight started to board.

I arrived in Madrid shortly before eight in the morning.  This is when the boredom started.  The next part of my getting there was a flight from Madrid to Toulouse, France.  My flight left at 1:15PM so I had nearly six hours to kill.  I wandered around a bit trying to figure out which gate my plane would leave from.  Turns out they don't announce the gates until about two hours before the flight.  The only thing odd here was I had a small head wound when I got off the plane.  I guess I hit my head getting in the plane (I left a blood spot on the window).

I went through security and looked for a place to eat.  The only thing open was a cafeteria style place that was between the breakfast and lunch  periods.  I picked a ham sandwich (a staple of the Camino - I decided to start a little early), an apple, and something to drink.  I tried to pay with my credit card and it wouldn't read.  I paid with cash but now I was all paranoid.  Why didn't my card work?  After I ate my lunch I looked for another place I could test my credit card and found a vending machine that accepted credit.  Looking through the junk food, a pack of Principe cookies caught my eye.  I swiped my card ... it worked ... and I got a pack of cookies.  I felt some relief.  I then promptly worried about my ATM card and calmed that fear by withdrawing cash from a nearby ATM.

About the Principe cookies.  I did eat a few this Camino but I did it with moderation.  In the end I only ate four tubes of Principes.  I'm kind of proud of that.

They announced the boarding gate and I found a place nearby to sit.  I was flying EasyJet.  They don't have assigned seats.  It's kind of a first come first served kind of thing.  Fortunately for me I was like the fifth in line or so when they started boarding.  My bag got in the overhead bins.  Many other passengers ended up having to check their carry-ons.

In Toulouse I caught a bus that took you to the train station.  At the train station I ran around like a crazy loon trying to find a kiosk to print my e-ticket.  I think I wasted five or ten minutes trying to figure out what I was doing.  I printed out my ticket and then tried to find who I needed to talk to to exchange it for an earlier train.  I'd bought a ticket on a later train to give me time.  I figured I would change the ticket to an earlier train if I got to the station in time, which I did.

It took me a few minutes to realize that to change your ticket you had to take a number.  It took me a few more minutes to figure out how to take a number from the kiosk.  It then took about fifteen or twenty minutes before my number went up on the screen.  All these minutes turned out to be wasted - my ticket had no assigned seats therefore I could take any train at any time to my destination.  I should have guessed this when the kiosk wouldn't allow me to exchange the ticket.

I got on the train and sat back and watched the French countryside move by.  The train had a few stops including Lourdes.  You can walk the Camino starting from Lourdes if you want to.

I switched trains in Pau.  I started to realize that there was very little signage in English.  Frankly there was none at all.  I would have trouble traveling alone in France.  Fortunate for me I would be meeting Gv whose first language is French.

After Pau the rain started coming down.  Not the best sign.  It was raining when we arrived in Oloron-Ste Marie.  Gv was not there but I had directions to the hostel she had made reservations at.  I put on my pack, pack cover, rain jacket, and hat and headed out into the rain.  Less than a block later I ran into Gv.

She led me back to the hostel and I discovered a nice room with it's own bathroom.  I took a shower, put on fresh clothes, and caught up with Gv as I repacked my bag for the next day.

I was tired after nearly twenty-eight hours of planes, trains, and buses but I ended up having a restless sleep.  I think all the anticipation made it hard to clear my head.  Last Camino I'd had three nights to sleep before I started walking - this Camino I would have only one.  I hope it would be enough because I had over 600 miles of walking ahead of me and I was ready to get started.

Let the adventure begin.

P.S. I took only two pictures along the way to Oloron-Ste Marie and neither were interesting so no pictures this post.

Camino De Santiago - Pictures - Getting To Saint Jean Pied De Port

During my travels from Madrid to Saint Jean Pied de Port I took some pictures but, frankly, few were impressive.  (Fortunately I was able to spend a day in Madrid at the end of my Camino to make up for what I missed.  Those pictures will be posted later.)  After receiving my bag in Saint Jean Pied de Port I did go out and walk around the town and managed to get some pictures.  Here are a few of my favorites.

The 17th century Citadel overlooking Saint Jean Pied de Port.   Used to defend France from Spain.

Today it houses a school.

View of Saint Jean Pied de Port from the Citadel.

A shell pattern, the symbol of the Camino de Santiago (Saint James), in the street

on the way out of old town Saint Jean Pied de Port.

A shell sign over an Albergue (Pilgrim's hostel) in Saint Jean Pied de Port.

I have put these pictures, along with others I took in Saint Jean Pied de Port, in my 2011 Camino de Santiago Google Photos album. As I add more Camino posts I will add more pictures to this group.