Day 7-14 St. Jean Pied de Port

What a week!

I spent May 10-18 volunteering at the Pilgrims Office in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France. The first night we stayed at an albergue. I was lucky and got the bottom bed of the bunk bed . At dinner time we shared a nice meal with other pilgrims staying there , enjoyed sharing stories and singing.

It was such a rewarding experience helping pilgrims who were beginning their Camino adventure. Some pilgrims were actually walking all the way from Holland, Germany, and many other countries before even reaching St. Jean!

I met so many wonderful people from around the world. I was able to use my Spanish to help translate, and the translation app became my best friend when communicating with pilgrims from China, South Korea, Japan, and many other countries. It was amazing to see how people from all over the world could connect through the Camino spirit.

The hours were long, but incredibly rewarding. We had an all-girl team, and we shared so many laughs and memorable moments together.

During the week, a huge storm rolled through the mountains and snow fell at very low elevations. Because of the dangerous conditions, we had to strongly recommend that pilgrims take the lower Pyrenees route instead of the Napoleon Route. Some brave pilgrims still crossed through the mountains and later sent photos — it looked absolutely freezing, windy, and miserable.

Today Gina and I are traveling to Porto via Madrid, where we will meet Bob and begin our next adventure together on the Portuguese Camino.

Can’t wait for what’s aheadRead more