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    • TravelerEl Camino De Santiago
      Day 1–2

      Saint Jean Pied de Port

      April 15 in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      Our day in Saint Jean started with an early flight from London to Biarritz, a bus to Bayonne, and finally a train to Saint Jean. We were running off of expresso and excitement, and managed to get our Pilgrim credentials, hiking poles, and lots of bread and cheese before turning in for the evening to our quaint inn. The first other pilgrims we met were in a cafe next to the Bayonne train station as we were waiting for our train to Saint Jean. Terry and Maria are walking to celebrate Maria’s cancer recovery. They told us they decided to walk when they were in the hospital room during her treatment, and they have to be home by June 1st for another scan. Maria told us she was not nervous at all for the Camino. “You have to walk the Camino… the walk won’t come to you!” she says.Read more

    • TravelerSemana Santa 2024
      Day 3

      Visita a Bayona

      March 29 in France ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

      Por la mañana cogemos el autobús (linea 38) y visitamos la ciudad de Bayona. Volvemos a la auto y pasamos ahí la tarde ya que llueve muchísimo. La autocaravana no nos arranca y pasamos la noche de nuevo en Anglet.Read more

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    • TravelerOne More Camino in Spain 2023
      Day 9

      Grateful to be in Bayonne!

      April 5, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      We are now in Bayonne and very happy. Our TGV to Bordeaux left on time and zoomed down with no stops…got to Bordeaux at 12.15, a beautiful sunny day and a little warmer than Paris. We had 3 hours till our regional train left for Bayonne, so we sat in a nearby cafe and had lunch…all perfect!

      Then at 3pm we found our platform and sat in the train for Bayonne, and 5 minutes before we would leave there was an announcement to leave the train and evacuate the station! Apparently a bomb threat, so everyone in the station on all trains was herded out, and further and further up the little streets and alleys round the station….actually we were happy that we had got to Bordeaux without mishap, and we feel sure that there would have been disruption tomorrow, our original booking, but now we had to hang round, sit in the gutter and wait till they declared the place safe in about 2 and half hours! Great cheer when we were finally let back, and we rushed back to our train, even though it had been disappeared from the departure board, and thank goodness…we got seats, and eventually it left, with all the extra people who would have wanted later trains, and people sitting in the aisles and crammed in!

      By Bayonne many had left and we finally arrived here just after 8 (instead of 5.20) but it was still light, it hadn’t been rainy etc…could have been worse! So now all settled in our hotel and looking forward to 5 days here over Easter. We went over the river and had dinner and chilled, and now about to crash!      Read more

    • TravelerEl Camino
      Day 38

      Bayonne

      September 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Being back in a town is quite a shock, after walking through forest for a week, and I'm already wanting to be back with the trees, which is a bit of a scary reaction.

      I'm staying in a pilgrim hostel with a German, a South Korean, and three French. I was disappointed the South Korean guy hadn't walked but I hid it well.

      The French lady who volunteers at the hostel speaks a little English and Spanish so we've been talking in all three, often in the same sentence, and it works really well. She's trying to get me to walk through Portugal next!

      Bayonne is surprisingly small but the centre is very vibrant and pretty. It is the capital of the Basque region in France so it has a bit of a Spanish vibe. They have bullfighting here, there's tapas in the bars, and there's an Irish pub so you could think you were in Spain.

      I found out today that as well as being famous for its ham, it is also famous for its chocolate. After Spain started to eradicate Judaism in 1492, many Jews hopped across the border to Bayonne. The Bayonnaise limited the trading options available to the Jews so they became experts in making drinking chocolate and today's fame grew from there.

      Photos - Bayonne is impossible to photograph as the rivers are too wide and the streets too narrow but I've tried.      Read more

    • TravelerOne More Camino in Spain 2023
      2
      Day 10

      Perfect day in Bayonne

      April 6, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

      What a lovely day! Weather gorgeous and the town alive and sparkling. I don’t think I mentioned before that we have arrived just at the time of the Foire au Jambon - the ham festival…a weird coincidence as last time, in October 2021, it was also the annual ham festival…but now realise that in 2021 it was probably postponed from April till October because of covid? That is my theory…anyway, what a bonus, as the place buzzes, and it is all about jambon- the ham like prosciutto, not like what we have in sandwiches!

      Today is also the day of the strike, which is why we avoided the train journey today, and there was a loud and long march through the town at about 10.30, protesting about the retirement age changes…but after that I suspect the marchers went on to join in the ham festivities! We all went to the centre where there are stalls of so many ham producers are showing off their wares…from all around this region. Today is the first day - it continues over the weekend, but today they selected the winning ham of the year.

      After that excitement, we wandered separately to explore. So happy that Bayonne is showing off so beautifully for Carole and John who haven’t been here before. Amr and I had fun strolling around - checked out the beautiful cathedral (world heritage site) and cloisters, I had a lemon sugar crepe and we had a drink at a busy bar where there were quite a lot of people dressed in traditional Basque dress, and playing music and singing, all for the festival. Bayonne is French of course, but also Basque with many signs bilingual, and even a touch of Spanish which is very close…they are very conscious of being a special region! And it is!

      After a spell of afternoon downtime and reading kindles in a pretty park by the river, we had an early (7pm) dinner. Delicious trout, and John had pork. And we started with pimientos padron and croquettes - our favourite Camino tapas!! All is lovely.      Read more

    • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
      2
      Day 5

      Too many trains!

      August 19, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

      Today was a day of travel! Closed up the apartment and grabbed an Uber to get me and my massive luggage to the train station. It is guaranteed that in France whatever train you need to be on is down stairs, across, and upstairs. Always. And your train car will also be the farthest away. Got to Paris only to find myself at the tail end of the platform and rushing to catch the metro to get from Gare de l’Est to Gare Montparnasse. I made it, but the walk through the station was exhausting and hot! Long tunnels, a million stairs… Made it to my seat only to have my nose start bleeding for no known reason. Fortunately it stopped quickly and I settled in for what was supposed to be a 4-hour trip. Constant delays on this trip meant we arrived an hour late into a very hot and humid Bayonne. I stumbled to my hotel where I was met with the news that I had 2 reservations - one of which I didn’t make. Not sure what happened there? I never left the hotel again that evening. Just packed and repacked, enjoyed the air conditioning and the lovely rainfall shower head. Took a nap. Packed some more. Bayonne is a noisy city on a Saturday night - but I was tired and slept well… Not many photos today - too much train time!Read more

    • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
      111
      Day 6

      At the Starting Line

      August 20, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

      Well, I’ve made it to St Jean Pied-de-Port, the starting point of my Camino! I had a lot of hesitation today, a lot of nerves. I felt intimidated by my fellow pilgrims - they all look so confident! Waiting for the train in Bayonne was the worst. But once I got to SJPP, it was better. Checked into my first hostel, got my giant extra bag ready to be shipped off to Santiago, checked in at the Pilgrim’s office, picked up a pin for my backpack, and drank a glass of sangria. Much to my surprise, my gite (hostel) was offering a communal dinner tonight, and all vegetarian! It was really lovely. Nice to meet so many other pilgrims. It’s 9pm and nearly everyone is in bed. I’m the only one not doing the full distance to Roncesvalles tomorrow, but am instead breaking up my first day over the Pyrenees. Send me good thoughts, send me prayers, cheer me on - whatever you feel is right - I certainly do appreciate it!!Read more

    • TravelerSummer Of Yes
      Day 12

      Return To Go, Where's my $200?

      July 22, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

      Fate and Flixbus bring me here today.... Gare de Bayonne.

      Right back where I was my first day in France, and my first day on The Camino. (https://findpenguins.com/1ooyf9lg96j6p/footprin… )

      It feels.... Poignant. I'm surprised at how familiar it is after nearly two months of seeing and being in new places. I've slept in close to 50 beds (lost count), visited at least 100 cafes (lost count) sought innumerable yellow arrows (never even tried to count), smiled 10,000+ times, and seen more people, places, and things than one could shake a stick at (I had 2 sticks, *that* I can count).

      I've been to three countries, uncountable towns and villages, and taken over a million steps (literally). I've lightened my load and added new things to it. I've (surprisingly) lost nothing, and gained.... Everything.

      I suppose that the emotion is there regardless of the glimmer that triggers it... Today I found myself disembarking from a snazzy electric bus from Biarritz to see the Gare (train station) and .... The tears just sorta squoze out a little. Happy tears. Tears of recognition that.... ¡Carajo! I really did something special and I am not the same guy who walked into that station in late May. Perhaps the same guy, just a very different version.

      I don't know that I'm any smarter nor wiser, but I am certainly healthier, more open-hearted, calmer, and less .... Depressed.

      I hate to use that word as I feel like there are many other people who are suffering more acutely than I can even imagine. In light of my own emotional struggles with the loss of my brother (among some other things): if you are struggling, please seek help. Even if you don't "need" it. Talk to someone, a professional. There are resources out there. I was prone to tell people that "I have coping mechanisms, I'll be fine" which was utter bullshit. From the bottom of my hole I could barely keep my nose above water and deeply regret the time I wasted there. It took hitting my own version of bottom to convince me to make changes and the journey back to me has been so beautiful that I wish a similar path unto anyone currently in the dark. You can do it.

      And on that happier note, I'm enjoying a (believe it or not) pain au chocolat and a tasty (enormous!) cup of coffee as I get a dose of ocular sunshine ( https://youtu.be/yBjUR16AiBM ) prior to starting my bus journey across the south of France.

      It's a beautiful day. I am happy, healthy, and excited about... Adventure.

      ...much better than the $200 that monopoly promised.      Read more

    • Niederrhein-SantiagoNiederrhein-Santiago
      Day 2,770

      Bayonne, Nive

      March 22, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      In Bayonne beginnt die Voie de Baztan, die über den niedrigsten Pyrenäenpass nach Pamplona führt. Die ersten 15km davon bis Ustaritz führen am Fluß Nive entlang und sind noch für Fahrräder geeignet.

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    • TravelerFrance2023
      Day 22

      Bayonne

      July 2, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

      Today we took an unplanned side trip to Bayonne. The weather was nasty in Pau and it was predicted to be sunny in Bayonne, so we hopped on the train and headed toward the coast. Along the way we could see the swollen rivers, high and muddy from the recent rains. Of course, the weather didn't improve, and by the time we got to Bayonne, it was pouring. But we headed out and found lunch at a unique tiny restaurant called Janine. Only 5 things on the menu. Really good food.
      Eventually the clouds broke, and we walked around the town a bit. The cathedral is gigantic and lovely. When we got to the gardens, it started to rain again, but we pressed on and eventually made our way back to the train station.      Read more

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