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Lauhibar

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    • TravelerCamino 2023
      Day 4

      First day on the Camino

      May 14, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

      We walked what is considered a half stage today, but it was actually farther than I've walked on the first day on the Camino Francés. This is the "crossing the Pyrenees" stage. While the terrain isn't difficult (it's actually foothills of the Pyrenees and most of the walking is on a paved road), it is very steep. The first five miles is the steepest section on the entire Camino Francés.

      In the past I've split this section by spending the night at Refuge Orisson which was the only hostel between St Jean Pied de Port in France and Roncesvalles in Spain. There is now another hostel one kilometer up the road, but my walking companions weren't keen on sleeping in bunk beds so we chose to use a service that picked us up when we reached the halfway point of this stage - about 7.5 miles.

      The day started out drizzly, but the walk was fairly dry until we reached Orisson where we stopped for lunch before continuing for 3 more miles. After a bowl of delicious vegetable soup we set out again for about another hour or so of walking until we reached our pick up point. Then it started to rain - lightly at first and we all put on our ponchos and deployed our handsfree hiking umbrellas. It wasn't long before we were in a torrential downpour with some hail mixed in. I also heard some thunder rumbling in the distance, and I thought of my umbrella and poles - the umbrella has a fiberglass shaft and ribs, and the piles are carbon fiber, so I was hoping that they wouldn't make me a lightning rod! Fortunately, I didn't see any lightning - in fact I couldn't see much at all at this point due to the mist that formed up in the mountains. Thankfully, the shuttle service sent the van up early because of the worsening weather and I arrived at the meeting point just as he got there. The others were behind me, and very happy to see a warm, dry van waiting for them.

      As is typical of days like this when we got back to town the skies cleared and it was beautiful!

      Until the rain really started the views were stunning, and I regret not taking more pictures.

      In the afternoon we walked around a bit more in St Jean which is an interesting old walled Basque town before heading to dinner.

      Tomorrow we will take the shuttle back to where we left off - hopefully it will be a lot dryer!      Read more

    • Brian SmithCamino Frances
      Day 3

      Saint Jean Pied De Port

      September 5, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

      We have arrived at the starting point of the Camino Frances. Saint Jean has a population of just 1500 but serves the needs of over 50,000 pilgrims per year. In 2022 , a little over 52,000 pilgrims began their pilgrimage here. While France had the highest number of pilgrims, the US was second with about 7200. The town is known for its narrow streets and was the ancient capital of the Basque region of Basse-Navarre.
      We checked in at the pilgrims office , registered and received our official pilgrimage passports. This will be used throughout the trip. A pilgrim needs to have their passport stamped throughout their journey as evidence of their pilgrimage. In Santiago , pilgrims present their passport to the office to receive the official Compostela !

      We are staying at a hostel , Gite Compostella just a few clicks out of the city center.
      At 700 am tomorrow we will begin. As Saint Jean sits at the base of the Pyrenees , our first day will be up the Pyrenees (highest elevation is about 4500 feet) and then about a third of the way down where we will pass into Spain and arrive at our destination, Roncesvalles. About a 16 mile trip for the day . The first two days of the pilgrimage are said to be the most challenging so excited to get started!
      Cj and I will debate tomorrow ‘s starting point at dinner tonight. The official starting point is a little past the pilgrims office and our hostel is further down the Camino path. Since we have technically already traveled that part of the path shall we go back to the starting point again or shall we just go forward from our hostel…hmmmm….      Read more

    • Azores and Camino 2023
      3
      21132321
      Day 7

      Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port

      August 25, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

      W końcu jesteśmy u progu naszej ponownej pielgrzymki. To, że robimy to po raz drugi spowodowało chyba, że z mniejszym być może zainteresowaniem oddawaliśmy się poznawaniu kolejnych nowych miejsc, a raczej z przyjemnością powróciliśmy do tych , które już znamy i czujemy się niejako ich bywalcami. Po Barcelonie i Pamplonie przejechaliśmy się jak na dzikim ośle, robiąc tylko to co wydawało nam się najistotniejsze . W Pamplonie dopadł nas jeszcze rozkładający wszystko w drobny mak gorąc.
      Po półtoragodzinnej jeździe autobusem dotarliśmy dzisiaj do początku. Jazda i widoki za oknem przypomniała nam, że Pireneje to nie żarty i na pewno jutro pojawią się duże oczy i zwieracze dostaną darmowa próbę wysiłkowa.
      Znaleźliśmy nasze schronisko, potem do biura pielgrzymów, gdzie dostaliśmy muszle i książeczki na stemple. Drobne ostatnie zakupy obiadek i na koniec dnia odwiedziny u Ewy i jej męża Zdzisia. Ewę poznaliśmy w zeszłym roku w pierwszej przy przystanku autobusowym restauracji gdzie wstąpiliśmy na piwo. Więc dzisiaj podobnie tam zajrzelismy by sprawdzić czy jeszcze tutaj pracuje. I tym razem znajomość się pogłębiła bo doszło do poznania jej męża Zdzisia i wizyty w ich domu. Bardzo sympatycznie było. Teraz już tylko zostało ostatnie przepakowania i wyruszamy jutro prawdopodobnie w deszczu. Czeka nas 8 km zbliżona do pionu ściana.      Read more

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    • TravelerCompostelle 2023
      2
      1142231
      Day 14

      « Aweille en haut » - Les Pyrénées

      May 2, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      Chemin de compostelle 9/40
      Étape #1 Camino francés" de Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port à Roncevaux.
      Kilomètres parcourus: 28 km. Cumulatif : 262 km et 26,7 moy. de km par jour.
      Altitude atteinte : 1 241 mètres.

      On prévoyait une grosse première étape sur le « Camino francés » et ce fut le cas.
      À 6h15 nous étions partis.
      Puis au début on a marché 2 kilomètres avec de courtes montées et après, ce fut la totale pendant 14 kilomètres. On a été testé solidement. Des montées agressives qui n’en finissaient plus. Ce fut l’étape la plus difficile que l’on a dû affronter. Nous avons réussi.      Read more

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    • Camino
      111
      Day 5

      Saint Jean Pied-de-Port

      September 9, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Właśnie przyjechaliśmy autobusem do naszego startu. Żarty chyba się skończyły, Pireneje wyglądają bardzo groźnie.
      Idziemy się zarejestrować potem schronisko potem winko ale lekko. Chyba weźmiemy transport na jeden plecak.
      Viva La France ! First place we walked in to use the potty and get the beer we met very nice pani Ewa who lives hare past 12 years ☺️. And the bartender showered me with the beer when the glass he was pouring my beer in broke!😂 Such a great beginning 🙏🤞😍😅      Read more

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    • TravelerJakobsweg 2022
      1
      Day 2

      Fahrt nach Saint Jean Pied de Port

      September 13, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

      Unsere heutige Fahrt verlief gut und pünktlich. Von Gare Montparnasse mit TGV über Bordeaux und Dax nach Bayonne. Ab Bayonne dann leider Schienenersatzverkehr. Unser wilder Busfahrer hat fast 40 Minuten herausgefahren. Deshalb konnten wir einen großen Ortsrundgang zu unserer Pilgerherberge vornehmen.
      Nach Quartiersbezug war der Gang zum Pilgerbüro (Wartezeit mehr als eine Stunde) dran. Danach Wasser kaufen und ein kühles Blondes trinken. Leider musste ein Sandwich als Abendessen reichen.
      Nun Dusche und ab ins Bett.
      Die morgige erste Etappe hat es in sich.
      Fazit des Tages: viele aus Reiseführern bekannte Bilder nun selbst erlebt! Einfach grandios und irgendwie noch unfassbar.
      Ultreia      Read more

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    • TravelerCamino
      1
      Day 3

      Day 4 St. Jean Pied-de-Port

      May 2, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Today is the day I had planned to acclimatize, then get adequate sleep before starting the challenging first day. My original plan had me arriving here this morning, then getting registered in the early afternoon before exploring the town a bit. St. Jean Pied-de-Pont is set in a valley in the foothills of the Pyrenees. As it turns out I’ve had the whole day to explore the medieval citadel in the middle with the quaint, little town built around it. It was the ancient capital of the Basque region of Basse-Navarre. The streets, many made out of cobblestone, are so narrow that even when walking on sidewalks I can feel the wind shear of fast vehicles.
      The economy appears to rely on farming and Camino tourism. Every second person you see is wearing a backpack and carrying poles.
      I am yearning to get going; I walked the first five kms today to see what it was like, and it is definitely steep in some areas. Tomorrow’s 24 km route is described as “strenuous,” so it will be important to pace myself. This one will be an aerobic challenge. I did the 10 kms -there and back- with my backpack on, during midday, in near-30 degree temperatures, so I’m hoping to get going no later than 8:00 am tomorrow .      Read more

    • TravelerAventure de randonnée
      3
      Day 12

      La region Basque dans toute sa splendeur

      April 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Départ de Ostabat pour se rendre à notre dernière destination en France St Jean Pied de Port pour une distance de 23 km

      Chaîne de montagne en continu peuplée de troupeau de brebis qui produise le fromage réputé de cette région, dimanche la fromagerie fermée, nous avons pu découvrir l'architecture basque nous attendons l'ouverture de la réception de
      L' hôtel pour profiter de notre soirée, le petit village est bondé en attente de credentiel et du tampon

      Nous sommes dans la région des Pyrénées Atlantiques demain plus de Saint Jean Pied De Port.      Read more

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    • Traveler930km Camino Frances Spanien
      Day 2

      Unser Start des Camino in Saint Jean

      September 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Nach einer Nacht in unserer Herberge Gite Compostela geht's nun endlich los auf dem Camino Frances. Die Herberge versetzte uns schon Mal in eine Schockstarre. Obwohl wir ein privates 2 Bett Zimmer hatten, konnten wir uns schwer entspannen. Der erste Eindruck dieser heruntergekommenen Herberge saß noch tief.
      Wir waren froh darüber diesen Ort verlassen zu können und brachen zeitig in der Früh auf nach Roncesvalles, das wir aber an diesen Tag nicht erreichen sollten.
      So vollkommen unvorbereitet traf uns dieser morgendliche, schier endlos wirkende Aufstieg Aufstieg über Asphaltstraße und Feldwege bis Orisson. Orisson ist ein kleine Herberge am Straßenrand mit einer tollen Sonnenterrasse, auf der sich die herrliche Aussicht super genießen lässt. Doch auch hier sind wir sichtlich gezeichnet vom Aufstieg prompt wieder in ein Fettnäpfchen getreten. Der Kellner gab uns unmissverständlich zu verstehen, dass die Terrasse ausschließlich für Restaurantgäste wäre. Wir , die eigentlich nur einen Kaffe konsumieren wollten, sollten drinnen an der Bar trinken. Ja, genau. Herrlichsten Sonnenschein und wir sollten rein. Also änderten wir unsere Taktik und haben uns ein Essen aufzwingen lassen, nur um draussen zu entspannen.
      30 Euro leichter machten wir uns 45 min später wieder bergauf auf den Weg.      Read more

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    • TravelerCamino Frances
      Day 1

      Bayonne to Roncesvalles

      August 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Got up early, and ran to the station in the rain. Jumped on the St Jean train but it went to Bordeaux instead. By the time I back tracked I ended up on the 8:52 and met another 'age appropriate' guy and had a great conversational train ride with Eric. We walked to the peregrino office and he gave me his extra credencial. I was meant to take this train. Then he escorted me out of town and I set of into the clouds and the drizzling rain. With oxygen infused blood from the high Rocky Mountains I busted up the hills like a bird on a thermal. Fantastic I'm free!

      At the dinner table I got Sebastian and Mike together since they share Australian experiences even though neither are Australian. The three of us said at the table and we are joined by a very petite and very energetic Italian girl named Virginia, she lights up the conversation and we have a fantastic evening.

      Mike is my bunk mate and he ended up getting a second bottle of wine and talk some more to Virginia as a result he was tossing and turning and snoring and I didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night but that would end up being just how it would go.      Read more

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