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Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

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    • Camino Frances 2024
      111112
      Day 3

      Day-0 St Jean

      April 10 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

      We traveled by a real cute train from Bayonne to St Jean. On our arrival we followed a line of pilgrims headed straight for the official pilgrims’ office where we obtained our ‘credentials’. We ended our day with a great meal at our Alburgue by our hosts Joseph and Flor.
      Ess      Read more

    • Camino de Santiago
      21
      Day 3

      Gateway to the Camino Frances

      April 16 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

      Today we left Pamplona, Spain 🇪🇸 by bus crossing the Pyrenees mountain range to the quaint 12th century city of St Jean Pied de Port, France. 🇫🇷

      We explored the city for a couple of hours until the medieval cobbled streets led us to the Pilgrims Office where we signed the register and received our official Pilgrims Passport (Credential) along with our first stamp.

      The pilgrim passport is an essential document for any Camino pilgrim. It is used to collect stamps (sellos) from hostels, hotels, churches, bars and cafes and more along the way.

      In order to access pilgrim accommodation and to obtain your Compostela when you reach Santiago, you will need Pilgrim Credentials. This document will be asked for at pilgrim accommodation along the route and it serves as proof of your pilgrimage.

      Let the pilgrimage officially begin… onto Honto!      Read more

    • Camino Spring 2024
      3
      Day 5

      Up up down up down down

      April 13 in France ⋅ 🌙 55 °F

      17 miles of walking....8 hours with breaks. 4000 foot elevation gain. Weather was totally perfect. Two weeks ago they had snow and today it was 80. Lydia is an awesome travel partner. We started at 615am in the dark, watched the sunrise, and climbed and climbed. Ate fresh cheese from a farmer and climbed, and picniced on the top of the Pyrenees. Finally, we arrived in Roncesvalle, Spain.Read more

    • TravelerCamino de Santiago
      212
      Day 3

      Big feelings on the start line

      March 25 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      You can start your camino anywhere really, and there are lots of routes to Santiago de Compostela.

      In the modern era St Jean Pied de Port (SJPP), a small town near the border on the French side of the Pyrenees, has emerged as the starting point for the route I'm doing - the Camino Frances.

      Which is to say I've been thinking about it for a while and it's pretty surreal to be here.

      The train from Bayonne to SJPP was a tiny thing, I think the trackless tram I got to Bayonne might have been bigger. It was so exciting to see other people with backpacks and sensible fabrics, I think we all got a buzz out of each other.

      First order of business was registering as a pilgrim and getting my very important credential, basically a pilgrim passport that lets me stay at pilgrim only hostels and collect stamps to demonstrate at the office on the other end that I've done the walk. I knew this office was volunteer-run but the sight of these white haired, multi-lingual, kind angels did give me a bit of a pang.

      Turns out I was right and the Napoleonic route is closed until April due to weather, so tomorrow will be straightforward with only one option available, via Valcarlos.

      Rolling into town without accommodation plans is a crime against my planner nature but it's the point, and I intend to get more comfortable with it. Today certainly went well, and you can't book the majority of pilgrim hostels anyway.

      Municipal ones are usually the cheapest, and the one here has 36 beds, split between 3 rooms. I snagged one for €12 including breakfast and was so happy to see a fridge and freezer (meds ugh) I nearly cried. VERY auspicious start!

      Bit of recon, some cat action (gets its own post) and look at that, it's started raining (the sky was threatening). It's wild to be here. Big feelings. Walk starts tomorrow.      Read more

    • 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

    • Camino Spring 2024
      1111
      Day 5

      Over the mountains. OMG

      April 13 in France ⋅ 🌙 55 °F

      We were both up and awake naturally at 4am. Usual for Paul, very unusual for Lydia. we knew the day would be long and hot - predicted to be Almost 80, compared to the snow and flooding only 2 weeks ago.

      It was magical to leave in the night light and watch the sun rise over the countryside in S. France. I had hoped to see horses on this Camino and I was not disappointed!

      These first adorable guys came right up to me to share their baby.

      By the end of the first 2 hours of walking up a steep grade, i was right hot and sweaty - see how red my face was?

      Then we made it to Orisson, a pilgrim’s refuge. They wisely make coffee, which we welcomed.

      Every turn added some amazing scenery! Almost easy to forget that my hips and knees were feeling more and more old.

      No worries - we are in good company. Slow and steady. it’s so cool to hear so many other languages, and to talk with each other about deeper things. Like how we can’t imagine doing something like this with anyone else.

      We share a similar opinion that cheese, bread and apples on a hillside make a fine meal.
      And if the wise vendor who set up a food cart just before the hill gets steep again sells home made sheep’s cheese, we are so going to buy that.
      Listen to the video when you watch. It’s the world greeting us.      Read more

    • Camino de Santiago
      1
      Day 4

      It's Just a Hill, Get Over It!

      September 21, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

      A fellow Pilgrim shared those wise words as we briefly rested during our climb over the Pyrenees this morning. We are halfway done for the day & having lunch at Refuge Orisson. The scenery is breathtaking & totally takes my mind off of the very steep climb we have today!Read more

    • TravelerSanta Margarida Trail
      1
      31
      Day 83

      Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

      July 5, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Liebesgrüße aus SJPdP, dem vermutlich bekanntesten Drehkreuz für Pilgeraktivitäten in Europa! Der Vollständigkeit halber, sende ich Euch noch ein paar Fotos von meinem Nachtlager an der Soyharce-Kapelle und meinem Weg von dort bis zum hiesigen Gemeinde-Campingplatz. Den Pausenraum der Kapelle teilte ich mir übrigens mit einem sogenannten Spinnenläufer; einer gruseligen, räuberischen Hundertfüßlerart, mit der ich bereits in Limoges erstmalig Bekanntschaft gemacht hatte. Wir gingen uns gegenseitig aus dem Weg.
      Auf in die Berge!      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerCamino de Santiago
      Day 3

      Cat count

      March 25 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Goals are important, and one I've got in 2024 is to pat 50 cats.

      This was going pretty terribly, as I burned through the low hanging cat-fruit quickly with B and the three that live on my street - one of which has since moved away, I presume his family went with him.

      So I was needing a cat a week and facing a massive deficit. The pressure was on for Q2 as if past performance is an indication of future returns I'm going to have to make up my entire quota on this trip. The shareholders were spooked, the stocks were wobbly.

      I'm pleased to report we are off to a flying start, with my grubby mitts landing on two (2) cats within hours of getting to SJPP. That's nearly 50% year to date yield. Phew.      Read more

    • TravelerJakobsweg 2024
      Day 1–2

      St. Jean Pied de Port

      March 31 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      Ankunft in St. Jean Pied de Port 🇫🇷

      Erstmal den Stempel im Pilgerbüro abgeholt. So voll, wie im Film von Hape Kerkeling, war es zum Glück nicht 😊 Es regnet und ich hoffe für den ersten Lauf morgen auf Sonne ☀️Read more

      See translation

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

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