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Uhart-Cize

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    • Camino Frances 2024
      3
      113
      Day 4

      Day 1 St.Jean to St.Michel

      April 11 in France ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      So we started our Camino today...finally!
      We left our wonderful albergue this morning at 8:30 making a steady (sometimes steep) climb to Borda, our stop for the night. Only 9km but what a climb. Our training was well worth it since it wasn't too difficult for us old guys.
      Ended the day again with a great meal from our hosts Laurent and Michel.G      Read more

    • Camino de Santiago
      11
      Day 3–4

      Road to Hunto

      April 16 in France ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

      🌍✨ Starting our Camino Frances journey! Today we tackled the first leg from Saint Jean Pied de Port to our cozy alberge in Hunto, a beautiful but challenging uphill 3.5-mile trek (close to 9 miles total for the day.) The path led us through the stunning countryside of the Navarre region where we were greeted by sheep, cows, horses, and the beautiful sounds of songbirds. The spring flowers are just beginning to bloom, adding bits of color to our scenic hike! 🌸🌺

      Upon arrival, we quickly changed and joined other guests for a hearty pilgrim dinner. 🍷It was wonderful to meet fellow travelers from Boston, Ireland, Germany, France, and Belgium—what a multicultural feast in every sense! This journey promises not just beautiful landscapes, but the beginning of good friendships as well. 🥾🌼🐑      Read more

    • 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
      213
      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

    • TravelerCamino de Santiago
      11
      Day 4

      SJPP to Roncesvalles - part 1

      March 26 in France ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

      It's been difficult to know which language to start with on the first day of the Camino because we are in France, but Spanish is the language of the Camino, and as much as English is probably the common language with whoever I'm talking to, it feels super arrogant to launch straight in. Might just start screeching g'day at people so we all know where we stand.

      After a truly rubbish night's laying still (sleep would be an overstatement, I think I called the jetlag triumph early) it was finally 6am and reasonable to get up. I joined some early risers in the kitchen, intermittently poking a hand out the window into the dark to confirm that it was still both cold and raining, and talking about what lay ahead. This, incredibly, involved a chat with an Australian guy about how much he likes bloody George Town. What on earth.

      About 7.30am I was strapped and clicked and covered and on my way. Today is supposed to be the hardest day of the whole thing, which is probably a combination of soft new bodies, distance, and elevation. Adding rain was a genius move from the great sky dispenser, it added to the gravitas.

      The elevation is all crammed into the second half so my plan, informed by a complete lack of competitive spirit and relative abundance of time, was to break the 27km into two days by staying at Valcarlos and do the hard bit tomorrow on fresh legs.

      Did I? Go to part two, don't forget to like and subscribe!      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

    • TravelerCamino23
      11121
      Day 5

      The Pyrennes Mountains

      August 21, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

      Started up From St. Jean on Monday morning in route to Roncevalles Sp. Crossing the Pyrenees was one of the most deliriously scenic ventures I ever had. The mountains were beautiful, but the climb was treacherous. I wanted to stop and go back down the hill several times, but I chose to rub my patch and move on up that hill. Reached Roncevalles with little or no energy left. Well I was able to have dinner with fellow pilgrims before falling into my bunk at the Municipal Albergue. About 5 hundred beds separated by cubicles of 4. 30+ km up hill. Will begin my trek to Zubiri in. the morning.Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Uhart-Cize, Uharte Garazi

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