• Susan and Jim's Travels
  • Susan Halpin
  • Susan and Jim's Travels
  • Susan Halpin

Camino de Santiago

Et 61-dagers eventyr av Susan and Jim's Travels & Susan Les mer
  • Reisens start
    18. september 2022
  • Jet Lag day in Paris

    19. september 2022, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    A marathon travel day. Little sleep and long delays. Over an hour to get through the Passport check at the airport. An hour on the train into the city from Charles de Gaulle. Some last minute Camino shopping and a cafe lunch.

    Then we could check-in to our hotel for tonight, near the Montparnasse train station for tomorrow's TGV trip to the French Pyranees.

    Then off for a Paris walkabout to fight off jet lag sleep. Now another cafe for some wine and dinner before finishing the walk-about back to Hotel Mistral!
    Les mer

  • Le TGV

    20. september 2022, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We are on the TGV to Bayonne. Travelling at 186 MpH! Update, the train seems to have peaked at 198 Mph!

    We made 3 Camino friends in the train station, people seeking out fellow travelers in backpacks.

    Fran, a woman from Rockville Maryland. She is meeting a friend in Saint Jean.

    And Kevin & Patsy from Portland ME. Kevin is a recently retired Firefighter from Auburn ME. Kevin told me Malden Firefighters let him park at the station in Malden whenever he goes into Boston on the Orange line!
    Les mer

  • TGV to St.Jean

    20. september 2022, Frankrike ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    The French countryside is whizzing by us as we sit comfortably on the train. It took a few minutes to get used to the fact that our seats are facing front but the train is moving backwards. This is just one more indication that I am going to be out of my comfort zone many times on this adventure!Les mer

  • Bayonne

    20. september 2022, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The "train" to Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port has magically be converted into two buses! Great weather,sunny and very warm. Onto the Pyrenees!

  • St.Jean Pied-de-Port

    20. september 2022, Frankrike ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    This quaint little town of St.Jean Pied-de-Port is the starting place for the Camino. Our first stop was to the Pilgrim office where we received our stamp. The volunteers made sure we had all the info needed to start our journey tomorrow. Made some cool friends already & ate at a lovely garden restaurant. Full & happy day.Les mer

  • First 8 Kilometers

    21. september 2022, Frankrike ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    We got an early start this morning, about 7:30.

    We have walked just under 8km, to the Refuge Orisson, high on the side of the mountain. We will be sleeping here tonight, but we are not done walking another 8 kilometers, to the point where the Camino leaves the road,. Crosses over the ridge into Spain. We have arranged for a shuttle to pick us up there, and bring us back to our room. Tomorrow morning they will bring us back up the mountain

    We have been told the steepest part of the climb is behind us, and we be walking up along the ridge until the pass into Spain..

    The weather is fantastic today. Clear skies and warm temps. The mountain views are incredible!

    Taking a long break here, having our second breakfast, before continuing!
    Les mer

  • Au revoir France ! Hola España!

    22. september 2022, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    We have made it to the top of the Pyrenees!

    Col Lepoeder, over 5000 feet elevation.

    All down hill now to our stop tonight in Burgette!

    Thanks to Jeanne-Marie for gentle correcting my spelling of España

    Update: Added my #Samberging photo from the top of the Pyrenees! How did we miss that!!!
    Les mer

  • A Happy Ending!

    22. september 2022, Frankrike ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Today was a hard day for me. My pack is 19 lbs and this is the first time I carried it up to the top of the Pyrenees Ridge and then down a very steep descent. Between the rapid descent and "old knees" I was in pain by the end of the day. Thank goodness there were sheep, horses and beautiful views that kept me going. We arrived at Roncevalles at 12:30, took a break, then walked another 3 Km to Burgette. Our BNB in Burgette looked like "heaven." Clean, hot shower, and a clothesline, Never before, did these things mean so much. A hot shower, a place to wash our clothes & charge cell phones changed my attitude. We found a pub a block away, met Camino friends we had barely knew before, enjoyed dinner with them and today turned into a wonderful day. So tomorrow...we're having our packs shipped. It's supposed to rain for the next 4 days. Taking it one day, maybe hour, at a time !Les mer

  • Roncevalles

    22. september 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We made it to Roncevalle, down in the valley. The steep descent was exhausting.

    In the valley views photos, Roncevalles is in the foreground nestled between two hills, Burgette in in the background in the middle of the valley

    The packs and shoes are off, we are eating lunch and taking at long break before our last 3 km to Burgette.
    Les mer

  • We made it to Burguete

    22. september 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After a long break in Roncevalles, we shuffled our way along a flat, shady trail to Burguete

    If you ever read Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises", you have heard of Burguete. Jake gets bored with Bull Fights in Pamplona, so he and a friend go trout fishing here. Oddly enough, Hemingway himself fished here. Go figure.

    We checked into our Casa Rural. Now we are having drinks and dinner with fellow pilgrims ar a bar that has a Jai Alai fronton out back. Dinner tonight with Diane from the English Lakes Region, Gino (a motorcycle cop from Belgium and Karl from Hanover Germany.
    Les mer

  • From Burguete to Zubiri

    23. september 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    So far Burguete is my favorite little village. Yes, I want to move there, open a little casa rural with a huge vegetable garden, make all my own garden food, have the best geraniums & other annual flowers & live happily ever after!

    Our 18.9 km trek (about 11.7 miles) today was filled with lots of different habitats, from treed forests & craggy rocked paths, to paved stone and open fields. Lots of cows, sheep, horses & goats. I never get tired of taking pics of these animals living the good life -- eating the grass & taking naps. Walking today was not the walk in the park I thought I was going to have. The end was a pretty steep decline with a rocky trail leading into the little town of Zubiri where we are staying tonight. The good news is that the rain held off until dinner time. By then we were showered, found several Camino friends to eat with & were enjoying an outside dinner at one of the cafes.The trail could have been a bit slippery if we were walking during the showers.

    Pretty excited about my end of the day purchase from the pharmacia after another killer day my for knees -- 2 knee braces! Hopefully I won't be whining in any other future posts!
    Les mer

  • Espinal

    23. september 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We have started day 3. First big decision was to send our packs to our next Pension in Zubiri. It will help us recover from yesterday tough hike. Sue is switching to going with the day pack from now on. I'll give my back

    We have made it to the first town, Espinal. Stop for cafe con lèche and fruit smoothie!
    Les mer

  • Lintzoain

    23. september 2022, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    An early afternoon break to eat our apples and prepare for our last and biggest climb if the day. Next stop Zubiri, our destination today.

    Apparently every town has a Fronton

  • We have staggered into Zubiri

    23. september 2022, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We made it to our destination, last climb of the day was the biggest and last downhill was steep and rocky.

    Several pilgrims have convinced Sue that knee braces work, so we will look for a pharmacia for braces for her. Update: found them!!!

    Pension Zubiaren Etxea is right next to the Rabies Bridge, if you walk a rabid dog over the bridge, it will be cured! We need to try this with Joe Toomey, the next time a bat bites him!

    There was a food truck on the Camino today that had a sign that said, "If you are desperate for a husband/wife, leave your underwear here it will bring you good luck." The box was full of panties! I did not take a photo, it was kind of gross! :-)

    One other nite, and there is a photo, I left my Fitbit home (one less device to recharge), so walked with my Fitbit tan line. Now I have a Fitbit auburn line!

    Now off for beer/wine and a Pilgrim dinner!
    Les mer

  • Zuriain

    24. september 2022, Spania ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    A much easier day so far, walking down the Rio Arga valley. Up in the foothills at first, so lots of ups and downs. Then right along the river bed, nice and flat.

    Over cast and drizzle and sprinkles, but no real rain.

    Stopped in Zuriain after 11k of walking at a riverside café.

    Another 8 or 9 kilometers to today's stop in Villa a, just outside of Pamplona.
    Les mer

  • Above the bar in Villava

    24. september 2022, Spania ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    A pitcher of Sangria is calling my name & I won't have to worry about finding my way home😇! The only problem will be climbing the stairs to our room after walking 10 miles today. The knee braces definitely helped, hoping my legs get used to these distances soon!

    We have made friends with some fun people who were staying in the same "pension" in Zubiri as we did last night. These folks are from St. Louis, Southern CA, & Queensland Australia. Even though we are all walking at our own pace we continue to bump into the same group during at rest points, cafes during the day or at lodging places in the evening. We all had breakfast together and then started on our way.

    Our walk started on the road, and then we were on a path through farms and then along the river.

    Had a delicious Spinach Friata at a rest stop in Zurain. We saw fellow walkers picking figs from fig trees. The sun was out, then it wasn't, then it rained. This was repeated at least 5 times today.

    Right now we are sitting at a laundromat. Just switched our load from the washer to what we thought was the dryer. However, when we saw the the suds happening in the dryer we realized "garbigailua" is the Basque word for wash. Well our clothes are going to be super clean!
    Les mer