Bonjour! Finding France...

This napkin was given with breakfast and
served as a reminder to enjoy my pilgrimage
the way I wanted. It translates, per my best friend
Google, as "Enjoy to your liking!"

Breakfast was so different from anything I had already had... or expected.  The toast came with a tomato sauce and there was a stack of potatoes on the side.  It also came with some fruit and coffee. I was shocked to like the toast and tomato sauce so much. It really just felt good to be eating...I can't lie.

While I ate I thought about the things I still had to make sure went right.  First, I needed to get to the major bus hub and get the train to St. Jean Pied de Port, France. Then, after finding the Pilgrims Office and getting myself checked in for this pilgrimage...I had to find the room I had booked months earlier.  When I woke up there, I would have to leave that morning to hike up into the Pyrenees Mountains to get to a hostel I had booked...the Orrison...on time.  The beds were coveted there as it is the only place to find a room in the middle of these mountains.  Then a hike to get to Roncesvalles, Spain on time for another critical hostel stop......my mind was on overload.  I kept feeling that little gut sickness you get when a freak out is coming. I had to keep reminding myself to really take one day at a time. I ended up reminding myself to take it one mode of transportation, one meal, one hostel at a time in order to feel like I was handling this really well.

I took the city bus to get to the major bus station. I got there hours early to help myself stay calm and feel organized.

Every once in a while I saw another person sporting a backpack and carrying some hiking sticks.  Fortunately, we would usually sit together and talk for a while, inevitably picking up some other valuable information from each other...like where to stand while waiting for my bus.  This is when I noticed that we would start calling each other by the name of our home state or country.  It was at this bus station that I met Texas and North Carolina!

The bus climbed up the mountain into France.  It was beautiful.  I swear that even the leaves on the trees in France looked petite and proper.  I couldn't get over how green the landscape was. I had left a drought back at home in SoCal. and hadn't seen anything lush in years!

France was stunning.  The countryside was beautiful and when we arrived in the city of St. Jean Pied de Port I felt as if I was walking in a fairy tale.  The cobblestone roads were so charming and the buildings looked like something I would expect to see on the stage of a Shakespearean play.  Unfortunately, I think these pictures are of the only two streets in France or Spain that didn't go UP.

It was on these streets that I met a couple from the states.  I called them Arizona whenever we bumped into one another and of course, they called me California.  They pointed the way to my next stop...the Pilgrims Office.

The line was long. There were so many people starting their Camino at the same time I was glad I had made my hostel reservations ahead of time.  Fall isn't typically as busy as summer...but it looks like an autumnal pilgrimage is catching on.

The people who work inside the Pilgrims Office are those who have previously finished the Camino and now work to help other pilgrims get set off on the right foot.  They give you valuable information (like a sheet of paper that lists the hostels that are for pilgrims, the prices, and names the villages or cities that have ATM machines.) This is also where you get your Pilgrim's Passport.  There is a grid in this passport that gives space for you to get a stamp where ever you end up spending the night or for each time you visit a legendary cathedral. They very best thing they offer, however, is encouragement.







I left the Pilgrim's Office with my passport and started to look for my hostel. Thankfully it was on the main road just a few doors down from the office.

The River Nive runs through St. Jean Pied de Port, France

The window looking out of my room at the hostel.

It became clear that you could tell which beds were taken if someone left something on theirs or had already put on their sheet and pillow case.

I got a top bunk which was fine for me here.  There was a light just for me by my pillow and an outlet for charging my phone.  As long as I could take a shower and get up to the top without embarrassing myself, I was fine with any bed.  It was fun to really start using the things I had organized in my backpack...like my shower bag, towel, and washing some of my smaller clothes items. When things were used and wet, like my towel, I figured out that I could just hang it from one of the bed rails and pack it up dry in the morning.  So far the system I had planned was working!

This was just outside of the hallway door of the hostel.

I placed my passport on the window sill of my room and just felt so happy!  I had my first stamp!  I would be leaving to start walking in the morning...it was all real now.  Even though I was still feeling concern over getting to Orrison and Roncesvalles on time...I was beginning to feel proud of how far I had come. I sent this picture to my mom.  I believe that over a couple thousand miles we were both feeling the same way.    


It was time to go get dinner and to find a vegetable stand where I could pick up some snacks for the hike tomorrow.  There wouldn't be any stops between St. Jean's and the hostel Orrison.

I would walk to the store every day if it always
looked like this!

I found this beautiful produce and some pistachios to up my protein intake...but I was worried that they might not have anything at Orrison for vegans to eat.  If they didn't, I wouldn't have a lot of choices.  I made the decision to buy a few cans of baked beans and some soft white bread baguettes that came like the rolls you can buy stuck together in a plastic bag.  Not the healthiest choice...but I figured it would be easy to just put some beans in the bread and eat them up.  I stuffed the fruit, pistachios, beans, and bread in my backpack and felt ready to go.







I ended up getting a pizza without cheese and a glass of wine for dinner.  They looked at me funny for asking for no cheese...but that's ok.  I had wine to celebrate the start of my hike!

 

The next day, MY FIRST DAY, it was misty outside. I dressed and re-arranged my backpack.  I went outside and watched to see which way everyone was heading.  I followed the other backpacks and it worked...I found my way to what I guess you could call the trailhead for the Camino Frances.  

The street to leave town was uphill.  Really.  The hike started out as an uphill ordeal from the get go. The mountains we went through in the bus were the same mountains I was going to walk back over on a slightly different path.  Gravity became more obvious... I could really feel the extra weight of those cans of beans. It was so beautiful, though, I didn't care.

It was at the beginning of the climb that I met a young man from Israel.  We started talking about how excited we were to be beginning our treks. I wish I could remember his name...he was really nice.  It was obvious to me that he was in better shape and younger than me, and that he was being kind to go at my pace instead of what he probably was capable of.  As we walked up the hills, we stopped now and then and set our packs down, sometimes to rest, others to take off or put on our jackets. 

It was obvious that my backpack was weird.  It looked...well, crooked.  The cans of beans made my pack top heavy and would make it slump over every time I set it down.  After the third time of having my backpack wobble over the young man asked me what was in my pack.  I explained that I was carrying beans and told him the whole story about how I was ensuring I would have something to eat when I got to the hostel Orrison.  He nodded that he understood.  We kept walking and talking, mostly about how to be of service in this world.  It was interesting to talk with someone that felt the same way I did about helping other people, especially a young person. After a while I knew I had to let him go on ahead.  I told him that I knew he could move much faster than me...and that I would be fine...he should move at the pace he wanted to.  He finally agreed but put his hand out and said, "Ok, but I want you to give me the beans." I didn't understand at first, but he insisted that I should give him my cans of beans.  "I want to take that burden from you" he said. I did not  see that coming. I was so surprised and touched that I handed over the beans and thanked him.  He put the beans in his pack and took off.  He was as fast as I imagined he would be.

I started walking alone.  It was kind of nice not feeling guilty about holding someone back.  I was free to go as slow or as fast as I wanted, to look at the view for as long or as short of a time as I wished.  It was kind of how I had imagined my walk would be when I would day dream about it at home.  One thing that never came into my daydreams though was just how beautiful it was here in the French Basque country.  Again, it was like something from an enchanted fairytale that I saw illustrated in my childhood books.

 I hope this video works!

The hill to mountain work was pretty tough.  There weren't many flat sections and I had to stop every once in a while to catch my breath.  

It wasn't too terribly long before I made it to the hostel Orrison.  I came up to a bend in the path and as I rounded it I could see the hostel to the left hugging the mountain.  On the right side of the road was a patio with tables where on nicer days people might sit outside to eat and stare at the view.  But today there was only clouds beyond the patio.  One seat was taken...it was my new friend from Israel! He was sitting with a beer when he noticed me coming up the final stretch.  He stood up as if he had been waiting for me to arrive, gave me a thumbs up, and took off up the hill into another set of clouds.  He planned to walk all the way into Spain to Roncesvalles without stopping to sleep anywhere. I waved and watched him walk off.  

I went in to check in at the hostel.  The line to check in was fairly long, a hard wait when your tired. When it was my turn, I gave the lady my name.  She checked my passport (the government issued) and then stamped my Pilgrim's Passport.  "And I guess these are yours then," she said, lifting up four cans of baked beans with my name written across the top of each can. 

I couldn't believe how lucky I was...and how suddenly it was very important that I eat every one of the beans in those cans.  I really wish I knew his name and that I could thank him some how.  

Peace!

Let me know in the comments below if you've ever had anyone do something like that for you!

Leaving Home Alone...My Trek on the Camino de Santiago

I kept trying on my travel clothes
before I left for Spain. I felt
a little bit too much like
Harrison Ford in Raiders
of the Lost Ark...but hoped
I would fit in on the Camino.

I had been in training for this big walk for so long that when the day came to actually leave...well, it didn't feel real.  I wasn't nervous, but had trouble convincing myself that this journey was leaving the planning stage and becoming a reality.I was actually going to fly to Spain and spend a month and a half in Europe. Alone. On foot.

Everything I was taking was in my backpack. Without water, my pack weighed in at just under 20 lbs.  It felt comfortable on my back...I was actually already in love with it.  I decided that my pack was a girl and I named her "Toda" which means "whole" or "all" in Spanish.  I thought that was appropriate since my whole world would revolve around the items she carried while we were in Spain together.

There was only one other thing that I had to carry, my set of trekking poles.  I had heard online that some airlines didn't let you carry the hiking poles as carry on items because they have pointy tips.  I decided to check them just to be sure.  I tried to think of a way to keep them safe and together while they got tossed around with the rest of the luggage that was going to be stowed under the plane.  I finally decided to put them in mailing tubes and tape up the ends.

I used bubble tape to keep them from sliding around and wrote my name and address in big letters on the tube.  It felt a little weird to carry the big tube but it wasn't as bad as when I've had to lug a carry on and a heavy tote onto the plane with me on other trips.

It turned out that when I got to the airport, I had to walk the tube over to a special window where they receive the sports equipment and other items that are large or awkwardly shaped.

I remember that I worried a bit about this.  Would I see my trekking poles at the other end of this trip.  We had a stop in England and I hoped my poles transferred properly.  These hiking sticks were so important to me.  I had been using them often and the cork handles were starting to be shaped to fit my grip.  Plus, they were a Christmas gift from a few years back.  I really didn't want to lose them.  These are the Black Diamond trekking poles that I showed in my Cruelty Free Packing blog.  They work really well...the two places on the poles that allow you to adjust the length of the stick remain snugly in place, but are also easy to let out when you need to change the length.  I am really happy with this gear.  They are light and strong, I expect to have them for a really long time...if they don't get lost!

The flight was easy but long.  I was flying to Madrid which took hours and hours...and then there was a transfer in England which involved a few hours wait at the London airport.

I believe they put a film on the window to keep
the sun from being to bright in case people
want to sleep. It makes the world blue and so
beautiful!

I was surprised when I got to the London Airport to find that the outlets there are different than the ones I needed for Spain.  My phone battery was dying so I ended up having to buy the adapter there in the airport...at an airport price.  I will remember to bring that with me if I ever have to stop in London again!

There wasn't much for me to eat as a vegan at the Jamie Oliver's Diner in London...but fortunately I found some fruit and coffee at a kiosk.



We boarded our plane a few hours later and headed for Madrid.  I had booked a bed at a hostel in Madrid, the Hostel Viky.  I found the hostel on the HostelWorld app where they said that the hostel was close to the airport and that someone would come and pick me up.  I wondered how smoothly this would go as I was scheduled to arrive in Madrid 5 minutes before midnight. I really didn't want to be stuck in the city walking around at that time of night.



When we landed I was relieved that it was so easy to get my poles back.  I just had to ask someone where I should pick them up and I was directed to a window where no one else was in line.  I called the hostel to let them know I had arrived.

The airport in Madrid is similar to the one in Los Angeles.  It has a few floors...which two of can receive traffic. Apparently I waited on the wrong floor and had a little trouble getting picked up by the hostel shuttle.  Finally though, Toda, my poles and I were together and being driven to the Hostel Viky.  I still wasn't nervous but I didn't know if that was due to being in some kind of traveler's shock or not.

The room at the hostel was small but clean.  The staff was kind and I felt safe.  It felt great to be out of the airport and to lay down to get some sleep.  I contacted my family, plugged in my phone, washed my socks while I showered in the tiny stall, and then went to bed.  I had to find the train station the next day and catch the rail to Pamplona.  I would work my way north to France before actually starting the pilgrimage.

After an early breakfast I headed out to find the bus that could take me to the Renfe station, the large train station that works throughout Spain.  I found it and bought my ticket...which took a long time.  If you don't buy your tickets online (which I will do next time) you have to work your way through a ton of people to a box where you get a number.  You need this number to actually be in line.  I didn't see it at first (like almost everyone who came in...we all kept advising the newest people to the line) and lost some time.  Even after I got my number the wait was long enough that I thought I could miss the train I had planned to get on.  Fortunately, I did get it on time.

I carried these painted stars
from Stars of Hope in my pack.
Every time I felt stressed, I hung up
a star to encourage others that were
probably feeling the same way I was.
I was hoping to spread some love
along the Camino. This was the first
star I hung up, in the ladies room at
the train station. It made me feel better!

Everyone waiting for the train seemed super tired from traveling.

Once we got on the train and started rolling I had a chance to see Spain's landscape in the daytime.  I was surprised to see how much it looked like home in southern California.  This is what it means to share a Mediterranean climate!

While we traveled on the bus I started to breathe easier.  So far I had made all the connections that I had planned out.  There were just a few more that I had to make...and making them was critical to arriving at different cities with different reservations.

When I stepped off of the train in Pamplona I knew I had to find another hostel to stay in for the night.  I got onto HostelWorld and booked one three miles from the train station.  I figured, heck, I had better get used to walking...and since I couldn't find a place to grab a cab anyway, I started walking.  I used my phone to navigate my way.  I put in the address of the hostel and started following directions.  This worked great for approximately 1/4 of a mile.  When I got to the major street that I was supposed to turn on, I found that it was a round about.  Google maps was so confusing at this point.  It couldn't recognize when I had stepped off the roundabout or when I had gotten back on it.  If I made a right onto the main street it looked as if I was making a wrong move. I couldn't figure out which way to go and it was starting to get let in the afternoon.  I needed to get walking but I felt like I was already lost before I had even gotten a good start!

The train station in Pamplona, Spain

  

I might have been getting lost, but the way was gorgeous!

This is the hostel I was trying to get to.  It was pricier than others but the closest to the train station.  

 I ended up having to sit at a bus stop and waiting for a bus to come.  I figured that a bus driver would be able to tell me where to go.  When a bus did come I showed him the screen shot of the hostel I was looking for and he knew the address.  It turns out that I was able to get on that bus for 1 Euro and it took me right to the hostel. Another huge sigh of relief.  I was another step closer to the Camino.

Finally at the hostel bed4U

  

I was able to get some dinner at the hostel.  I ordered a veggie sandwich with fries.  When the sandwich arrived I found that a veggie sandwich in Spain comes with a hardboiled egg inside! I took the egg out and the sandwich was pretty good. I enjoyed dinner and was ready to get cleaned up and go to bed. (Note to self: always tell the server I'm vegan and what that means.)

The room key had to be inserted
into a panel by the door in order
for the lights to work.  It is part
of an energy saving campaign.

The hostel rooms were really clean.
I loved the words on the wall. It basically
said that the bathroom was a great place
for thinking!

I brought a double charger so that I could either
charge two things myself...or share my charger
with other pilgrims if there weren't enough outlets
where we were staying.

I had a great night of sleep in Pamplona.  It was a good thing because I had to catch a bus to France in the morning.  It wouldn't be too long until all these typed of transportation were  no longer available.  In the next blog I will show how I finally got to start walking!!

If you're planning a trip to the Camino and I've left out some details that you need for this part of the trip, leave a question in the comments and I will try to help out!

Peace!
Patti