Advertisement
Published: September 18th 2009
Yesterday we started our journey to the start of the Camino. After some trouble with the Paris Metro (apparently 2 day passes are for 2 calendar days, not 48 hours as one would expect), we ran to the Montparnasse train station where we had 20 minutes to find our train. We asked a shop keeper where to go and he told us to run up 2 levels of stairs; there we found a screen showing our train number and platform, which we ran over to. We ran down the platform but the train there was the wrong number! So we ran back to the start of the platform and luckily spoke to an attendant who told us that our train was in front of the other train. So again, we ran down the platform and luckily got onto the train 5 minutes before it left.
We swapped trains in Bayonne, to the one that would take us to the start of the walk at St Jean Pied de Port. Almost everyone on that train was a pilgrim - there must have been 10 or more of us and we were easy to spot with our packs and boots! St Jean was very beautiful, being at the base of the Pyrenees mountains, with the steep mountains behind and small cobble stoned streets. I was stressed because I had a bag to post to Santiago - about 2kg that I did not want to carry 800 km! We double timed it to the pilgrim office to pick up our Credential (a small book that we get stamps in at each hostel along the walk) and ask where the post office was, but it was 4.58pm and the post office closed at 5pm! So we ran to the post office and got there at 5.02pm to see the door locked and bolted.
So what to do?? We found a place that did a courier service for baggage and luckily I was able to send my bag to the next town. The lady was an angel, helping us with not only the bag but a well needed toilet and organisation of a taxi to Orisson, where we would sleep that night. So we hung around for 30 minutes, looking at the local shops, and then the taxi took us to the first hostel, Refuge Orisson. It was beautiful, up in the mountains (we actually skipped the first 8km of the walk by taking that taxi), and we arrived straight into a 6.30pm three-course dinner with wine! It was fantastic. There were around 30 people staying there and we all had to introduce ourselves, which was hard as most people were french and didn´t (or chose not to) speak english! After dinner it was a quick shower and off to bed - sharing a 4 bed room with a nice couple from Quebec.
This morning we woke up at 6.30am, packed up in the dark as a storm had come through and had cut the power, and made it to the 7am breakfast. Jam and bread, and coffee served in soup bowls! Angi couldn´t even finish hers! Then after a quick re-pack and photos we left at 8.30am for the first and hardest day of our hike. The rain had stopped and we were hopeful.... up up up we went and.... then it started to rain again. We hiked along a ridge up and over the Pyrenees, in rain and blasting wind - it was so exposed and my hands almost froze! I have some wind burn on my face now. The mountains were spectacular though, I think they must have been carved by glaciers.
Luckily, just before my hands froze, we walked into a forest area which was much more sheltered. The walk then became much more enjoyable, even though it was still wet! We almost followed a hungarian couple onto a "short cut" but luckily a nice american couple came along and we got back onto the right path with them. There were a few more exposed bits before we started heading downhill to Roncevalles where we would sleep for the night. As we headed downhill it got very steep, muddy and slippery, it was very hard going for a few kilometers! There were huge gross black slugs on the track. We finally arrived (20km later) into Roncevalles around 2pm, where we went straight to a local hotel to get a snack and a well needed inside break. Following that we headed over to a hostel, which wouldn´t open till 4pm, so we went over to another one where we were able to get a bed.
The hostel is huge, in a big church, with around 120 beds. It has internet and hot showers though and has everything we need. Everything was wet but luckily Angi and I had dry feet and after a hot shower felt much better. Dinner tonight will be in the local hotel, for 9 Euro we get a three course dinner!
Hopefully no rain tomorrow....
Advertisement
Tot: 0.051s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 11; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0176s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Kim
non-member comment
You are a trooper!
I am so proud of you! You're already being faced with the many challenges of travelling in a new place and well outside your comfort zone and you are embracing it. Am loving living vicariously through you during your adventure. It's inspiring me! Keep drinking lots of water, and keep your spirits up where they are. xx