Madrid to Pamplona, Spain to St, Jean Pied De Port, France
Hiked: St. Jean to Orisson!, France
Miles: 5 miles
Hours: 3 1/2
We arrived in St. Jean which is part of Basque Country. It lies at the foot hills of the Pyrnesses Mountains. For us, the is where we will start our camino tomorrow.
Once a pilgrim arrives in town, the first order of business is to find an albergue for the night. It is important because space is limited and all of the pilgrims will be looking for a room too. The rates for the albergues are inexpensive for the pilgrims. Sleeping areas are large and coed. They have many beds/bunk beds/cots in each room. Everyone shares the bathrooms, showers and kitchen facilities. Also, lights out time is 10:00pm and check out time is 8:00am.
We had a long day of travel, so we chose a private room with private bath. A real luxury at a good rate. We finally removed our backpacks. Then found a restaurant and sat outside by the river. The food and wine was wonderful. Need our nourishment, because tomorrow will be our first day to hike.
Before we could start our hike, we had a few things we needed to do. First of all packs to heavy. Had to lightened our packs. Went through them one more time and we were able to remove some clothing and miscellaneous items. We then packed these items and mailed to Santiago. Can pick up when we finish the camino.
Next we registered at the Camino Office and received our official passports. These passports will be stamped at every albergue and every restaurant This is a coveted item. The more stamps the better.
Since our first day is so hard, we decided to ship my backpack to the next town. We took care of this and finally we were ready to walk. One problem. It was almost 3:00pm and it was the hottest part of the day.
Oh well, up we go. I did not think I was going to make it... Really! Hot and hard! Lee did Ok, but I was not prepared for the heat or altitude. Instead of holding him back, I hitch-hiked a couple of times with two nice ladies. It was less than a mile, but it helped.
After we arrived in Orrison, we had our first pilgrim dinner. The food was amazing and we were starved. The wine was endless and much needed.
After dinner every one stood up and shared their name, where they were from and why they were doing the camino.
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