Camino de Santiago
Day 1: St. Jean Pied-de-Port –> Roncenvalles
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks. My parents came to visit me in Spain just two weeks ago, and last week, I spent a week in France, dividing my time between Lyon and Nice to watch the Women’s World Cup. Yay USA! Yesterday afternoon, I took a (horrible) flight to Biarritz and then took a shuttle from there to St. Jean Pied-de-Port.
There was a lot of traffic because of tourist season, but I made it to St. Jean Pied-de-Port just after 7 PM. First, I had to stop at the Pilgrim’s Office to get my pilgrim’s passport and a shell. Then, it was off to find my albergue. It wasn’t super packed, which was nice. I found some dinner, but many places were closing.
St. Jean Pied-de-Port is a very cute little town. I believe just over 1,000 people live there. It’s very medieval and looks like a fairy tale.
This morning, I woke up just before 6 AM. Yuck. My albergue was serving breakfast at that time. Many people like to start the day early to beat the heat and ensure a spot at an albergue in the next town.
At 6:34 AM, I set off on my 500 mile journey across Spain. Rain was in the forecast (and it had rained and thundered the entire night before), but for now it was cool and overcast. I started off with a jacket, but I quickly took it off.
Because of the weather, I decided to play it safe and take the route going through Valcarlos. It’s not as steep (but still steep, believe me). Most of the route seemed to be along a road. Luckily, there weren’t too many cars and trucks passing by.
At some portions, the route would take us off the highway and through a forest. I felt like I needed a machete to walk through the grass. This is when it started raining. At first, the rain was bearable. It felt like it was raining, but I didn’t know if it was just the trees “leaking”. When I got out of the forest, I realized it was raining for real. I broke out my 6€ reusable poncho from Decathlon and placed the bag cover that came with my backpack over the bag. Both did their job.
I continued along the highway for a bit, but then I was thrust back into the wilderness. By this time, the rain was steadily coming down. The plants and bushes were wet, soaking my socks and shoes. Great. Not on the first day. Then, things got worse. There was a seemingly never-ending steep climb. There were moments I had to stop and take in as much oxygen as I could.
Finally, the land started to level out. I walked through pastures and saw horses. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I had arrived at the albergue. The suggested time was 7-8 hours, but I had made it there in under 6. Then, I had to wait around.
We weren’t allowed into the beds until 2 PM. It was so cold and rainy. I tried to take off as many pieces of wet clothes as I could. Then, finally, at 2 PM, everyone made a mad dash for their beds and the showers. I popped into the shower just in time; when I came out, there was a line waiting for the next available shower.
I also took them up on their laundry service. Since my clothes were soaking wet, I paid €3.50 to have them wash and dry my clothes in a machine. Thank god. I’m bougie and a backpacking trip isn’t going to make me a true pilgrim.
In the meantime, I’ve taken a nap, I walked around, I prepared for the next day. Dinner will be at 7 and I’m starving. Then, it’s back to bed to prepare mentally for another 20 km day tomorrow.
Buen Camino!