I started the next morning early, skipping the traditional breakfast in favor of fruit and snacks for the road. The sun was burning off a beautiful, early morning mist that had enveloped the mountains. It was a glorious sight and I was trying to enjoy it, trying to “get into the moment,” one of the many goals I had for this journey. But frankly I couldn’t stop worrying how I was going to survive another day like yesterday. Continue reading
The first stage of the Camino, the Route de Napoleon, has the pilgrim walk directly from SJPP to Roncesvalles, a distance of 25 km. That route leads directly over the Pyrenees, with an ascent to 1,450 meters above sea level, followed by a milder descent. It is deemed the most difficult of all the stages on the Camino Frances – the walking time alone is eight hours not counting breaks – and you encounter it on the first day! Continue reading
St. Jean Pied de Port (SJPP), literally “at the foot of the pass,” is a very pretty, walled town in Basque country, the French Pyrenees. I would never have imagined being here, nor I suspect would many of those I see walking about, except for one thing. It is the traditional starting point for the Camino Frances, the most popular of several routes that are the Camino de Santiago, the Way of St. James. Continue reading
My 2017-2019 Camino 