St. Jean to Orisson

 TheCamino begins!

Now my friend Michelle (not who I’m walking with but who did the Camino a few years ago) would tell me that my Camino began when I got on the plane in Dayton. Or I’ve heard others say that the Camino begins when you make the choice to walk it. At any rate we began walking in France today. And oh my! What a walk it was!

We started at St. Jean Pied de Port and began to walk up. And then we walked up a little bit more. And then it got steeper and we walked up. Up. Up. Up. For the most part, always up. The host where we stayed last night told us that the ascent out of town was the worst part. He lied. There were some pretty steep parts throughout. But we shouldn’t have been surprised because we are now in the Pyrenees. And while the walk was difficult at times we were, quite frankly, surrounded with beauty. 

These pictures don’t really do justice to where we are walking, but hopefully they give you a taste of the absolut beauty of the Pyrenees. 

Our final destination today was Orisson. It is really only a restaurant and a place to sleep. Not all pilgrims stop here because it’s only about a 5 mile walk, but we decided to give ourselves an easy first day which was probably a good idea. For perspective we will walk more than twice this distance tomorrow, but a mixture of up and down. 

After lunch we had a few new experiences. The first was a five minute shower because that’s all the special coin that you inserted into the machine would give you. And then we did laundry by hand because that’s the only option you have. Not what we are used to but a good lesson in simplicity and doing with only what you need. And also humility. After all my underwear(and many others) is hanging on the clothesline for all to see. This morning after breakfast our host led us in a reflection and used John Denver’s song “Sweet Surrender.”  Very apt as he sings:

Tomorrow is open, right now it seems to be more than enough. Just be here today, and I don't know what the future is holdin' in store. I don't know where I'm goin' I'm not sure where I've been. There's a spirit that guides me, a light that shines for me. My life is worth the livin', I don't need to see the end. Sweet, sweet surrender, live, live without care. Like a fish in the water, like a bird in the air. Sweet, sweet surrender. 

Tonight we will have dinner with the other guests who are staying here and then probably an early off-to-bed to get up tomorrow and continue going up once again. 

Before heading out this morning I spent some time praying in the “cathedral” of God’s mountains.  Today is the Feast of the Visitation when Mary travels to visit Elizabeth. What a beautiful image as we begin this Camino. Walking with Mary who brings Jesus to her cousin. My prayer was that I might see that the Lord is truly in our midst. (I think I did in the beauty of creation.) I also prayed that like John the Baptist we might leap for joy when we are aware of the presence of Jesus and that our souls might proclaim the greatness of the Lord for all God has done for us. With my pack on there wasn’t much leaping, but I do have a heart full of gratitude and a joy-filled spirit as we walk into “the hill country” on this Visitation day. 

Buen Camino,

Bob

Saint Jean Pied de Port

 We’re almost ready to begin. 

From Bilbao, we took a bus to Pamplona (no, I didn’t get to run with the bulls) and then another bus to the village of Saint Jean Pied de Port in France. This is the traditional beginning of the Camino Frances. Nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains, it is a quaint little town in a beautiful setting. As a main  starting point it is also a conglomeration of peoples, languages and cultures. Sitting at a cafe in the afternoon we met a nice couple from Austin, TX and Martin from the Netherlands who has biked here from home and is on his way to Santiago. We also heard a lot of French, English, Spanish and German, among others, being spoken. 

Tomorrow we officially hit the trail. Until then enjoy these pictures. 

Buen Camino!

Bob

We visited the main church in town dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. I lit a candle asking for Mary’s intercession for us and all pilgrims, and for all of you. 

At the St. James gate where we will begin tomorrow. 

The “CaminoFour” -Andrea, Catherine, Bob and Michelle. 

For dinner tonight I had a lovely trout. And the waiter made me get dessert. 

Bilbao

So the adventure begins.

In case you haven’t heard, I will be on pilgrimage this summer for about six weeks, walking the Camino de Santiago which is an ancient pilgrimage route in Spain. All in all the hope is that I will walk about 500 miles across Spain starting in a small town called Saint Jean Pied de Port in France and ending in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. There are several routes that end in Santiago, but we will be following the Camino Frances or the French Way. It was featured in the Martin Sheen movie “The Way.” 

I will be traveling with three other pilgrims who are friends of mine. To get us started we have all gathered in Bilbao which is in northern Spain. We have spent a couple days getting acclimated to European time before we head out on the Camino. So we were able to explore the town of Bilbao and begin taking in the sights, the sounds, and of course the tastes that Spain has to offer. Here are just a few snippets from the pre- adventure. Buen Camino!

Michelle and I traveling Dayton to Atlanta to Paris to Bilbao

Scenes from Bilbao including a concert in the plaza and some refreshment on a warm day.

On Sunday we attended mass at the Cathedral de Santiago, that is the Cathedral  of Saint James. That was appropriate since the Camino is really a pilgrimage to the church Where the relics of Saint James are reportedly kept. They were also celebrating First  Communions. 

After mass we walked around the city seeing the “Puppy” in front of the Guggenheim Museum and stumbling across Our  Lady of the Pillar in the church of Saint Joseph. Now it’s time to pack and get ready to travel to France tomorrow.

Buen camino!

Bob