Day 0.8 St Jean Pied de Port (James)

Day 0.8 St. Jean

We arrived in St. Jean early this morning.  Our overnight train from Paris to Bayonne didn't afford us much sleep.  Bree was in even worse shape as she had just completed roughly the same airline schedule we had a few days ago.  Once in Bayonne we waited for a train to St. Jean.  In the lobby we started to recognize other pilgrims.  Despite the language barriers, it was fun to see Auna and Deija communicate and share their excitement with others.  

I joked when about a thousand schoolchildren arrived in the lobby saying that they would be joining us on the train.  Little did I know they truly were heading to the same little town as we were.  Because the kids took up the seats, Auna and Deija slept on the floor.  Bree and I did our best to stay awake or fall asleep.  Somehow, we were allowed to neither.  

Turns out those kids had a reason to head to St. Jean for a field trip.  We all instantly fell in love.  The Camino themed cobblestone streets, the narrow alleys, barely enough room for a single car, the bridges over the Nive river, fresh bakeries, even a strode devoted entirely to spices, it was just pleasant.  That's the first word that comes to mind: pleasant.  

We first walked up to the pilgrim office where we got our pilgrim passport.  We are official now!  We also booked a room at the hostel.       Unfortunately we couldn't check in for a few hours so we each set off exploring the town; parks were visited, paths were explored, churches were viewed, items in stores gawked at, even some laundry was done.

Around 2pm, we were allowed back in the hostel to grab a bed.  Soon enough, we met the woman in charge of the dormitory.  She was a bit feisty.  We all walked on eggshells after she tore up a French guy for leaving water footprints from the bathroom.  Nothing like being yelled at in a language you dont understand.  We all had a good laugh though.  No one needed to speak the same language for us all to share in our disbelief.  I showered bound and determined not to leave a drop of water anywhere outside that bathroom.  

We are all excited to see what tomorrow brings.  Bree and I discussed our strategy and we are going to take it slow and easy.  I think it's important to learn how to take breaks early on in the trip. I suppose you can say that is one of our learning objectives.

Tomorrow, we walk...

Buen Camino,
James