“Marie, the baguettes! Hurry up!”

St. Jean Pied de Port

Bonjour friends!

I arrived in St. Jean yesterday evening after a long travel day that began for me somewhere around Friday at 5 am when I dropped Steph off at the airport in Seattle. Friday morphed into Saturday somewhere along my 9 hour flight to Paris. But my travel day will have to be documented in another post. The whole week leading up to take off will also have to go elsewhere. Consider this your I.O.U.

This post is about today: Sunday.

My first day “here”… wherever and whatever “here” is. I want to say, “the first official day of my pilgrimage,” but I’m not sure that’s true given this season, week, and even travel day or so I’ve had. I read somewhere that your pilgrimage to anywhere begins when you leave your home. If true, then my pilgrimage began at 10 am Friday morning. But what even is “home” anymore? I am pretty sure we all agree this pilgrimage began long before Friday. And, more and more I am completely convinced that home is a place I have yet to arrive to. Anywho, I know this is not what you’re here for.

Do I have some stories for you!

Today was a rest day. A rest and prep and recoup day. And it was perfect.

St. Jean is a picturesque French village in the foothills of the Pyrenees. When I say picturesque, I am talking Belle and Gaston (a la Beauty and the Beast) have roamed these streets - hence the title of this post. Baguettes and crepes were consumed.

My day began with visiting the Pilgrim Office and picking up my Pilgrim Passport. My Norn Irish friend, Michael, sat with me for 30 minutes giving me the inside scoop adding suggestions along the way. He calls himself a “Camino Junkie” and is just volunteering here for a few weeks. He talked to me fifteen minutes passed closing time while the other two volunteers locked up shop for lunch at noon shaking their heads saying, “Michael is very popular with the ladies.” They should be taking notes because ol’ Mike has skills. Took me less than ten minutes to know I loved him. Here he is stamping my passport:

I went onto meander about town while it was shut down for their lunch time. In my wandering, I came across a stone bridge wall that lined the town that was clearly used as a defense wall in some previous medieval time. Along the way, I came upon an apricot tree that was bearing fruit, a potable water fountain, a stone foot bridge and many pilgrims. I met three Spanish women from Málaga named Paqui, Bergenia, and Christina. They were fab. Then I picked up my walking sticks for the journey and sat at a little cafe to journal. They literally sat me in the most perfect spot next to an open window with a view of the footbridge and the people roaming about.

Funny story about my walking sticks: I was trying to be economical but the cheapest pair were actually noticeably heavier than the ones I bought. I was standing there trying to convince myself that it wasn’t a big deal when the sticks to my left caught my attention. All I saw was, “Eden” on them and I chuckled and decided to just spend the extra 10€ because they were nicer and lighter… and a bit of a wink from God. (There was no lack in the garden, people!) Well in my digging through this new bin for a matching pair, I realized the brand name on the sticks is actually “Éden”… as in it has my É

So cool, right? Okay if you’re not convinced of the many many God moments I’ve had in this one day, then hopefully the pictures will say what I can’t. See gallery.

Tomorrow morning I start walking. Stage 1 from St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles takes me through the Pyrenees. It is the hardest day on the Camino: 25.5 km/15.8 miles with almost 4,000 feet elevation gain. That being said, it is wayyy past my bed time. I am trying to start walking by 6:30/7 am but I really wanted to share today with you all. I honestly can’t believe I’m here and I’m doing this. I’ve had so much joy and a sense that so much more is going on than I can even articulate. Please keep me in your prayers for tomorrow it’s a challenging day but it is sure to be beautiful.

Ps. Mom, I booked my albergue for tomorrow night. (Pilgrim life. It’s day by day, one foot in front of the other over here folks.) Oh! And I have to tell you guys all about my bed and breakfast spot too! It has been above and beyond. You will have to read about Catherine, Andy, and Sharon another time.

Au revoir!