Ann, a Pilgrim from California. Ended the day enjoying dinner with a woman from California. We met on a Camino Facebook group and have been communicating these last few weeks.
September 4: Pilgrim Ann
September 4, 2021: Lunch in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Sept 4: Gite Makila – Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Gite Makila (pronounced Jeet). Directly across from Beilari, where I stayed in 2019, and two doors down from the Pilgrim office.
September 4: Haircut in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
They always work so diligently to straighten my hair and make me look civilized. This hair won’t see a blow dryer again until my next haircut.
September 4: The Pilgrim Office – Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Started the day with a visit to the Pilgrim office to register and get my sello (stamp). We collect stamps all along the way and must get two per day for the last 100km. The stamp on the left is from our local chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino, given to me by Dana Ballentine before I left: Your camino begins at home.
September 4: Rest Day in SJPP
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France ( SJPP). Rest day. I am staying in an albergue in a private room. We must leave around 0900 so the owner can clean. He does it alone, and there are many areas to clean. We can return at 3:00.
Two “Don’ts”
- Don’t wear your shoes past the front entry.
2. Don’t put your pack on the bed.
There’s always a rack or shelving for shoes.
Sept 3: The walk back to Gite Makala
The restaurants aren’t open for dinner until 7pm, so I had a dark walk home. The streets aren’t as isolated as this photo looks – I had to wait a bit to get a picture without people in it
September 3: Arrived at last! Met my first pilgrims
Settled in my room and found dinner. As it is on the Camino, a person can walk solo, but we are not without companions. Met my first Pilgrims over dinner. I shared a table with Matthew, an architectural student from Paris, and a couple from Portland, OR. Matthew walked here from Paris, carrying his little tent, cooking gear, and water filter for gathering drinking water from small creeks. The Oregon couple started this Camino in Le Puy, France, and will walk on to Santiago- about a 1,000 mile walk. He’s 66 and she’s 70.
Sept 3: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
