June 25, day 1

We left Raleigh 2 hours late. Arrived in Paris with plenty of time to eat a fine breakfast and bus to another terminal to catch flight to Biarritz.

June 26, day 2

Planned to bus to Bayonne, train to St Jean de Pied de Port and taxi to our first hotel, which is actually in the next village. Plan B, take a taxi from Biarritz direct to our hotel. Good decision.

Hotel rooms are great, very clean and modern bathroom. The building itself looked questionable as it’s quite rustic. But a lovely surprise as we got closer and inside. Plus, our host Jean, could not be more accommodating. He drove us into town so we could find a spot for dinner. The walk home was easy and lovely.

Room key

First stop was the pilgrim office to receive our first stamp and pick up our shells for our backpacks.

The shell identifies you as a pilgrim on the Camino.

We also had a quick visit with Jan Courtney, a college friend of Susan Hug – one of Terry’s coworkers in banking. Jan is currently working at a hostel in St. Jean.

Then we were off in search of dinner. The town is charming, and unlike Spain, most places close early here. Eventually found a popular spot and had a hearty meal followed by creme brûlée and basque cake – the highlight.

We’re off early tomorrow so as to get through the worst part of our uphill trek in the Pyrenees before it gets too hot. We expect to take it slow so we’re not tempted to quit after first day 🙂