Planes, Trains and Automobiles

"I can´t wait until tomorrow
I don´t see how I´m going to sleep tonight"
                                                  -Boo Radleys

I´ll have to remind myself next time I go somewhere that requires multiple connections, to leave myself enough time; ie more than two days. 7 hours on a plane, 6 hour layover, 2 hour plane ride, etc., etc. Bottom line is that from Saturday morning to Monday evening, I managed a total of five hours of sleep. Having said that, I´m eager to get going...my butt is just happy I won´t have to sit in uncomfortable seats for hours at a time.

I had considered not starting in St. Jean at all, but rather in Roncesvalles.  After the flight into Bilbao, I seriously doubted I could manage to wake up in time for the 7:00 bus to Bayonne.  Plus, I really wasn't looking forward to the three hours on the bus and two on the train (ok, I admit it - the Roncesvalles start was mostly my butt's idea).  For my part, I wasn't sure I could manage the first day over the mountains.  As I was thinking this in my bed in Bilbao, another thought came to me "maybe you can't and maybe you can...but yoú're damn well going to try".  Ok.  Sorry butt...obnoxious voice in my head wins this round.

Obnoxious voice in my head has a point though - testing the limits of what you think you can do is a lesson that I learned on the last camino.  Giving up for fear of failure is something that I´ve done (and still do) far to often.  I´m glad I remembered it so early on in this camino, though I hope I can carry the lesson forward to more mundane things in my life.

St. Jean is a beautiful little city in the foothills of the pyrenees.  While the new part of town is sensibly level and accessible, the old part of town, in the citadel, is built on a hill. Not all the way up the hill as I learned the hard way, but way up regardless.

Checked in at the pilgrims office, where the folks were very accomodating, though incomprehensible.  Through the language barrier, they did manage to get across the fact that the high road over the pyrenees should be considered closed, as bad weather is expected.  Fine.  Obnoxious voice in my head has been overruled.  I still have to cross a mountain though, just not as high.  And I´m still not sure I can make it. "but you´re damn well going to try".  Oh, shut up already, I´m going, I´m going.

Got my credential, and checked into a little bed and breakfast nearby. Having exhausted the limits of my French two minutes after arriving in France, I was relieved to find the establishment was run by a brit from Essex.  Man, ex-pat brits show up in the strangest places.

Straight off to bed now.  Tomorrow brings a new road.