Day 0 - Easter Monday, 21st April, 2014 - 0 km (Camino distance covered)
[leaving home]
The Camino began for Eila and me with our meeting in a very busy RyanAir bag drop lane at Stanstead Airport. The planning for this trip had been quite hurried and the itinerary was - fly to Biarritz, short bus to Bayonne and the 1 hour train ride to St.Jean Pied de Port, attend the Acceuil there and sort out our Pilgrim Passport - called a 'Credential' and be allocated to a hostel for and evening meal and nights sleep.
We arrived at Biarritz to the usual fanfare that RyanAir play to make sure you don't forget that they are the most efficient airlines and have reached your destination on time. The swift bus ride to Bayonne went without hitch, but because it was Bank Holiday Monday there was no replacement bus service to St.Jean until nine o'clock that evening a wait of 6 hours. Eila and I decided to walk around town looking for signs of life, which was hard to find as there had recently been an Easter Jambon festival and everyone was either exhausted from alcohol consumption or from eating too much Jambon. We decided to walk over the bridge into the main town and witnessed two men fighting on the bridge and into the road. After giving each other a fairly good kicking, the fight was ended by one, the victor, taking the other's shoe and carelessly and victoriously lobbing it over the bridge parapet and into the river below, therefore removing one of the duelling weapons! We found a small cafe restaurant by the bridge and remained there apart from a brief sortee to see the Cathedral.
Eila and I confessed to some of the goodies we had brought in our back packs. Some of you who are familiar with the characters of the Pixar Animation, 'Toy Story" will know of the characters Mr. and Mrs.Potato Head. She packs for him, on one of the adventures, by loading the back of his potato with all sorts of unnecessary items. By the end of our conscience examination we had christened ourselves Mr and Mrs Potato Head!
Our replacement coach ride must have taken us over about 90 level crossings as we visited all the back of beyond rail stations between Bayonne and St.Jean Pied de Port, arriving there in the pouring rain well after the Acceuil (Pilgrims help desk) and all the hostels had closed for the night. However the good volunteers that run the Acceuil had remained open especially to sort us out and we were immediately sent to a hostel arriving just before midnight, where we unpacked in the darkness of the dormitory with a warning that breakfast was at 6:30 and we had to be out at 7am.
Bon Camino!
[Eila - Arrival at St.Jean Pied de Port]
[Eila - Bayonne Cafe]
