delilah said:
walked from Bordeaux to St Jean Pied de Port?
When I did the Camino back in the summer of 2007, my original plan was to begin in Bordeaux because I love wine and figured it would be a great place to step off. I stayed at the Ibis hotel near the train station for a couple of days and enjoyed the local sights and cuisine while buying some last-minute items.
The tourist office at the Train station had a Camino sticker in the window so I ended up buying my credencial there (along with my first stamp). I asked the helpful attendant about the route (he spoke decent English), and he actually drew it on a map for me. If I remember right, he warned me about the heat, the bugs, and the busy roadway.
However, I believe it was around 20K to the first stop, I had no other reasonably reliable resources to follow, and I knew there wouldn't be many (if any) other pilgrims on that route until I got to SJPP. Those issues disconcerted me, so I abandoned the idea and ended up beginning the Way in SJPP (after staying a day and a night in Bayonne, which was somewhat nicer than Bordeaux).
It worked out best for me to start at SJPP, but I still wonder what it would have been like to commence my pilgrimage in Bordeaux. The city has some Camino-related sites and I enjoyed spending time there. Maybe someday I'll return and try again...who can say? :arrow: