AnticoUomo
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- None yet. I hope to leave St. Jean Pied de Port, France on Good Friday (April 18, 2014)
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You can also find guidebooks on amazon.com
I like Brierleys.
In the end, you really do not NEED a guidebook, but I find having his handy.
It is a credencial, and the Pilgrim Office sells them. Check the bookstores and the newsstand/tobacco stores for the guidebooks.
Thank you! So when I get there, I will just inquire where the 'Pilgrim Office' is....
So when I get there, I will just inquire where the 'Pilgrim Office'
Hello AnticoHomo,Thank you! So when I get there, I will just inquire where the 'Pilgrim Office' is. And I can also get a guidbook. Most excellent. Thank you again. My questions have now been answered. One more thing please... when I shower and such, shall I assume that my belongings will be safe? I would like to assume such a thing, but is that being naive...
In Saint-Jean the Pilgrim Office ie Amis du Chemin de Saint Jacques is at 39 rue de La Citadelle which is the 'main street' of the camino. If you arrive by rail just follow the signs up to the top of the hill.
The telephone is 05 59 37 05 09. The office usually stays open for the arrival of the last train from Bayonne; in season the pilgrims office is usually open from 7h30 to 12h30 and then from 13h30 to 22h. They can provide you with a Credential and on site lodging assistance. Their volunteers help run the municipal albergue at 55 rue de la Citadelle. Recently renovated this is a fine place to stay, but they do NOT take reservations. If their albergue is full they will help you find other pilgrim lodgings when you are on site. They keep up to the minute lists of ALL available space throughout the SJPdP area.
Margaret Meredith
Hello AnticoHomo,
It is more than likely that most people walking up the main street of St Jean Pied de Port will speak some form of English so fear not. In terms of property and security the best advice is TRUST NO ONE much the same as back home where ever that may be. Yes it is a pilgrimage way but not all are pilgrims some a very very small minority are opportunists. Last year I heard of a lady who put 3,000E down turned her back and yes it was gone. Alexwalkers advice is very sound, passport, credit cards, cash, tickets etc. guard them well.
You may need more than one credencial on your camino, these can be purchased in many places along the way.
Ultreia and Buen Camino Keith.
One more learning I've picked up here - I have always put my valuables in the bottom of my sleeping bag until I read the story of thieves unzipping the bottoms of these sleeping bags while their owners slept, and removing said valuables. Mine are now further up. If your sleeping back doesn't zip around the bottom, no worries!
Rest assured. Literally hundreds of thousands of people who do not speak French have arrived in SJPP without knowing where the Pilgrim's Office is located. The locals have had plenty of practice of pointing it out to people. And if you arrive by train, simply follow the herd.
Always bring your important belongings with you, even in the shower. I have a small waist pack where everything important is. When I walk, it is in my backpack. Other than that; always strapped round my waist. I keep it in the bottom of my sleeping bag at nights.
In Saint-Jean the Pilgrim Office ie Amis du Chemin de Saint Jacques is at 39 rue de La Citadelle which is the 'main street' of the camino. If you arrive by rail just follow the signs up to the top of the hill.
The telephone is 05 59 37 05 09. The office usually stays open for the arrival of the last train from Bayonne; in season the pilgrims office is usually open from 7h30 to 12h30 and then from 13h30 to 22h. They can provide you with a Credential and on site lodging assistance. Their volunteers help run the municipal albergue at 55 rue de la Citadelle. Recently renovated this is a fine place to stay, but they do NOT take reservations. If their albergue is full they will help you find other pilgrim lodgings when you are on site. They keep up to the minute lists of ALL available space throughout the SJPdP area.
Margaret Meredith
I was thinking about that very thing, Lynne, and that someone could probably easily cut the bottom with a sharp knife. I've been practicing sleeping with my money belt around my waist! ; )One more learning I've picked up here - I have always put my valuables in the bottom of my sleeping bag until I read the story of thieves unzipping the bottoms of these sleeping bags while their owners slept, and removing said valuables. Mine are now further up. If your sleeping back doesn't zip around the bottom, no worries!
If you become a target, there is not a lot you can do to prevent theft, so do two things:someone could probably easily cut the bottom with a sharp knife.
Last year I heard of a lady who put 3,000E down turned her back and yes it was gone..
Who in their right mind goes on the Camino carrying €3,000 in cash?
Maybe that is why people are having trouble with their pack weights!
Please, why would one need more than one credencial?lHello AnticoHomo,
It is more than likely that most people walking up the main street of St Jean Pied de Port will speak some form of English so fear not. In terms of property and security the best advice is TRUST NO ONE much the same as back home where ever that may be. Yes it is a pilgrimage way but not all are pilgrims some a very very small minority are opportunists. Last year I heard of a lady who put 3,000E down turned her back and yes it was gone. Alexwalkers advice is very sound, passport, credit cards, cash, tickets etc. guard them well.
You may need more than one credencial on your camino, these can be purchased in many places along the way.
Ultreia and Buen Camino Keith.
I depends on how zealously you collect your cellos, if you get one from every bar long the way you may fill one up quickly. One did me, but then I only got one or two stamps a day and that filled it completely.Please, why would one need more than one credencial?l
My son and I walked from Roncesvalles and we each filled up two. Even if one didn't collect stamps so assiduously, I can easily imagine someone walking from, say, Le Puy, needing more than one.Please, why would one need more than one credencial?l
Most people take their rest days before the final 100 km. We took ours in Burgos and Astorga. Pamplona, Logroño, and Leon are also popular spots to take rest days. In these places, it doesn't matter. I'm not sure what the rules are for rest days in the last 100 km (which is where the "2 sellos per day" rule kicks in).Thank you all for a great forum!
About the cellos/stamps:
If you stay to rest for a day at the same village/spot, do you still have to collect 2 cellos to get your credential at the end?
The Pilgrim Office is more on the alert for fast caminos than slow ones. You probably won't need to do more than explain that you stayed the night. If you want to be completely safe, get stamps at bars, restaurants, and your abode each day. That may result in a question about two different dates for the same location, which you will easily explain!!If you stay to rest for a day at the same village/spot, do you still have to collect 2 cellos to get your credential at the end?
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