For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
I have seen on the Canadian government website that they are advising travellers to exercise a high degree of caution due to terrorist threatsin France. Yikes! Help! Am I overthinking this?
Am I overthinking this?
Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I think I just need to take a deep breath, step away and come back in a bit.Hi, Deb, and a warm welcome to the Forum. Let me share something which I have posted before:
------------------------------------------
FAQs about a pilgrimage on a Camino
The good news is, you are in a forum with a wonderful group of people. Most are here to help people like you to achieve their pilgrimage goals. We can offer you encouragement, knowledge, and point you in the direction that will help you help yourself.
My suggestion to start is this:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Take a deep breath. Write down in large letters the reasons why you want to go on Camino. Place that piece of paper where you can see it every day. That way, if anxieties and fears threaten to overwhelm you as you plan, you can just breath, read what you have written, and focus on those reasons until the negative stuff fades.
- Make a list of questions and concerns that you have.
- Go to the Search Engine at the top of the Forum pages.
- Enter the words or phrase that you want more information about. You will get a huge amount of information to explore.
- If you find that you need help with anything, post a new thread so that your question or concern can be readily seen. If you post a question within someone else's thread, you won't receive as big of a response.
- Remember that perfect timing as it relates to how you feel, scheduling, and day to day life issues, seldom align themselves perfectly. If one waits for such to occur, doing something like a pilgrimage will always be in danger of taking a back seat while you wait for that perfect alignment to happen.
As to terror threats and strikes, and transportation delays, and so many other seemingly big logistical concerns, I would keep things into the perspective of what is a tiny possibility vs what is the large probability.
Except for a minuscule aberrations which have occurred, terror threats are not likely a probability during your travels. Exercising caution when traveling is equivalent to saying, "be aware of your surroundings". Actual acts of terrorism are infinitesimal in comparison to the vast amount of normalcy in Europe. Being aware of things around you is just part of normal observation and commonsense, anyway.
Personally, I wouldn't spend any time worrying about terrorism during your trip. No more than I would worry about terrorism while at a mall, theater, sports arena, or other public venue. And with security on a heightened state of awareness, that means to me, anyway, that I have even less to worry about.
There are many things I cannot control and have guarantees over. I find that focusing on those things to which I do have control tends to push the other stuff into the background noise of life.
Thanks. My flights YVR-CDG-YVR are with Airtransat and then flying Easyjet CDG -BIQ and Santiago to CDG with Vueling. I haven't booked anything yet though.Yes, you are overthinking it. Paris is great. Plan to spend a day in Paris, at least, after you get there to recover a bit. Dust off your highschool French, and you will have a great time there. I assume you are looking at the Air France straight shot from YVR - CDG, and if not, you should be. Done this a bunch of times, and its the way to go. Take the bus from CDG to your hotel near Montparnasse, and go catch the train down to Bayonne the next day.
Fly back to Paris from Santiago, and head home from there. I don't buy my Santiago - Paris ticket until I know where I'll be. Its a cheap flight anyway......
Buen Camino
One of the quick and easy options to go from Biarritz airport to St jean is with Express Bouricott. They are a van shuttle service which is reservation only. The total cost of the 45 minute ride is split among the passengers, which with a full shuttle is around 20 Euro.Thanks. My flights YVR-CDG-YVR are with Airtransat and then flying Easyjet CDG -BIQ and Santiago to CDG with Vueling. I haven't booked anything yet though.
That will work too. I sent you a PM.......Thanks. My flights YVR-CDG-YVR are with Airtransat and then flying Easyjet CDG -BIQ and Santiago to CDG with Vueling. I haven't booked anything yet though.
Thanks for the info. Very helpful.One of the quick and easy options to go from Biarritz airport to St jean is with Express Bouricott. They are a van shuttle service which is reservation only. The total cost of the 45 minute ride is split among the passengers, which with a full shuttle is around 20 Euro.
https://www.expressbourricot.com/persons-transport/
https://www.expressbourricot.com/contact-and-booking/
Good one. ThanksDo an exercise that I do, whenever I start to get nervous about whether I will be able to get through a challenging situation. Think about how many way stupider people than you do it all the time.
I love this.Do an exercise that I do, whenever I start to get nervous about whether I will be able to get through a challenging situation. Think about how many way stupider people than you do it all the time.
Do an exercise that I do, whenever I start to get nervous about whether I will be able to get through a challenging situation. Think about how many way stupider people than you do it all the time.
Hi there, I am in the midst of planning my solo trip on the Camino Frances for May - June 2019. (I have not done much solo travel at all) I will be travelling from Vancouver and want to do the most direct flights as possible. This leads me to Paris for my arrival from and departure back to Vancouver. There are other direct flights to Europe from Vancouver but CDG (Paris) seems to be the easiest way to get to Biarritz and back from Santiago. I have seen on the Canadian government website that they are advising travellers to exercise a high degree of caution due to terrorist threatsin France. Yikes! Everything else about this journey has me excited and positive but I have spent hours on this flights business and have come to an abrupt halt. Help! Am I overthinking this?
Hi and welcome and just relax. You know where I live? Mexico. You think there are travel warnings about MexicoHi there, I am in the midst of planning my solo trip on the Camino Frances for May - June 2019. (I have not done much solo travel at all) I will be travelling from Vancouver and want to do the most direct flights as possible. This leads me to Paris for my arrival from and departure back to Vancouver. There are other direct flights to Europe from Vancouver but CDG (Paris) seems to be the easiest way to get to Biarritz and back from Santiago. I have seen on the Canadian government website that they are advising travellers to exercise a high degree of caution due to terrorist threatsin France. Yikes! Everything else about this journey has me excited and positive but I have spent hours on this flights business and have come to an abrupt halt. Help! Am I overthinking this?
Hi Deb! You’re going to LOVE the Frances! I found so many great packing lists for the Camino on Pinterest, I consolidated the best of them and began a checklist of what I thought I would really need. I only had two things I never used: my headlamp (I stayed in pensions - felt like I was too old at 65 for a top bunk in an albuergue!) and my lightweight camp shovel (I never had to poop on the Camino till I got where I was going - you can train yourself to do this). My pattern was to eat and down my coffee first by 6am, then leisurely get ready to “go” before leaving about 7. I walked in September when it wasn’t light before 7:30, and tried to get where I was going by about 2:30 to avoid the intense sun.Hi there, I am in the midst of planning my solo trip on the Camino Frances for May - June 2019. (I have not done much solo travel at all) I will be travelling from Vancouver and want to do the most direct flights as possible. This leads me to Paris for my arrival from and departure back to Vancouver. There are other direct flights to Europe from Vancouver but CDG (Paris) seems to be the easiest way to get to Biarritz and back from Santiago. I have seen on the Canadian government website that they are advising travellers to exercise a high degree of caution due to terrorist threatsin France. Yikes! Everything else about this journey has me excited and positive but I have spent hours on this flights business and have come to an abrupt halt. Help! Am I overthinking this?
Hello Bob - I'm planning my solo Camino trip in September '19 and would like to fly into Madrid from Florida. I can't seem to locate flights to Biarritz that do not go through France? I'm doing something wrong. I don't mind taking a train 11-5 - would you share where you located that ticket?sometimes things don't work out the way you planned. We had that experience last Sept.
We flew into Madrid with a connecting flight to Biarritz. Our flight was late arriving from Chicago (our first mistake) so we missed our flight to Biarritz. Seems there is only one flight per day. Since we missed it we were told we could re-book our $75 connecting flight for $375 the next day. Not their fault we missed the flight even though it was their airline which caused us to be late.
So we decided to take the train. No sweat train from Madrid to St Jean at 11:00 arriving at 5:00. Great but I forgot we were in Spain and dealing with 24 hour clocks. But there was a train to Pamplona. And Pamplona is close to St Jean - right? So we found our way to the underground and on to the central station in Madrid. Once we figured out the computer driven ticket machine (there were only 40 - 50 people ahead of us in the ticket line) we were off to Pamplona. Great train ride.
Once there what to do. There is a bus, but it was getting late and my Spanish is very bad. But the Camino provides. We met two other pilgrims on their way to St Jean so we shared a cab. 90 minutes later we were checking into our hotel.
So in the end, we met two new friends, had a great train ride, our trip insurance reimbursed us for the delay, and a day later we enjoyed one of the best days on the Camino I have experienced.
Buen Camino - Bob
Hello Bob - I'm planning my solo Camino trip in September '19 and would like to fly into Madrid from Florida. I can't seem to locate flights to Biarritz that do not go through France? I'm doing something wrong. I don't mind taking a train 11-5 - would you share where you located that ticket?
Thank you for the confirmation on Madrid. Question - I have the option of flying in to CDG as well, there seem 2 options:Since September I believe that the only airline flying directly from Madrid to Biarritz has stopped flying that route. I took that same direct flight in last September as well. From now on, I will be flying Seattle to Paris like I did in 2017, and catch the flight from Paris to Biarritz.
Thank you for the confirmation on Madrid. Question - I have the option of flying in to CDG as well, there seem 2 options:
Thoughts?
- Only see direct flights on Air France to Biarritz flying out of Orly - so I'd have to transfer airports with Le Bus Direct. Does that seem right?
- Or, Le Bus Direct to Paris-Gare Montpanasse for the train to Bayonne?
Hi there,Thank you for the confirmation on Madrid. Question - I have the option of flying in to CDG as well, there seem 2 options:
Thoughts?
- Only see direct flights on Air France to Biarritz flying out of Orly - so I'd have to transfer airports with Le Bus Direct. Does that seem right?
- Or, Le Bus Direct to Paris-Gare Montpanasse for the train to Bayonne?
thank you!!! Buen CaminoHi there,
I am arriving CDG May 5th and am flying Easyjet direct to Biarritz a few hours later. I arrive in Terminal 3 from Vancouver and then transfer to Terminal 2D for my flight to Biarritz. There is a shuttle between Terminals. You may want to check out Easyjet. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the confirmation on Madrid. Question - I have the option of flying in to CDG as well, there seem 2 options:
Thoughts?
- Only see direct flights on Air France to Biarritz flying out of Orly - so I'd have to transfer airports with Le Bus Direct. Does that seem right?
- Or, Le Bus Direct to Paris-Gare Montpanasse for the train to Bayonne?
thank you - I've already reached out to them and they did reply quickly. I'm still far out from the date of departure but want to have all my duck in a row. Really appreciate everyone's help here. This forum rocks!Deb already answered the question. I'll just add that in addition to Easy Jet, Air France operates a regional commuter type airline -- Hop! -- which also fly out of CDG to BIQ, but with fewer scheduled flights than Easy Jet.
I also mentioned this in an earlier post, that my favorite way of getting from Biarritz to St Jean Pied de Port is using the shuttle service Express Bouricott. They are dependable, comfortable, and a quick option for travel. The drive is very scenic, too.
Altogether, my travel time from Paris to St Jean Pied de Port via flying and using Express Bouricott has been less than 2 hours.
Securing a seat is by reservation only, and because the shuttles are a popular option and tend to be fully booked, it is better to make a reservation sooner than later. Definitely at least 7 to 10 days prior to your arrival, although I've always made mine several months in advance.
EB seems to answer email requests fairly quickly, usually within 12 to 24 hours; and given the time difference between Washington State and France, that's pretty good.
Passengers tranport on the way of Saint James | Trip from Biarritz to St Jean pied de port
Transporting people around the Way of Saint James. Trips from Biarritz to St Jean Pied De Port to Roncesvalles, and the whole pilgrimage regionwww.expressbourricot.com
There are additional and other favored methods of travel from BIQ to SJPdP. My choices are based purely on getting to SJPdP in the quickest manner, and with comparative comfort. As with other transport options, using EB has always been a great way to start getting to know other pilgrims and sharing the excitement of starting a new journey.
You forgot the compulsive stamp collectors...…..There are of course 'terrorists' on all Caminos,they are disguised as bag rustlers,snorers,bike riders,and worst of all,SOBER PILGRIMS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
You forgot the compulsive stamp collectors...…..
I was in a bar in Monaselica having a couple of pints after that difficult walk from Rabanal and in rushes said compulsive stamp collector and shoves his pilgrims passport on the bar in front of the owner(no intended purchase), overweight bar owner looks at it, snorts and motions him across the road. As he picks it up and rushes back out the bar the owner looks at me shakes his head and says something in Spanish which I assume was along the lines of 'what a clown'.Especially when they get off a bus n waltz into a pub get the stamp n waltz back on the bus,no purchase,no thank you .
I was in a bar in Monaselica having a couple of pints after that difficult walk from Rabanal and in rushes said compulsive stamp collector and shoves his pilgrims passport on the bar in front of the owner(no intended purchase), overweight bar owner looks at it snorts and motions him across the road. As he picks it up and rushes back out the bar the owner looks at me shakes his head and says something in Spanish which I assume was along the lines of 'what a clown'.
I had a laugh and both of us smiled, I stayed for around 6 pints but the tapas he gave me I passed on as they didn't look particular 'fresh'. I strolled out into the hot sun smiling and headed up the road to the Japanese themed Municipal Albergue run by a lovely Spanish bloke and his wife where the wife cooked a lovely dinner and a bottle of vino.
Funny things happen on the Camino at times.
I was taking it easy that day..Witnessed that kind of behaviour too many times. PS 6 pints eh,are we related ??
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?